Space use patterns of the Late Upper Palaeolithic in Oelknitz (Thuringia)

Oelknitz in Thuringia offers one of the most important testimonies of early social systems, which are already visible in spatial codes about 15,000 years ago. The archaeological evidence can be spatially divided into seven “settlement structures” and impressively demonstrates how people lived together in village-like settlements during this period. Numerous stone artefacts, butcher’s waste and artefacts bear witness to the everyday life of the people of this period. The most recent finds from Oelknitz – the animal bones from structures 6 and 7- – are currently being recorded and analysed. The results of the faunal analysis, together with the already available results of the investigations of the lithic inventories, will possibly provide clues to certain activities in these structures. Research projects in Oelknitz, Gönnersdorf and Andernach (Rhineland-Palatinate) are closely related, as the intensively settled sites show many parallels. Female figures of the “Gönnersdorf type” can be a symbol for a common communication network and similar sets of rules. Synthetic comparisons the results of the research at these sites will shed light on this.