THE HAND-AXE FROM DROUWEN (PROVINCE OF DRENTE, THE NETHERLANDS) AND THE UPPER ACHEULIAN

Dick Stapert

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION

z. THE SITE, GEOLOGY

3 . THE HAND-AXE

4. THE EXCAVATION

5. COMPARISON WITH OTHER FINDS

6. SUlvI MARY

7. NOTES

8. REFERENCES D. STAPERT

r. INTRODUCTION made. I should like to thank both of these gentle­ men very much for their cooperation. It is apt that a definite publication on the hand-axe I should also like to thank the foliowing persons from Drouwen should appear in this issue of who have contributed towards the realization of Palaeohistoria, dedicated to Prof. Dr. H. T. \X!ater­ this �rticle: H. R. Roelink and J. M. Smit (B.A.I.) boll<. In the first place Prof. \X!aterbolk gave his for making 'most of the drawings; F. \XI. E. Colly assistance during the investigation, for which I (B.A.I.) for the photos of the hand-axe; the muni­ should like to thank him here. Moreover this find, cipal authorities of Borger, for permission to carry which was discovered in r 978, could also be re­ out the excavation and for providing a ground-plan garded as an additional piece of evidence with showing the proposed extension of Drouwen; regard to a curious adventure which was largely Sheila M. van Gelder-Ottway for the translation shared by Professor \Xlaterbolkand myself (Stapert, into English ; and Engelien Rondaan-Veger for I 975 a). typing the manuscript. An interim publication on The hand-axe was found early in :March 1978 by this find appeared in 1978. Messrs. H. and P. Kroezenga (of Gasselte), both of whom are active amateur archaeologists. They Fig. 1. i\fapof Drouwen and surroundings. After the Hoog­ were kind enough to permit me to study the imple­ tekaart van Nederland, 1:1 1969), sheets 1 zGz and 1 zHz. o,ooo ( ment. In addition P. Kroezenga assisted at the ex­ The small rectangular area in Drouwen is shown in fig. z. cavation carried out at the spot where the find was Drawing by H. R. Roelink, B.A.l.

Orouwener Zand

0 r28 T/Je ha11d-axeJr o111 ro1111;e11D

50 m

secondary find- spot ol the hand-axe � part ol road cutting from which the hand-axe presumably came

- excavations 8.A.1. 1978 I ;::::i ditches public planting h'>:·?l

2. THE SITE, GEOLOGY Fig. z. Map showing the·development scheme for Drouwen. The spot where the hand-axe was found is indicated, as well as The find was made in the village of Drouwen (mu­ that part of the cunette where the hand-axe must have come from, and the excavation trenches. Basecl on a map of the nicipality of Borger) at a site where a road was municipal authorities of Borger. Drawing by H. R. Roelink, under construction as part of a new-development B.A.I. scheme (see figures r, 2). The fi nd was made on a heap of loose soil which came from the cun�tte dug sheet r 2G-Gieten). As is evident from figure r, the. for the road. In view of the faet that the soil from sire does not lie close to a valley fringe (as is the the cunette was dumped sideways, the original case with other sites where hand-axes hav\ been find-spot can be ascertained to within a distance of fo und in the Northern Netherlands: see fig. 3 ), but rom (the cross-hatched area of figure 2). The coor­ is situated ca. 2 km to the west of the point where dinates of the site are as follow: 5 52,5 50/249,525 the Voorste Diep enters the Hunze valley (a melt­

(Topographical lvfap of the Netherlands, r :21,ooo, water valley dating from the Saalian). 0. STAPERT

+ find-spot reasonably well known O find-spot not we ll known 0 10 20km ten peat raised bog 1 ··.•.•.. >I clay I j [//J

