A new suite of radiocarbon dates associated with two ancient flutes at the Geißenklösterle site in the Swabian Jura of Germany continues to strengthen the viability of the so-called Kulturpumpe model of the origin and spread of human behavioral modernity.
Bird bone flute from the Geißenklösterle site. Courtesy The University of Tübingen.
The Kulturpumpe model is an hypothesis which attempts to explain why the area known as the Swabian Jura in Germany contains evidence for Upper Paleolithic modern behaviors earlier than any other place in Europe.
Swabian Jura near Reutlingen with 'Zeugenberge' Achalm, 'Georgenberg' mountain. Photo by R Bitzer
What scholars mean by behavioral modernity are innovative behaviors appearing first in the Upper Paleolithic period, including but not limited to advanced stone and bone tool technology, evidence for the care for the elderly and infirm, systematic burials, the making of decorative objects and personal ornamentation, musical instruments, specifically the flute, and mobile and mural art.
Dates from the Swabian Jura's modern behaviors are a few thousands of years ahead of anywhere else in Europe: why that should be so is widely debated by scholars involved in European Upper Paleolithic archaeology.
What the recent suite of dates from the Geißenklösterle site shows is continuing support for the reality of those dates: and among the artifacts collected from the site are two flutes, one made from a swan's wing, another constructed out of mammoth ivory, and both now firmly dated to ca. 40,740-36,910 years ago.
Flute from the site of Geißenklösterle made from mammoth ivory. Courtesy The University of Tübingen.
- Read more about the Geißenklösterle, including the recent research
- Read more about the Swabian Jura and the Kulturpumpe Model
- Read more about Behavioral Modernity
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