Research Project

Subsistence strategies of Middle Pleistocene humans in Schöningen

Summary

The investigations of the lakeshore deposits of Schöningen 13II-4 are at the centre of this research on subsistence strategies. The immensely rich find material of the so-called “spear horizon” allows high-resolution insights into behavioural adaptations and survival strategies in the mosaic-like landscapes of the warm-age environment.

The approximately 300,000-year-old site of Schöningen initiated a paradigm shift in Palaeolithic archaeology: the finds of several spears and other wooden implements among the remains of hunted prey (horse) provide the first unquestionable evidence of big game hunting by pre-modern humans. The bone finds from the settlement site on a former lake shore in the Schöningen open-cast mine are the focus of a project funded by the DFG. It explores the complex depositional history of the site and models human diet and settlement patterns. For the first time, Schöningen provides high-resolution insights into the functional organisation of Middle Pleistocene sites. The excellent state of preservation not only of animal remains, but also of plant materials (eg. wood), which are rarely preserved elsewhere, sheds new light on subsistence strategies in adaptation to warm-temperate environments.

  •  Share
  •  Copy link
  •  Print article

Contact

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Sabine Gaudzinski-Windheuser
+49 2631 9772-16
Kontakt
Dr. Elaine Turner
+49 2631 9772-0
Kontakt

Project Period

01.2013 - 12.2016
Finished

Support

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG): DFG -GA683/9-1.

  • Dr. Thomas Terberger. Niedersächsisches LA für Denkmalpflege, Hannover (D);
  • Prof. Dr. Kurt Alt. Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz (D);
  • Dr. Peter Kuhn. Eberhard Karls-Universität Tübingen (D);
  • Dr. Corinna Knipper. Curt Engelhorn-Zentrum Archäometrie GmbH, Mannheim (D);
  • Prof. Dr. Brigitte Urban. Leuphana-Universität Lüneburg (D)
  • Dr. Martin Kehl. Universität zu Köln (D)
  • Prof. Nick Conard. Senckenberg-Forschungsstation Schöningen, Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, Universität Tübingen (D)

  • J.M. Hutson / A. Villaluenga / A. Garcia-Moreno / E. Turner / S. Gaudzinski-Windheuser, A zooarchaeological and taphonomic perspective of human behaviour from the Schöningen 13II-4 “Spear Horizon”. In: A. Garcia-Moreno / J.M. Hutson / G.M. Smith / L. Kindler / E. Turner / A. Villaluenga / S. Gaudzinski-Windheuser (Eds.), Human Behavioural Adaptations to Interglacial Lakeshore Environments. RGZM Tagungen, Band 37, (Mainz 2020), Propylaeum (Heidelberg).
  • García-Moreno / J. M. Hutson / A. Villaluenga / E. Turner / S. Gaudzinski-Windheuser. A detailed analysis of the spatial distribution of Schöningen 13II-4 “Spear Horizon” faunal remains. Journal of Human Evolution 152, 2021, 1 – 13.
  • S. Lehnig / J.M. Hutson / E. Turner / A. Villaluenga / A. Garcíá- Moreno / G. Carver / S. Gaudzinski-Windheuser. Interpreting the Schöningen 13II-4 butchery sequence using the Harris Matrix. Journal of Archaeological Science Reports 36, 2021, 1- 7.

Stay informed!

Regular LEIZA updates in your inbox:
Subscribe to our newsletter

Yes, I agree to the use of the personal data I have provided. For more information, please see our privacy policy.


We use Sendinblue as our marketing platform. By completing and submitting the form, you acknowledge that the information you provide will be transferred to Sendinblue for processing in accordance with the Terms of Use.