Fig. 3. The distribution of i'l'fiddle Paleolithic finds in the pro· Paleolithic finds known so fa r from the Northern vinces of Friesland and Drente (The find-spot of the point Netherlands (Stapert, l 976a, b ). Geologicall y it is from Deldenerbroek, province of Overijssel, cannot be shown not possible to give more accurate a date than the as its Jocation is unknown). 1·. Hand-axe from \Xlijnjeterp; 2. fo liowing: the hand-axe cannot be alder than the hand-axe from Anderen; 3. hancl-axe from Exloo; 4. hancl-axe from Drouwen; 5. point from Havelterberg; G. sicle-scraper end of the Saalian, nor younger than the Upper from Emmen. Drawing by H. R. Roelink, B.A.l. Pleniglacial of the \'(/eichselian. The Saalian has been the object of thorough study in the Netherlands, both in the field of ge­ At this spot boulder-clay (ground moraine from ology ( e.g. Ter Wee, l 962, l 966) and in that of the Saalian) is present fairl y close to the surfa ce, pollen analysis (Zagwijn, 1973 ; Zagwijn and Van and above it a layer of boul der-sand ( out-wash re­ Staalduinen, 1975). There are known to have been sidue from the boulder-clay). In digging the cun­ three stadials during the Saalian. It was only during ette the boulder-clay had been cut into, so that in the last of these (III) that the northern half of the addition to the topsoil, boulder-clay and boulder­ Netherlands was covered by land ice. In the Net­ sand ended up in the dump. The hand-axe must herlands five static glaciation phases can be dis­ have come from out of the boulder-sand, in view of tinguished within this land-ice cover. The penul­ the natural surface-modifications present (see timate phase (d) left behind a row of ice-pushed 130 under 3). This also applies to the other .i'viiddle ridges same of which are still visible in the land- scape in the southern part of the province of Fig. 4. Climatic curve for the Late Pleistocene in the I ether­ Drente (e.g. the Havelterberg). As for the last lands, based on Zagwijn and Van Staalcluinen (1975). Same phase, several ice-pushed moraines which it pro­ parts of the curve are only provisional: it is probable that in the fu ture several small fluctuations will be discovered notably duced are known from the extreme north-east of in the Saalian. Drawing by ]. M. Smit, B.A.J. the Netherlands (fig. 5 ). During the first part of the Saalian, sediments of the Formation of Eindhoven were deposited (lo­ though interstadial formations are also present (e.g. cally up to 30 m thick or more, as tbe result of gyttja and loam layers). Zagwijn (1973) described 2 glacial pushing). These deposits are a periglacial interstadials in the Saalian preceding the ice cover, fo rmation dating from befare the land-ice cover, namely the Hoogeveen interstadial and the Bantega and are mainly of aeolian or fluvio-periglacial interstadial (fig. 4). origin. Pollen analysis has confirrned that they de­ The subdivision of the Saalian in the Nether­ veloped largely under pleniglacial conditions, al- lands as described above does not correspond to D. STAPERT

= 0 10 20 30 km

I I (,1 * I I i I

-./

'·

I )

� . ./ ./ -:'_....-·-·\ Fig. Saalian glaciation in the Nether­ " ·-·1,,...., !,.., 5. i ·' ./ lands, based on Zagwijn and Van Staal­ �.r duinen (1975) and Ter \Xlee (1962). 1. Ma­ ..., \ ximal extent of land-ice; 2. Static p'11ases of \_ . ·, r .J the front of the land-ice. The spot where the I _, '--·�·�.:i hand-axe from Drouwen was found is in­ a-e dicated by an asterisk. Drawing by J. M. -- ,,.--...._ 1 2 Smit, B.A.I.

the subdivisions published by German authors. stadials, with z distinct interstadials in between. It The latter speak of a "Drenthe phase" of the is clear from sedimentological research on fill in Saalian (ice cover) that should be placed in the first caves and abris that in France the Riss III was ex­ half of the Saalian ( e.g. oldstedt, l 9 5 8), while the tremely cold - distinctly colder than Riss I and II - \XI "\Xlarthe phase" is placed in the second half. Ac­ and also rather dry (Laville, 1973). This is also in­ cording to the Dutch geologists the \Xlarthe phase dicated by the fauna! evidence and the results of (when the land ice only reached as far as the sur­ pollen analysis. In Combe-Grenal Bordes excavated roundings of Hamburg) should be regarded as a 9 layers from the Ache11/ie11 s11pirie11r which date final static phase of the land ice, which was of little from Riss III. Not only the fauna (the dominant importance climatologically. For it has become species being reindeer) but also the pollen and se­ evident from pollen analysis that between the time dimentological analyses indicate extreme con­ when the ice receded from the Central Netherlands ditions (Bordes, Laville and Paquereau, l 966; and the beginning of the Eemian, there were no Bordes and Pratt, 1965). On the basis of these ob­ significant climatic fluctuations (interstadials) servations it would appear that the views of the (Zagwijn and Van Staalduinen, l 97 5 ; see fig. 4). Dutch geologists are not improbable, namely that In France the Riss is also subdivided into 3 there was maximal ice cover during the last stadial The hand-axe Jro111 Dro111ve11

