The archaeological site near the village of Breitenbach in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany is an important open-air settlement that dates to the period of initial colonization of Europe by anatomically modern humans. The occupations date to the early Upper Palaeolithic and more specifically belong to the Aurignacian cultural complex. Breitenbach is currently the biggest open-air settlement site in western Eurasia dating to this time period. Overlying the Palaleolithic deposits are the remains of a younger settlement that has been dated to the Neolithic.
Palaeolithic settlement
Significance
The open-air site Breitenbach is located at the northern boundary of the Aurignacian oikumene, from which only few sites are currently known. It is also one of the few Aurignacian open-air sites known from Central Europe – knowledge about modern human spatial behaviour and subsistence practices during the Aurignacian derives primarily from cave sites. The extent of the settlement is estimated between 8,000 and 10,000 square meters – this is very unusual for this period and foreshadows the large open-air settlements of the Gravettian known from eastern Europe. As a late representative of the Aurignacian, Breitenbach is of supra-regional interest in understanding the dynamics of the Aurignacian-Gravettian transition. It also promises insight to spatial organisation and subsistence practices of hunter-gatherer groups during the time of the initial occurrence of the “complete set” of behaviourally modern characteristics.
Location
The village Breitenbach is part of Wetterzeube municipality and is located approximately 6 km south of the town of Zeitz. The archaeological site near the old cutting mill (“Schneidemühle”) is situated along the eastern bank of the river Aga, a small tributary of the White Elster river. The site is located on the slopes of a gentle promontory that, coming from a north-westerly direction peters out in a south-easterly direction.
Discovery and excavations
The site was discovered in the spring of 1925 by the local school teacher E. Thiersch. In the process of extending an existing storage yard adjacent to the mill, large numbers of bones had already been discovered and discarded since the autumn of 1924. First sondages by H. Hess von Wichdorff and A. Götze took place in 1925 and large scale archaeological excavations exposing 400 square meters were conducted by N. Niklasson and F. Wiegers in 1927. Unusual for the time, Niklasson and Wiegers employed a grid system, which allows for a reconstruction of the horizontal find distribution. A smaller geological sondage took place in 1962, followed by a small archaeological campaign in 2004. Since 2009 a collaborative effort headed by the MONREPOS Archaeological Research Center and Museum for Human Behavioral Evolution of the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum Mainz, the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt and Leiden University has resumed large scale excavations.
Chronometric dates
Several 14C dates (AMS) place the occupations at Breitenbach between 23,990±180 (OxA-11964) and 28,380±170 (OxA-11889) years ago. Using the calpal software, these dates translate into 26,883±401 to 30,824±338 calendar years ago. This renders Breitenbach a very late representative of the Aurignacian tradition, as the Gravettian is well represented in Central and Eastern Europe at this time (see above).
Site organization and structures
At Breitenbach there is evidence for spatially differentiated activity zones, with foci of specific activities. This is suggested by the presence of large stone manuports, imported and intentionally arranged sandstone slabs, pits and hearths. The sandstone slabs in particular hint at repeated longer-term occupations. Four high-lithic concentrations were tentatively labelled as “lithic workshops”. Burned bone and lithics occur in large numbers. The find horizon is well-pronounced and appears quite distinct from the over/underlying layers. These characteristics suggest a repeated, more permanent settlement behaviour that hitherto was only known from the Gravettian.