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Connecting bones at Schöningen 13II-4 “Spear Horizon”: an analysis of site formation and human activity through faunal refitting

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Abstract

The Middle Pleistocene site of Schöningen 13II-4 “Spear Horizon” is well known not only for the presence of a series of wooden spears, but also for the excellent preservation and richness of its faunal assemblage, the high resolution of its stratigraphical sequence and the large expanse of the excavated surface. These characteristics offer excellent conditions for developing refitting analyses. In this paper, we present the spatial analysis of the first refitting analysis of the faunal assemblage. Results from the refitting spatial analysis suggest that post-depositional processes had little influence on the displacement of the faunal assemblage, supporting previous studies that confirm the integrity of the site. In contrast, the movement of bones, bone fragments and bone tools throughout the site is due to biotic agents, mostly the result of hominin activity along with a limited carnivore activity. Refitting analysis allows distinguishing two major depositional zones—the main shoreline and the lake basin—not immediately connected to each other, each one showing distinct spatial patternings, and provides a detailed reconstruction of butchering activities at the “Spear Horizon”, including prey distribution, butchery processes and tool use. These results offer new insight on hominins use of space, group size and work organization during the Middle Pleistocene.

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Data availability

All data generated in this study are included in this published article. Original spatial data provided by the Lower Saxony State Office for Heritage (Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege—NLD), which owns the property of the data. The data reported here are part of ongoing research. Upon individual request, the authors will make the data used here available before the project is completed. After project completion, all data collected will undergo sustained storage and publication, in accordance with the requirements of the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)).

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Acknowledgements

The MONREPOS Archaeological Research Centre and Museum for Human Behavioural Evolution is part of the Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie (LEIZA), a member of the Leibniz-Gemeinschaft. ArcGIS Desktop software was provided by LEIZA (former RGZM). The authors would like to thank Thomas Terberger and especially Utz Böhner from the NLD for their support. The authors also acknowledge the support of the late Stefan Winghart in this project. The authors are grateful to the editors for their invitation to participate in this special volume, as well as to two anonymous reviewers whose comments significantly improved this manuscript.

Funding

This research is part of the “Hominin subsistence strategies during the Middle Pleistocene in Schöningen” project, a collaborative project between MONREPOS Archaeological Research Centre and Museum for Human Behavioural Evolution, Johannes-Gutenberg-Universität Mainz and Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege (NLD), funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), grant ID GA 683/9–1. A.G.-M. has a grant (PTA2021-019883-I) funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (ref. MCIN/AEI/https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011033) and ESF+.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MUPAC Museum of Prehistory and Archaeology of Cantabria, C/ Ruiz de Alda 19, 39009, Santander, Spain

    Alejandro García-Moreno

  2. MONREPOS Archaeological Research Centre and Museum for Human Behavioural Evolution, Leibniz-Zentrum Für Archäologie, Schloss Monrepos, 56567, Neuwied, Germany

    Alejandro García-Moreno, Jarod M. Hutson, Aritza Villaluenga, Elaine Turner & Sabine Gaudzinski-Windheuser

  3. Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, 10th St. & Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, D.C, 20560, USA

    Jarod M. Hutson

  4. Consolidated Research Group On Prehistory (GIZAPRE), University of the Basque Country, Paseo de La Universidad 5, 01006, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain

    Aritza Villaluenga

  5. Departamento de Prehistoria, Historia Antigua y Arqueología, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain

    Aritza Villaluenga

  6. Institute of Ancient Studies, Johannes Gutenberg University, Schillerplatz 11, 55116, Mainz, Germany

    Sabine Gaudzinski-Windheuser

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  1. Alejandro García-Moreno
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  4. Elaine Turner
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Contributions

A.G.-M. conducted the spatial analyses, prepared the figures and wrote the main manuscript text. J.H. edited the main manuscript text. J.H. and A.V. conducted the zooarchaeological analysis. J.H., A.V. and E.T. conducted the refitting analysis. E.T. coordinated the project. S.G.-W. supervised the project and obtained the funding. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Alejandro García-Moreno.

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García-Moreno, A., Hutson, J.M., Villaluenga, A. et al. Connecting bones at Schöningen 13II-4 “Spear Horizon”: an analysis of site formation and human activity through faunal refitting. Archaeol Anthropol Sci 15, 178 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-023-01876-4

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