of the Saalian and - at least in the Netherlands - no 3. THE HAND-AXE (figures 6 and 7) ice cover at all during earlier stadials. To summarize, with regard to the terJJ1i11!fs pos! The hand-axe is made of semitransparent grey finds in Drente from the boulder-sand (thus bryozoan flint. This type of flint is generally rather q11e///, from above the boulder-clay) cannot be older than common in the boulder-clay, so there is no reason the last part of the final stadial of the Saalian. In to suppose that the artefact has been transported terms of absolute figures it can probably be said any great distance.

that such finds date at most from the last 5 000- The foliowing natura! surface modifications can 1 o,ooo years or so of the Saalian. It is not incon­ be observed on the hand-axe: wind gloss (deve­ ceivable that also the deposits of the Formation of loped to about the same extent on both fa ces), small Eindhoven contain J\1Iiddle Paleolithic finds, which pits, brown patina, scratches and small pressure would then date from the first part of the Saalian. cones (both of which result from periglacial soil No such finds have been d�-scovered so far. movements in a stone-rich matrix; these features The boulder-sand can be regarded mainly as an are visible with a stereomicroscope at 2 5 X magni­ outwash residue of the boulder-clay. In view of the fication, and are mainly present in the middle of abundance of pebbles in this "layer" it can be es­ face II), cryoturbation retouch (fairly slight), roun­ timated that 1-2 m of the original boulder-clay de­ ded ridges (not the result of fluviatile action, but posit has disappeared (also, the presence of an probably the result of solution processes in the "Eemian soil" on the boulder-clay has never been soil), and severe secondary frost-splitting. convincingly demonstrated). It is probable that the As a result of the last-mentioned phenomenon layer of boulder-sand now present was formed large fragments have disappeared from both faces, mainly during the last glacial. Deposits from the and the base is no longer present either. These sec­ Eemian would have disappeared al most completely ondary frost-split surfaces are shown on the dra\v­ during a phase of severe erosion at the beginning of ing as grey, and with stippling. These frost-split the \Xleichselian. The most probable dating for this faces are clearlypatin ated to a !esser degree than the erosion phase is the stadial between the Odderade rest of the surface; those on face II are more heavily and Moershoofd interstadials (see fig. 4) (Ter \Xlee, patinated than those on face I, and thus may be 1 966 and personal communication; Stapert, in pre­ older than the latter. Several old frost-split surfaces paration). Only locally would there be any remn­ also present (dating from before the production of ants, dating from the last part of the Saalian (and/or the hand-axe) are also shown as grey, but without Eemian), that ended up in the boulder-sand (e.g. stippling. These old frost-split facesshow the same Maarleveld, 1960). surface modifications, sometimes more intense, as those faces which originated when the hand-axe To summarize, it can be said in general that the was made. l\1Ioreover cracks caused by secondary boulder-sand on the plateau of Drente probably frost action can be seen in several places in the dates fo r the most part from the last glacial. It hand-axe, e.g. clearly in the middle of face II. should be borne in mind, however, that flints This pattern of surface modifications corres­ dating from the end of the Saalian or the Eemian ponds entirely to that of the other Middle Paleolit­ may have ended up in the boulder-sand. In general hic finds from the Northern Netherlands (Stapert, it will be probably impossible to distinguish clearly 1976a, b). They indicate that the finds must orig­ between finds dating from the Saalian, the Eemian inate from the boulder-sand, because in this layer or the first part of the \Xleichselian as far as the (natura!) flints exhibit without exception the same degree of patination is concerned, so for the surface modifications, in varying combinations. Pa­ meanwhile no more precise a date can be given tinated flints with wind gloss are not present in the than the above-mentioned. It is possible however boulder-clay. The faet that wind gloss is generally that the presence of wind gloss on all Middle present on Middle Paleolithic finds in the Northern Paleolithic finds from the Northern Netherlands Netherlands suggests that they were left behind indicates a dating within a glacial period, and not during a glacial, because wind gloss (largely the within an interglacial1). result of the action of wind-blown sand) presu- I 3 3 D. STAPERT

