Bilzingsleben (Paleolithic site)

Bilzingsleben is a findspot of early palaeolithic human remains in Thuringia, Germany.

Location

Bilzingsleben is located on the northern border of the Thuringian trough (Becken), an area formed of triassic Keuper stone. Because of a local hercynian fault-line (Finne-Störung) there are numerous wells in the area.North of Bilzingsleben are the mountains of Kyffhäuser, Hainleite and Schmücke that consist of Sandstone and lime deposits.The site itself is located 1,5 km south of the village of Bilzingsleben, district Sömmerda at 175 m N. N. in an ancient travertine quarry called Steinrinne.The travertines have been quarried since early modern times, the wall of the nearby town of Kindelbrück, for example, was constructed from this material.

History of the excavation

Fossil bones had already been found in the 16th century. In 1710 David Siegmund Büttner published a book called "Rudera diluvii testes i.e. Zeichen und Zeugen der Sündfluth" (Signs and witnesses of the flood).In 1818 Freiherr Friedrich von Schlotheim (1765-1832) found a human skull covered by lime concretions. It is lost today.In 1908 the mineralogist Ewald Wüst (1875-1934) from the University of Halle-Wittenberg published the first flint artefacts. Adolf Spengler began working in Bilzingsleben in 1922.

In 1969 Dietrich Mania, later professor at the University of Jena, discovered numerous fossils and artefacts. In 1971 a research excavation was initiated that went on until 1992 under the auspices of the Museum for prehistory at Halle. Later on, the University of Jena took over.Up to now, 1600m2 have been excavated.

Today, Bilzingsleben is one of Europe's most important early palaeolithic sites.

Geology

The site was covered by travertine, which led to the excellent preservation.

Dating

The site belongs to the Reinsdorf interglacial, ca. 370.000 BP

Human remains

In 1974 a piece of a human skull was identified among the finds. Up to now, 37 human bones and teeth have been found, mainly parts of the skull. They represent the remains of at least three individuals and have been classified as Homo erectus bilzingslebenensis by Emanuel Vlcek (Praha). The remains of the skulls show that they have been intentionally smashed postmortally, maybe as part of a burial rite.

Environment

Both plant impressions in the travertine and pollen remains allow the reconstruction of the local environment. There are two deposition phases. Both are dominated by woodland species.The first phase (limnic chalk mixed with travertine sand) is dominated by hazel ("Corylus"), ash ("Fraxinus") and oak ("Quercus"). The second phase (pure limnic chalk) is dominated by hornbeam ("Carpinus"), alder ("Alnus") and pine ("Pinus").

36 plant species are attested by impressions in the travertine, among them 14 tree and shrub species:

*Pedunculate Oak ("Quercus robur")
*Field Maple ("Acer campestre") and Sycamore Maple ("Acer pseudoplatanus")
*Large-leaved Linden ("Tilia platyphyllos")
*European Ash ("Fraxinus excelsior")
*European Cornel ("Cornus mas")
*Common Hazel ("Corylus avellana")
*Aspen ("Populus tremula")
*Birch ("Betula pubescens")
*Box ("Buxus sempervirens")
*Barberry ("Berberis vulgaris")
*Lilac ("Syringa josikaea")
*Hackberry ("Celtis australis")
*Firethorn ("Pyracantha coccinea")
*Shrubby Cinquefoil ("Dasiphora fruticosa").

The woods were mainly made up of oaks and box (Buxo-Quercetum). Herbs like wormwood, sorrel, ferns and grasses attest the presence of open steppes or meadows. Sedges and rushes grew on the lakeshore, waterlilies and "Sphagnum" moss in the lakes.

The remains of 54 species of animals have been found in Bilzingsleben, 35 species of mammals, six kinds of birds, three reptiles, three amphibians and five kinds of fishes.

