From Lithics to Spatial and Social Organization
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Journal of Archaeological Science (2001) 28, 127–141 doi:10.1006/jasc.1999.0545, available online at http://www.idealibrary.com on From Lithics to Spatial and Social Organization: Interpreting the Lithic Distribution and Raw Material Composition at the Final Palaeolithic Site of Kettig (Central Rhineland, Germany) Michael Baales* Forschungsbereich Altsteinzeit, Ro¨misch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum Mainz, Schloss Monrepos, D-56567 Neuwied, Germany (Received 10 October 1999, revised manuscript accepted 8 December 1999) During the Final Palaeolithic Federmessergruppen period, a wide range of siliceous raw materials was used in the Central Rhineland (Germany). Beside materials from the immediate region, exogenous resources such as flint from up to 100 km away in the Meuse drainage area and the moraines of the Saalian glaciation were exploited. At Kettig, the spatial distribution of different lithic raw materials and analysis of several categories of burnt finds allow the characterization of the settled area in space and time. While adequate, good-quality raw material was available in the Central Rhineland, the regular use of exogenous raw materials at Central Rhineland sites also demonstrates the necessity of maintaining regular social contacts with other groups in neighbouring regions. 2001 Academic Press Keywords: FINAL PALAEOLITHIC, FEDERMESSERGRUPPEN, SPATIAL ANALYSIS, RAW MATERIAL ECONOMY, SOCIAL CONTACTS, WESTERN GERMANY. Introduction the end of the late glacial Allerød interstadial c. 12·9 ky cal- in what is today the Laacher See caldera (Street t Kettig, in the Neuwied Basin (Central et al., 1994; Jo¨ris & Weninger, 2000). The massive Rhineland, Western Germany), it was possible Plinian eruption covered the late glacial Central to investigate a Final Palaeolithic Federmesser- Rhineland landscape (Ikinger, 1996) with layers of ash Agruppen site which is of importance for two major and pumice (Laacher See tephra=LST), often several reasons. One of these is given by artefacts of red deer metres thick (van den Bogaard & Schmincke, 1985), antler of types previously unknown for the Feder- and so protected archaeological sites from erosion and messergruppen; the other is the possibility of a detailed destruction. Pumice quarrying, which began in the spatial analysis of the site, which gives new insights middle of the 19th century and has been carried out on into the internal organization and division of a an industrial scale since the Second World War, has relatively large habitation area of the period some repeatedly uncovered well-preserved sites, especially of 13·2 ky cal- . Allerød age. Furthermore, the overall spectrum of lithic raw The conserving effect of the volcanic sediments has material observed at Federmessergruppen sites in the protected not only sites of human settlement but also Central Rhineland permits a final statement of general numerous botanical localities with preserved trees, importance for human behaviour. While materials imprints of leaves in ash layers of the LST, etc. All this suitable for producing lithic tools were available in the allows us to draw a very detailed picture of the region, an important amount of material was brought vegetation and environment of the final Allerød to the sites from exogenous sources up to 100 km (Baales & Street, 1996; Baales et al., 1998a; Street & and more distant. This is interpreted as reflecting Baales, 1997). Generally, the Central Rhineland was a regular social contacts with people in neighbouring lightly forested region with aspen, birch, willow near regions, which were of great importance for small the rivers and some pine on higher, drier grounds. The hunter–gatherer groups in a largely uninhabited regular presence of horse at Allerød sites may also landscape. indicate more open areas, perhaps at higher elevations During the Pleistocene, the Central Rhineland and, surrounding the Neuwied Basin. in particular, the Neuwied Basin to the northwest of The first archaeological investigation beneath Koblenz, was repeatedly the scene of major volcanic the LST was carried out in 1883 by Hermann eruptions. The most recent eruption occurred towards Schaaffhausen at the Martinsberg in Andernach. More *E-mail: [email protected] recent excavations have been carried out there in the 127 0305–4403/01/020217+15 $35.00/0 2001 Academic Press 128 M. Baales Table 1. The Allerød fauna from Kettig (without molluscs identified by (Bolus, 1992; Baales, 1998; Baales & Street, 1998). Mania) Kettig (District Mayen-Koblenz), which is the subject of this paper, lies south of the Rhine and was investi- Species NISP MNI gated over an area of 242 m2 during 6 months following its discovery in April 1993 (Figure 2). Perissodactyla Horse Equus sp. 17 3 Artiodactyla Large bovid (aurochs?) Bos primigenius?172 Chamois? Rupicapra rupicapra 11 The Kettig Site Red deer Cervus elaphus 259 8 During the Allerød, the Kettig site occupied a prom- Roe deer Capreolus capreolus 24 3 Carnivora