Fig. 6. The hand-axe from Drouwen. Photo by F. \Xf. E.Colly, B.A.l. Scale 1:1.

mably develops in an environment with a wide­ are as follow: open type of vegetation. The top of the hand-axe was broken off long maximum length (L) 15.2 cm

ago. The surface of the break shows the same sur­ maximurn width (111) 9.6 cm face modifications as the surface of the rest of the rnaxirnum thickness 4. 3 cm hand-axe, indicating that these surfaces arose at width in the middle (n) 8.8 cm about the same time. It is therefore possible that the width at -! distance from the top 5.8 cm break occurred as the result of use of the hand-axe. width at � distance from the base: 8.9 cm In the drawing an attempt has been made to give distance between the point of a reconstruction of the original form of the hand­ max. width and the base (a) 5.8 cm

axe, although the shape of the base cannot be as­ angles of the side-edges (measured 111 the middle certained precisely. The reconstructed form is a across 1 cm), symmetrical corrlifor111e, with a rounded cutting left ( of face I) base. right

The maximum length of the hand-axe is 12. 1 5 I 34 cm. The measurements of the reco11stmcterlhand-axe This gives the foliowing indices (according to The ha11d-axe Jro 111 Dro111ve11

Bordes, 1961): technique was used, in any case in the fi nishing-off stage. The hand-axe is certainly not made out of a L/a 2.62 flake, in view of the presence of cortex remains or n/m X 100: 92.05 old frost-split surfaces on both faces. L/m I.59 The hand-axe has not been worked over the whole surface : on face II on the left near the base a According to Bordes the hand-axe can therefore cortex remnant has been preserved, while on the be classified as a cordifor111e al/011gi, although it bor­ right larger parts of old frost-split surfaces are still ders closely on the cordifor111es vrais (into which ca­ present. Also near the base on face I a small frag­ tegory it would fall if the reconstruction had been ment of an old frost-split surface is visible. It is slightly Jess oblong). therefore certain that the base was partly unwor­ Although the hand-axe is fairly thick, it has been ked, and li kewise part of the left side ( of face I). In worked rather regularly. The side-edges are view of the presence on face II of flakenegatives straight as viewecl from the side. Most of the flake and retouch, coming from the base, a cutting base negatives are fairly flat, without deep percussion­ was nevertheless decided upon in making the re­ bulb impressions, so probably a saft percussion construction. I 3 5 D. STAPERT

Fig. 7. The hand-axe from Drouwen. Drawing by H. R. Roelink, B.A.I. Scale 1:1.

13 6 The ha11d-axe froJI/ Dro111JJe11

/\ I I

/ / V

4. THE EXCAVATIO could be investigated, as the remammg part had been recently disturbed to a depth below the top of From April 24th-28th 1978 an excavation was car­ the boulder-clay. ried out at the site where the find was made (per­ The observed stratigraphy was as follows (going sons taking part: A. L. van Gijn (student), D. Kiel­ downwarcls) : man (student), A. lVIeijer, \XI. A. B. v. d. Sanden (student), D. Stapert, ]. H. Zwier (all B.A.I.); ]. !oase soil Beuker (Provincial Museum, Assen), P. from elsew here o- 40 cm under the surface Kroezenga, E. Ameling, W/ . rvlencke). Alongside topsoil 40-100 cm under the surface the cunette, near the (secondary) find-spot of the boul der-sand ioo-125 cm under the surface hand-axe, a trench was cut 17 m lang by 2 m wide boulder-cla y 1 2 5 -deeper than I 5 o cm

(A/B on fig. 2). Only part of this area (1 I m by 2 m) under the surfa ce. 137 D. STAPERT

