Anna-Leena Fischer

Am westlichen Rand der sogenannten Windsheimer Bucht wurde in den Jahren 2012-2019 der Randbereich einer, nach allgemeiner Befundlage wohl nur kurzfristig bestehenden, Siedlung der älteren Linearbandkeramik ausgegraben. Herausragende Einzelbefunde sind ein vollständiger und ein baugleicher halber Grundriss eines Langhauses mit Y-Pfostenstellung. Anhand der keramischen Funde ist eine Einordnung an den Beginn der Phase Flomborn möglich, ältestbandkeramische Elemente sind allerdings noch deutlich vertreten. Somit liegt ein wichtiger Fundplatz für diesen Übergangsbereich vor. Radiocarbondaten stützen eine Datierung ins 51. Jh. v. Chr. Beobachtungen zur Verfüllungsgeschichte und Sedimentgenese an den hausbegleitenden Gruben lassen Erkenntnisse zur Bauweise erwarten..

Analysis of prehistoric lithic artefacts helps to answer a wide array of questions concerning archaeological contexts and prehistoric human behaviour. During three projects, we studied the origin of the raw materials of 32 inventories from the Late Glacial and Early Holocene in northwest and southern Germany. The basal petrographic analysis was conducted by the geologist and petro-archaeologist Jehanne Affolter. In addition, data of more than 60 published assemblages from Switzerland as well as western and southern Germany were recorded. The origin of lithic raw materials from most of these inventories was determined using the microfacial method. GIS-based maps of the raw material sources from the aforementioned regions are compiled and raw material catchment areas of the Stone Age sites are mapped. The area calculations of the raw material catchments revealed a diachronic alternation of larger and smaller areas, which above all suggest culturally determined cycles in the range of mobility and communication networks.

Analysis of prehistoric lithic artefacts helps to answer a wide array of questions concerning archaeological contexts and prehistoric human behaviour. During three projects, we studied the origin of the raw materials of 32 inventories from the Late Glacial and Early Holocene in northwest and southern Germany. The basal petrographic analysis was conducted by the geologist and petro-archaeologist Jehanne Affolter. In addition, data of more than 60 published assemblages from Switzerland as well as western and southern Germany were recorded. The origin of lithic raw materials from most of these inventories was determined using the microfacial method. GIS-based maps of the raw material sources from the aforementioned regions are compiled and raw material catchment areas of the Stone Age sites are mapped. The area calculations of the raw material catchments revealed a diachronic alternation of larger and smaller areas, which above all suggest culturally determined cycles in the range of mobility and communication networks.

Introduction
This paper discusses the interaction between foragers and farmers during the various phases of the neolithisation processes in south-western and north-western central europe. The disparate state of research on Late Mesolithic hunter-gatherer groups and early Neolithic farmers in terms of the certainty of the detailed chronology, the number
of sites and the comprehensiveness of the find and feature analyses, does not permit a discussion on the basis of equally-weighted data. Nevertheless, examples can be found
to illustrate and evaluate such interaction with regard to the questions raised in this volume on “Mobility in prehistoric sedentary societies”. Important for the following discussions are the distribution maps (Figs. 2–4) and the sites of special interest (Fig. 1; list of sites in Appendix, p. 73).

Abstract – The following article serves as a summary of the present state of research on the mesolithic period in Germany based on the evaluation of 27 excavated sites and a total of 57 surveyed layers. Although not all published assemblages are included in the study, the results are still representative. The data were compiled by the authors within the framework of a seminar at the Institute of Prehistory at the University of Cologne. It forms the basis of a continuing project, “Edition Mesolithikum – Mesolithic Edition”, in which the fundamental knowledge of the mesolithic period is being collected and evaluated. A first analysis of the data presently available shows that the state of research in Germany is extremely heterogeneous. This can be partially explained by varying preservation conditions. The main problem
however lies in the fact that the mesolithic period is not investigated to the same extent in all regions, and much material remains unpublished. Only a small number of mesolithic sites have been investigated in the Central Upland Zone (Mittelgebirge) of Germany, and no excavations have as yet been conducted in the German Alps. The absolute dating of mesolithic settlement sites is, with only very few exceptions, totally insufficient. This also applies to botanical and faunal studies. Even the results from the analyses of silex assemblages, which comprise the core of the finds from mesolithic sites, are often incomplete in the publications. The results of the evaluation presented here show, however, the enormous potential of mesolithic sites for prehistory. A fact that has, as yet, not been recognized by all researchers.

Keywords – Mesolithic, history of research, chronology, 14C-dates, features, stone artifacts, archeaobotanical and archaeozoological studies

Zusammenfassung – Der vorliegende Beitrag ist eine zusammenfassende Darstellung des derzeitigen Standes der Mittelsteinzeitforschung in Deutschland, der auf 27 ausgegrabenen Fundstellen mit insgesamt 57 Begehungen bzw. Besiedlungsschichten beruht.
Obwohl noch nicht alle publitzierten Plätze in diese Untersuchung eingingen, sind die Ergebnisse repäsentativ. Die Daten für diese
Zusammenstellungen wurden von den AutorInnen in einer Übung an der Universität zu Köln erhoben und bilden die Grundlage für das weiterführende Projekt “Edition Mesolithikum”, in dem grundlegendes Wissen zur Mittelsteinzeit gesammelt werden wird. Eine erste Analyse der bisherigen Daten ergab einen sehr heterogenen Forschungsstand, der nur zu einem geringen Teil mit unterschiedlichen Erhaltunsgbedingungen erklärt werden kann. Meist sind Forschungslücken oder der unzureichende Publikationsstand dafür verantwortlich. So liegen bisher aus dem Deutschen Mittelgebirgsraum nur wenige und aus den Deutschen Alpen gar keine ausgegrabenen Fundstellen vor. Die absolute Datierung der Siedlungsplätze ist von wenigen Ausnahmen abgesehen, nur als unzureichend zu bezeichnen. Dasselbe gilt für die Untersuchung botanischer und faunistischer Reste. Selbst für die Analyse von Silexinventaren, die die hauptsächlich vertretenen Fundobjekte darstellen, sind oft aus den Publikationen nicht alle relevanten Angaben zu erhalten. Die hier vorgestellten Auswertungsergebnisse zeigen jedoch das enorme Potential mesolithischer Siedlungsplätze für die Urgeschichte, das anscheinend von vielen Forschenden noch nicht erkannt wurde.

Schlüsselwörter – Mesolithikum, Forschungsgeschichte, Chronologie, 14C-Daten, Befunde, Silexartefakte, archäobotanische und archäozoologische Untersuchungen