Among the mammals are:

*Straight-tusked Elephant ("Palaeoloxodon antiquus")
*Rhinoceros ("Dicerorhinus kirchbergensis", "Dicerorhinus hemitoechus")
*Aurochs ("Bos primigenius")
*Steppe Wisent ("Bison priscus")
*Horse ("Equus" sp.)
*Red Deer ("Cervus elaphus")
*Fallow Deer ("Dama dama")
*Giant Deer ("Megaloceros" sp.)
*Roe Deer ("Capreolus suessenbornensis")
*Bear ("Ursus deningeri-spelaeus")
*Lion ("Panthera leo spelaea")
*Wildcat ("Felis silvestris")
*Fox ("Vulpes vulpes")
*Wild Boar ("Sus scrofa")
*Wolf ("Canis lupus")
*Macaque ("Macaca sylvana")
*A now extinct beaver ("Trogontherium cuvieri").

Woodland animals predominate, but there are some species that prefer more open habitats as well, like rhinoceros, horse and bison.

Mollusks attest a climate that was warmer and wetter than today. The average annual temperature is supposed to have been 9° to 13° C, the annual precipitation 800 mm.

Important finds

The lithic industry is characterized by chopping tools of diminutive sizes. There are no true hand axes.The raw material is mainly flint, although quartzite, quartz and travertine have been used as well.There are numerous bone tools (hoes, scrapers, points and gouges). Some hoes are made of antler or ivory.Even wooden artefacts have been preserved.

One bone fragment, an elephant tibia, has two groups of 7 and 14 incised parallel lines and might represent an early example of art. The regular spacing of the incisions, their subequal lengths and V-like cross-sections suggest they were created at the same time, with a single stone tool. The tibia dates to between 350,000 and 400,000 years ago [Mania, D and Mania, U, 1988, Deliberate engravings on bone artefacts of Homo Erectus, Rock Art Research 5, 91-97, qtd in Scarre, 2005, qtd in Scarre, C (ed.) (2005). The Human Past, London: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 0-500-28531-4.] . The interpretation as an early calendar is not very likely.

tructures

The site was a base camp for a larger group of hunters. The traces of three tents, 4-5 m diameter have been discovered. Traces of toolmaking, food remains and remains of rituals have been found.
Hearths were placed in front of the entrances to the tents. This evidence for the use of fire is among the earliest in Europe. Burnt stones may have been used as pot boilers.

Further reading

* J. Burdukiewicz, The stratigraphy of Palaeolithic sites from Middle Pleistocene Poland. In: G. A. Wagner/D. Mania (eds.), Frühe Menschen in Mitteleuropa - Chronologie, Kultur, Umwelt (Aachen 2001), 15-26.
* A. Forsten, A comparison of some mid- Pleistocene Equus dental samples, including that from Bilzingsleben. Ethnologisch Archäologische Zeitschrift 34, 1993, 598-600.
* R.S Harmon/J. Glazek/K. Nowak, 230Th/234U-dating of travertine from Bilzingsleben archaeological site. Nature 284, 1980,132-135.
* J. van der Made, A preliminary note on the cervids from Bilzingsleben. Praehistoria Thuringica 2 (Artern 1998), 108-122.
* J. van der Made, A preliminary note on the rhinos from Bilzingsleben. Praehistoria Thuringica 4 (Artem 2000), 41-64.
* D. Mania, The zonal division of the lower palaeolithic open-air site Bilzingsleben. Anthropologie 29 (Brno 1991), 17-24.
* D. Mania, The earliest occupation of Europe: the Elbe- Saale region (Germany). In: W. Roebroeks/T. van Kolfschoten (eds.) The earliest occupation of Europe. Analecta Leidensia (Leiden) 1995, 85-101.
* D. Mania, D. 1995, Bilzingsleben - middle Pleistocene site of Homo erectus. Travertine complex and fauna at Bilzingsleben. In: Quaternary field trips in Central Europe, 14. Congress INQUA (Berlin 1995), 738-740, 777-780, 1078-1079.
* H. Meller (ed.), Geisteskraft. Alt- und Mittelpaläolithikum (Halle 2003).

Footnote

External links

* http://www.bilzingsleben.com (in German)
* http://web11.p15166456.pureserver.info/justorange_cms-137.html (in German)
* http://www.landesmuseum-fuer-vorgeschichte-halle.de/dauerausstellung/bilzingsleben.htm (in German)