The boulder-sand was solidified here as the Late Neolithic or the Early Bronze Age, were result of iron infiltration (B-horizon of a heath found scattered over the whole new-development podsol), so this sediment was very hard. In the area, but especially in the north-western part. Large boulder-sand there were very many pebbles of numbers of smal! flake-scrapers were especially pre­ granite and similar material, and remarkably few sent, as often is the case at sites of that period (fig. (natural) flints,which were moreover fairlysmal! in 8). As for two other flint finds from the area (found general. Evidently the proportion of granite to flint by P. Kroezenga and H. D. Veen), one supposedly in the boulder-clay varies from place to place. It is a flake and the other a scraper-like frost-split piece thus unlikely that the hand-axe was made at the of flint, it is by no means certain in my opinion that spot where it was fo und, as it would have been these are artefacts ; several features of these pieces difficult to find large and intact pieces of flint in the of flintin dicate that they may be pseudo-artefacts. immediate surroundings. In view of the negative results of the excavation, Nothing was found in the excavation trench that and of the faet that very few large pieces of flint could possibly be identified as Paleolithic. Nor occur in the boulder-clay at this spot, the hand-axe were there any Paleolithic finds in two smal! test can probably be regarded as an isolated find, wit­ trenches located elsewhere in the same area (C and hout any "accompanying" industry. Similarly at se­ Din fig. 2). veral other sites where hand-axes have been found Many flint artefacts, probably dating from the (Anderen, Wijnjeterp) no other finds came to light, despite repeated searching. We must therefore assume, provisionally, that isolated hand-axes con­ stitute a separate category of finds. It is possible that the hand-axe from Drouwen was left beliind by its owner because the point broke off during use. This could indicate that hand-axes were some­ times carried around by their owners, probably on

hunting trips. In this connection it is interesting to note, that on 2 Acheulian hand-axes from Hoxne • • • Keeley ( r 977) found traces of use which are charac­ teristic of butchering implements.

5. COivIPJ\ RISON \XIITH OTHER FINDS

. . .. According to Bordes ( r 96 r cordifonms 1Jrais occur ...... ) ·. : .. . · .. in France from the Ache11/ie11 1110)1e11 on, in the Ac­ . . . . · . . .." ... . . he11/ie11 s11pirie11r and especially (sometimes in large • ~. numbers) in the 111011Sterie11 de traditio11 ache11/ie1111e • (M.T.A" dating from the first half of the last gla­ cial). The hand-axe from Drouwen is however rather large and thick (reconstructed length 15.2 cm). The cordifor111es of the :M.T.A.are mostly smal­ ler and rather flat, and often appear to have been made out of flakes (see e.g. Pech de Aze - Bordes, I' 9 and 19 5 5 r 97 2; Le .Moustier - Bosinski, � r 5 4 ; • • Fig. 8. Small scrnpers of late Neolithic or early Bronze-Age date, collected from the new-development area in Drouwen. q8 0 2cm �@Drouwen 1978 Dmwing by D. Stapert, B.A.l. Scale 1:1. The hc111d-axe Jr olll Dro11JJJe11

1967; J\farcoing - Tuffreau, 1 971; the Seine valley from la yer B 5 in Rheindahlen (Thieme, l 978),

- Bordes, l 9 5 3; the Somme valley - Commont, which have been dated to the beginning of the 1 9 1 4). Nevertheless in the publication of Bordes Saalian. The fi nds frnm this layer are however so ( 1 961 ) large Cordifo/'11/eS (but witbout are/e forse) are few in number that they cannot be ascribed with

ascribed to the M.T.A. (e.g. : Saint-Just-en­ certainty to Bosinski'sj1111gache11ke11 (Bosinski, 1 975, Chaussee (61,2), L: 14,5 cm ; Trou de l'Ab1me 1976). Klaus Grote (1978), who carried out a re­ (62,3), L: 1 6 cm; Issigeac (75 ,4), L: 1 5 cm). Some excavation in Salzgitter-Lebenstedt, is however very large triangular hand-axes, ascribed to the more inclined towards a datiog in the early \,'(!eich­ M.T.A., are also illustrated by Bordes. selian. The new C 1 4-datiogs yet to .be established Cordijor1J1esal/011gis also occur in France from the rnayprovid e a solution to this importaot problem. Achelllie11 lllq)'Cll on, but far more freguently in the Characteristic Leitfor111e11 fo r Bosioski's J1111gac­ Ache11/ie11 s11pirie11r than in the M.T.A. Those which he11/ie11 include la11ggeslreckter Famtkeile, Illassive do belong to the M. T.A. are rnostly again rather Fa11stkeile, b/attfiir1J1ige Schaber, larger Levallois small. points and also Levallois cores for blades. 111assive From a typological viewpoint the hand-axe from Fa11stkeile are all haod-axes that are longer than 1 o Drouwen fits best, according to the French aut­ cm, exceptiog 1l1icoq11ekeile and lc111ggestreckter Fa11st­ hors, into the Achelllie11 S11jJirie11r, seeing that many keile ; they are ofteo more or less triaogular, and are larger cordifor1J1es al/011gis occur especially within rnostly better finished only at the point and aloog this period. It seems far Jess likely that the hand-axe the sides. In my opinion this very broad type can belongs to the M.T.A. , although this possibility obscure sometirnes essential differences between cannot be excluded. In the north of France the Ac­ various sites. The hand-axe from Drouweo fa lls he11liC11 s11p