ontory of land (the Rhine middle terrace) raised some- Bear Ursus arctos 5 what above the banks of the Rhine. A channel at the Wolf Canis lupus 21 foot of the promontory was either permanently water- Red fox Vulpes vulpes 22 1 (2?) filled or at least occasionally flooded. A west–east Weasel Mustela nivalis 11 oriented trial trench established that archaeological Marten Martes sp. 6 1 Rodentia material was located not only on the promontory itself, Beaver Castor fiber 29 2 but also extended downslope into the Rhine valley- Yellow-necked bottom (see Figure 4). There is one conventional field-mouse Apodemus flavicollis 31 14C-date for the site of 11·31450 (Hd-18123; B. Large Pleistocene mole Talpa europaea magna 62 Common hamster Cricetus cricetus 11 Kromer, pers. comm., Heidelberg), carried out on Bank vole Clethrionomys glareolus 120 18 bulked bones of red deer size. The data was calibrated Water vole Arvicola terrestris 40 6 (‘‘converted’’ following Jo¨ris & Weninger, 2000) to Root vole Microtus oeconomus 95 c.13·2 ky cal-. Field vole Microtus agrestis 83 Unique to Kettig are two artefacts of red deer antler. Voles Microtus arvalis/agrestis 22 14 Voles Microtus sp. 83 — One of these is a barbed point which morphologically Insectivora and technologically resembles Magdalenian specimens Common shrew Sorex ex. gr. araneus 32 11 but is defined by J. Tinnes (in Baales, in press)as Pygmy shrew Sorex cf. minutus 21 an independent ‘‘Kettig type’’. The other artefact is an Water shrew Neomys fodiens 11 Chiroptera antler hammer (percuteur), a form of tool otherwise Noctule Nyctalus sp. 3 1 unknown from a Federmessergruppen context. Despite Aves the protective covering of LST, Final Palaeolithic Tit Parus sp. 1 1 artefacts of organic materials have only been rarely Pisces found in the Central Rhineland (Baales, 1994, 1997, Pike Esox lucius 51 Cyprinids Leuciscus sp. >100 — 1999; Bolus, 1992; Baales & Street, 1996). This is a striking difference to the preceding Upper Identifications: Baales (1998) and Kalthoff (1998) and Krey (in Magdalenian dated at Go¨nnersdorf and Andernach to Baales, in press). NISP: Number of identified specimen; MNI: around 15·5 ky cal-. Minimum number of individuals. The animals certainly exploited by The list of large mammal species is dominated by red man are red and roe deer, horse, a large bovid (aurochs?), a caprid (if deer (Cervus elaphus), which is represented by a mini- identification is correct) and beaver. Possibly exploited were brown bear, wolf, red fox, weasel, marten and the fishes, which are only mum of eight individuals. The remains of other large represented by pharyngeal teeth. mammal species are much less common and represent fewer individuals (Table 1). A number of remains of red and roe deer, especially 1980s and from 1994 to 1996 (Baales & Street, 1998). teeth (particularly the analysis of the cement structure Further important late glacial sites have been dis- of a red deer tooth by Kierdorf [in Baales, in press]) covered since, especially during the second half of the allowed the identification of the season of occupation 20th century, among them the well-known Late Upper of the site as late summer or early autumn. Palaeolithic Magdalenian site (c.15·5 ky cal-)of The Kettig lithic assemblage is typical of the Go¨nnersdorf (see Bosinski et al., 1995). Particularly Rhineland Allerød sites. It is dominated by more than important are four major (late) Allerød settlements 100 short end scrapers, followed by projectile points of the Final Palaeolithic Federmessergruppen (including both classic Federmesser points, other types (Schwabedissen, 1954)(Figure 1). Urbar, discovered in of backed pieces and simple microliths), burins, trun- 1966, lies to the northeast of Koblenz (Baales et al., cated and laterally retouched pieces, borers and splin- 1998b). At Andernach-Martinsberg, an extensive Fed- tered pieces (pie`ces esquille´es). The spectrum of raw ermessergruppen horizon (Veil, 1982; Stapert & Street, materials is generally similar to that of other Central 1997) overlies a Magdalenian settlement equivalent Rhineland sites and is particularly close to that from to Go¨nnersdorf. Niederbieber, a suburb of Neuwied, Andernach-Martinsberg (Figure 3; see Floss, 1994). covers an area of some 10,000 m2 and is the largest site The assemblage is made not only of regionally avail- known from this period in the Central Rhineland able materials, such as Tertiary limno-quartzite and From Lithics to Spatial and Social Organization 129 N BROHL 300 300 3 200 200 100 100 0200 WIED km 2 Neuwied Laacher 300 13 RH IN See 200 E 400 100 10 11 1 9 500 100 4 200 Koblenz 100 400 MOSELLE 300 12 8 NETTE 5 200 6 300 03 km 7 Figure 1. Location of Central Rhineland (Neuwied Basin) Federmessergruppen sites. Settlement (large ): 1—Kettig; 2—Andernach- Martinsberg; 3—Niederbieber; 4—Urbar. Isolated hearth (only two were associated with artefacts, ): 5—Bassenheim; 6—Kobern; 7—Polch; 8—Ochtendung; 9—Meisenheim 3; 10—Nickenich. Single finds ( ): 11—Miesenheim 2; 12—Thu¨r. Human skeleton (): 13—Weissenthurm (see Baales & Street, 1996).