Technological Studies of Blade and Bladelet Production in the Aurignacian at Geißenklösterle Cave (SW Germany)

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Examining Spatial-Temporal Variation in the Lithic Technology of the Early Upper Paleolithic" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Geißenklösterle Cave has played a central role in assessing the timing of the beginning of the Upper Paleolithic in Central Europe and in contextualizing the origins of Aurignacian technological innovations. The Aurignacian of Geißenklösterle is comprised of archaeological horizons II and III dating to between 42,500 and 35,000 cal BP. The site provides a well-stratified and well-dated record from the Aurignacian of the Swabian Jura. In this paper we present current research on the lithic technology used by Aurignacian stone-knappers at Geißenklösterle. We combine techno-typological analyses with numerous lithic refits to identify different operational chains in lithic production. Spatial analyses reveal how and where the inhabitants of the site produced, used, resharpened, recycled, and discarded stone artifacts. Building on the innovative publications on operational chains during blade production by Joachim Hahn and colleagues, we present new results documenting multiple cycles of blade and bladelet production at Geißenklösterle. This work shows how knappers produced bladelets from carinated cores, burin-cores, as well as regular cores on cobbles and flakes.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Examining Spatial-Temporal Variation in the Lithic Technology of the Early Upper Paleolithic   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38100.0