land plain (nor does the 111011stirie11 or the Altmi.ihl the M. T.A. (Thieme, 1978) and so have the two group), but rather further to the south and espe­ small guartzite hand-axes from Scheden (Schon and cially further to the east. The northern limit ap­ Schweitzer, 1978). The guartzite fi nds from Len­ pears to be formed by the 200 m contour to the derscheid (including flattriang ular hand-axes) have north of the central European mountain ranges (see often been mentioned as possibly belonging to the

also Schwabedissen, l 970 ). Here there is a contrast M.T.A. (Bosinski, 1975; Gunther, 1970). Also va­ with regard to the fi nds attributed to the ]1111gac­ rious finds in the Southern Netherlands are attri­ hmlie!!, which are distributed rather abundantly in butable to the M.T.A. (e.g. the Bakel hand-axe - the North-European lowland plain. Evidently the Stapert, 1975 b; the Mill hand-axe - Stapert, 1977). wide valley systems of braided rivers constituted Gunther ( 1970) discusses new finds from the attractive hunting-grounds; many finds have emne Rhine-Herne canal. These finds include a small cor­ from river sediments, e.g. in the Leine valley (Jac­ difor111e (1: 6.8 cm) of which the base is worked for ob-Friesen, l 949 ; Zedelius-Sanders, l 978), and also the most part, and which could well be attributed near Bremen in the \Xleser valley (Schwabedissen, to the M.T.A. In this connection Gl.inther also 1956 - these finds cannot be attributed with cer­ mentions the small cordifonm hand-axe from Balve tainty to any tradition however). The J1111gache11lie!! I (Gi.inther, l 964 - l: ca. 8. 7 cm), and the finds from finds nearly always come from open-air sites Selm-Ternsche, as well as triangular hand-axes (except for the cave Balve I), in contrast to e.g. the from Nollheide and Dankelshausen. Mention Micoq11im (Bosinski, r 967; Schwabedissen, r 970). should also be made here perhaps of the flat cor­ Turning our attention to the material available difor111e from \X!oltersdorf(Voel kel, 1970; for new from the Northern Netherlands, it can be seen that finds from this region : Di.irre, l 978). two fi nds fit best typologically within the ]1111gac­ The datings available clearly indicate a later helllie!i (the hand-axe from Drouwen and that from phase within the Middle Paleolithic. Balve I has Wijnjeterp - Stapert, l976b) ; on the other hand a been placed at the end of the Eemian, the fi nds number of finds can be placed more appropriately from Selm-Ternsche, the Rhine-Herne canal and in the j\1I.T.A. (especially the flat triangular hand­ Rheindahlen (A3) in the early Weichselian. axe from Anderen, but possibly also the hand-axe To summarize, it seems not impossible to Gi.i n­ from Exloo - Stapert, 1976b). ther that in the late Eemian/early Weichselian an The problem then arises that the M.T.A. appears industry can be placed that typologicall y forms a to be hardly represented in the neighbouring transition between the ]1111gachelllie11 and the typical country of Germany. The situation is however M.T.A. as it is known from France (just as there is probably different in reality. Indications are perhaps also an ol der phase of the ]1111gache11/im that steadily increasing that there are more M.T.A. sites resembles in some respects the Ache11/ie11 JJ!{ 'Cll - () in Central Europe than was supposed until a decade Zedelius-Sanders, 1978). As mentioned previously, ago. It is thus possible that various isolated finds of in Belgium and Northern France there also appear smaller hand-axes can be attributed to this tradi­ to be indications of such a transitional industry tion. In this connection Bosinski (1975, 1978) men­ ( e.g. the Ache11/ie 11 fi11al). tions e.g. the hand-axe from Monchengladbach­ As a provisional hypothesis I would here sug­ Eicken (illustrated in Bosinski, 1967). Also the gest that the hand-axe from Drouwen belongs to fi nds from Selm-Ternsche (illustrated in Bosinski, this transitional tradition - especially in view of the l 967) could well belong to this tradition, as Bos­ faet that a dating in the early \."\feichselian seems inski himself suggests (Bosinski, 1967, 1975). Two more probable geologically than an older dating hand-axes were found, both regularly and almost (see under 2), and furthermore in view of the ty­ completely worked, of which one is a small and flat pology of several other finds from the same region, cordifor111e (1. ca. 9 cm), and the other approximately notably the hand-axe from Anderen. triangular and also guite flat (1. ca. l l cm). A flat Unfortunately however there is no evidence at triangular hand-axe has also been found in Rethen all to suggest that the various finds from the Nor­ (Di.irre, 1973). The small guartzite hand-axe from thern etherlands are more or Jess contempora­ layer A3 of Rheindalen has also been ascribed to neous. On the basis of typology we therefore The hc111d-axe from Dro!ll)Jell

