Geißenklösterle (roughly pronounced guise-en-klœ-stir-lah and sometimes spelled Geissenklösterle) Cave is located in an ancient and now abandoned valley of the Danube river called Achtal, in the Swabian Jura region of Germany and about 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) from the site of Hohle Fels. The cave is part of an extensive karst system, with the entrance at a height of 60 meters (~200 feet) above the valley floor and 550 m (1800 ft) above mean sea level. The outer part of the roof collapsed during the Last Glacial Maximum (ca 30,000 years ago), but an area of ~8x8 m (26x26 ft) is still intact.
Occupation deposits at Geißenklösterle have been found up to 3 m (10 ft) in thickness, within an area of 45 sq m (485 sq ft). A total of 19 geological horizons (GH1-19), several of which contain archaeological horitons (AHI-IV) begin in the Middle Paleolithic and span the Upper Paleolithic. The most substantial and important of these human occupation deposits at Geißenklösterle is the Aurignacian.
Chronology
A major controversy at Geißenklösterle and other Swabian Jura sites such as Hohle Fels, Volgelherd, Sirgenstein, Brillenhöhle, and Bockstein, lies in the complexity of behaviors in evidence at comparatively early periods. In particular, musical instruments and early ivory sculptures found at Hohle Fels and Geißenklösterle are among the earliest in the world. Further, Gravettian deposits at these sites are established by 29,000 bp, earlier than anywhere else in western Europe.
- Read more about Hohle Fels Figurines
Dates in the table below are the strongest evidence yet supporting the advanced age of the region, derived from the modeled dates (95.4% probabability) based only on human-modified objects and published in Higham et al. 2012.
- Technocomplex
- Mesolithic
- Magdalenian
- I Gravettian (GH 5-10) 38,350-26,610 bp
- II Aurignacian (GH 11-14) 40,740-36,910 bp
- III Early Aurignacian (GH 15-16) 43,890-39,370 bp
- IV Middle Paleolithic (GH 18-20) 46,380-42,100 bp
Early Aurignacian: The early Aurignacian levels are characterized by carinated and nose-ended scrapers, blades, splintered pieces and simple bone points. Reindeer dominate the fauna, but there have been recovered over 1,000 mammoth ivory artifacts, including clear signs of ivory working debris. Dates for this level have been collected on massed animal bone fragments (37,300-40,200 Radiocarbon Years Before the Present (RCYBP); thermolumiscence (TL) on burnt silex flint artifacts 35,600-38,100 years ago (bp); and Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dating on single animal bone fragments 35,340-38,400 RCYBP.
Aurignacian: The Aurignacian levels included split base points and pointed blades (Spitzklingen); anthropomorphic relief carvings on ivory, a swan bone flute, ivory and bone figurines of mammoth, feline, bear, bison and some undefinable symbols, and jewelry: the Aurignacian levels have produced nearly 500 ivory artifacts. Horse dominates the faunal assemblages with almost no reindeer. Bone tools and personal ornaments are in abundance. Recorded dates are 32,200-36,800 RCYBP on massed bone fragments; TL on silex flint artifacts 38,300-61,600 bp; AMS on single bones, 29,500-33,500 RCYBP.
Gravettian: Flechettes, microgravettes, and Font Robert points, ivory pendants and worked antler. Dates on the Gravettian include Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) on animal bone teeth, 35,700-52,700 bp; AMS 23,825-29,000 RCYBP.
The Geißenklösterle Flutes
During the process of analyzing the animal bones from the site, researchers identifed several broken bird bones with holes, cutmarks and striations. Fitting the bone fragments back together revealed a flute with at least three holes. The flute was recovered from AH II, and thus is associated with the Aurignacian deposits.
Experimental archaeological indicates that the flute was constructed by cleaning a swan's (probably a Whooper swan, Cygnus cygnus) wingbone, then smoothing the surface of the bone with a flint tool. The proximal end of the bone was deeply grooved and snapped off to make a clean break; the distal end is too fragmented to identify its construction method. The maximum length is likely to have been about 126.5 mm (~5 inches) (normal swan's radii are 180-200 mm, 7-8 in). The flute's oval cross section is 10.3x9.1 mm (about .3 x .2 inches).
Researchers came to the conclusion that the broken was likely bevelled to permit playing the flute pointing downward. Playing the experimental reconstruction of the bird bone flute in this manner produced the tones B, C, D, and F.
Mammoth Bone Flute
More technologically advanced flute making is identified in the mammoth ivory flute at Geißenklösterle. This required forming the rough shape of the flute along the axis of the end of a naturally curved mammoth ivory, splitting it open, hollowing it out, carving the holes and finally rejoining the two halves with air-tight seals.
Only one half of the flute was recovered, and it was discovered in situ deposits in AH II. The flute has dozens of finely carved notches which would have allowed binding and sealing the two halves.
Archaeological Study
Excavation began in 1973 under the direction of G.A. Wagner, followed by Joachim Hahn (1974-1991), and Nicholas Conard (2000-2002).
Sources
This glossary entry is a part of the About.com guide to Upper Paleolithic, and the Dictionary of Archaeology.
Conard NJ, Dippon G, and Goldberg P. 2003. Chronostratigraphy and Archeological Context of the Aurignacian Deposits at Geißenklösterle. In: Zilhão J, and d'Errico F, editors. Trabalhos de Arqueologia. Lisbon: Instituto Português de Arqueologia.
Conard NJ, Malina M, and Munzel SC. 2009. New flutes document the earliest musical tradition in southwestern Germany. Nature 460(7256):737-740.
Hardy BL, Bolus M, and Conard NJ. 2008. Hammer or crescent wrench? Stone-tool form and function in the Aurignacian of southwest Germany. Journal of Human Evolution 54(5):648-662.
Higham T, Basell L, Jacobi R, Wood R, Ramsey CB, and Conard NJ. 2012. Testing models for the beginnings of the Aurignacian and the advent of figurative art and music: The radiocarbon chronology of Geissenklosterle. Journal of Human Evolution(0).
Münzel S, Seeberger F, and Hein W. 2002. The Geißenklösterle Flute-Discovery, Experiments, Reconstruction. The Archaeology of Sound: Origin and Organisation Leidorf: Rahden/Westf. p 107-118.
Richter D, Waiblinger J, Rink WJ, and Wagner GA. 2000. Thermoluminescence, Electron Spin Resonance and14C-dating of the Late Middle and Early Upper Palaeolithic Site of Geißenklösterle Cave in Southern Germany. Journal of Archaeological Science 27(1):71-89.
Terberger T, and Street M. 2003. New evidence for the chronology of the Aurignacian and the question of Pleniglacial settlement in western central Europe. In: Zilhão J, and d'Errico F, editors. Trabalhos de Arqueologia. Lisbon: Instituto Português de Arqueologia.
Zilhão J, and d'Errico F. 2003. An Aurignacian "garden of Eden" in southern Germany? An alternative interpretation of the Geissenklösterle and a critique of the Kulturpumpe model Paleo 15.