cannot conclude with certainty any more than what (allegedly responsible for such phenomena as wind gloss) ; can safely be deduced from the stratigraphy as re­ this dating is however a fanciful imagination on the aut­ gards a dating for the hand-axe from Drouwen: the hors' part (see e.g. Zagwijn and Van Staalduinen, 1 975 ; fig. 4). end of the Saalian, the Eemian or the first half of the \Xleichselian. Collins (1969) assumes that a number of Upper Acheulian sires, notably Bakers Hole, Hundisbug and lYiarkkleeberg (his NorthfleetI, II stages), dated to Riss I, possibly lay very 6. SUlVI.lvIARY close to the edge of the ice sheet ("only a few miles away"). This is difficult to understand from an ecological point of This article describes the hand-axe from Drouwen, view (the si te of Markkleeberg lies even ca. 30 km within the found in March 1978. The site where the find was line of maximum extent of the ice). If Markkleeberg does made lies in the village of Drouwen, ca. 2 km to the indeed date from Riss I (thus from the first half of the Saalian - this is based mainly on the occurrence of Elephas west of where the Voorste Diep enters the Hunze lrogo11therii in the gravels in which the finds were made), and valley. In view of the natura! surface modifications we assume that the maximal extent of ice must be placed in present on the hand-axe (brown patina, wind gloss, the third (last) stadial, as in the Netherlands, then the prob­ small pits, scratches, pressure cones, cryoturbation lem seems to be solved for the most part. It is indeed certain retouch, rounded ridges and secondary frost-split­ that the finds (forthe most part) belong in a cold period, in view of the cold fauna, and the occurrence in the grave! ting), it must have come from out of the boulder­ layers ofa clay layer with remains oftundra plants; the small sand (outwash residue of the ground moraine from amount of pollen indjcated even a treeless tundra (Grah­ the penultimate glacial). Geologically this indicates mann, 195 5). It therefore seems most probable that we are the foliowing da ting for the hand-axe: the end of here dealing with occupation in one of the fi rst two stadials the Saalian, the Eemian or the fi rst half of the of the Saalian, or in both, when the ice perhaps only ex­ tended as far as the north of Germany. The finds from Weichselian. It is probable, however, that the boul­ Hundisburg were dated fi rst in the fi rst half of the Saalian der-sand was formed mainly during the last glacial. (Toepfer, 1961 ), but la ter in the \Xlarthe phase (Toepfer, As a result of the secondary frost-splitting, con­ 1970 - according to Zedelius-Sanders, 1978). siderable parts of the surface of the hand-axe, as well as the base, have disappeared. The original 8. REFERENCES

shape of the hand-axe can be reconstructed as a !JORDES, F., 1953. Les li111011s q11atemaires r/11 bassin de la Sei11e.

large (l. ca. r 5 cm) symmetrical cordifor111e al/011gi, Arch. de l'lnst. de Paleont. Hum" Mern. 26. Paris. with possibl y a cutting base. BORDES, F., 1954 & 1955. Les gisements du Pech-de-l'Aze In the course of an excavation at the site no ad­ (Dordogne) ; I - Le Mousterien de tradition acheuleenne. j8, pp. 40 1- 32 59, pp. 1-38. ditional finds were made, so it is fa irly probable L'A11thropologi1: 4 ; BOR DES, F., 1961. T) pologie r/11 Paleolithiq11e a11rim el "' 0.J'W. Bor- that the hand-axe represents an isolated fi nd at this deaux. spot. The point of the hand-axe was broken off BORDES, F., 1968. Le Pakolithiq11e rla11.r le 111011rle. Paris.

long ago, possibly as the result of use. Typologi­ !JORDES, F" 1972 . .A tale oj /1110 m/Jes. New York. cally the hand-axe falls within the Ache11/ie11 pir­s11 BORDES, F., H. LAVTLLE & �I.-�I. PAQUEREAU, 1966. Observ­ ations sur le Pleistocene superieur du gisemenr de Com­ imr of the French authors, or the ]1111gache11/ie11 of be-Grenal (Dordogne). Actes rll' la Soc. Li1111ew11e de Bor­ Bosinski. There is some slight evidence to suggest rll'a11x 103, serie B, no. 10, pp. 3-19. tliat the hand-axe could date from a younger phase !JORDES, F. & F. PRAT, 1965. Observations sur les fa unes du within this tradition. In this connection various Riss et du WtirrnI en Dordogne. L'A11thropologie 69, pp. finds from elsewhere are discussed finally, in a pre­ 3 1-46. liminary attempt to establish more clearly the po­ IJOSTNSKI, G" 196 3. Eine mirrelpaliiolithische Formengruppe und das Problem ihrer geochronologischen Einordnung. sition of the scarce Middle Paleolithic material Eisz. 1111rl Ceg. 14, pp. 1 24-1 40. from the Northern Netherlands. BOSTNSKI, G" 1967. Dil' 111ittelpaliiolithisrhe11 F1111rll' i111 1Pestlirhe11 Mittelwropa. Fundamenta J\/4. Ki:iln/Graz. 7. NOTES BOSINSKr, G., 1 970. Bemerkungen zu der Grabung D. Peyronys in La Micoque. In: K. Gripp, R. Schtitrurnpf& A dating has been given by lviusch and Wouters ( 1978) for H. Schwabedissen (eds.), Fnihe 1lie11sthheit 1111d U111welt I the hand-axes from Anderen, \Xlijnjeterp and Drouwen in (Festschrift A. Rust). Fundamenra A/2, pp. jl-56. the "Eem I", after which in the middle of the Eemian there Ki:iln/Wien. was supposedly a period of severe cold lasting 500 years 1JOSTNS K1, G" 1975. Arbeiten zur iilteren und mittleren Stein- zeit in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland 1949-1974. Ans­ STAPERT, D" 1975a. Preliminary notes on the "Early and gmhn11ge11 i11 Dent.rrhlr111d I, pp. 3-24. Mainz. 1v liddle Palaeolithic" finds of Mr. T. Vermaning. BOSINS KI, G., 1976. L' Acheuken en Europe centrale du Nord. Palr11!ohisloria 17, pp. 7-8. Co/I. X, Xe Co11gres U.l.S.P.P" Nice (pretirage), pp. 5 2- J STAPERT, o" 1975b. Paleolithicum. In: G. ]. Verwers (ed.), 64. i\1oord-Brnha11/ i11 pre- e11 protohislorie. Oosterhout, 19-3 8. O BOSINSKI, G" 1978. bersicht iiber das Alt- und Mittelpaliiolit­ STAPERT, o" 1976a. Some natura! surface modificationson flint hikum. In: St. Veil (ed.), Alt- n11d 1l1ittelstei11zeitlithe in the Netherlands. Palaeohistoriri 18, pp. 7-41. Fn11dpliitze des Rhei11/n11des. Koln, pp. 36-38. STA PERT, D" 1976b. Middle Palaeolithic finds from the Nor­

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