The chronostratigraphic position of the Middle Pleistocene sequence exposed at Schöningen (Lower Saxony, Germany)

Rescue excavations in the Schöningen open-cast mine (Lower Saxony, Germany), carried out since the 1980s, have led to the discovery of multiple Lower Palaeolithic sites. In 1995, the locality became world-famous for the discovery of Palaeolithic wooden throwing spears from the site Schöningen 13 II-4 (known as the ‘spear horizon’), found in association with lithic artefacts and a bone assemblage largely composed of horses. Aside from its archaeological significance, the Schöningen open-cast mine is well-known for its extensive Quaternary glacial–interglacial sequence, spanning the period from the Elsterian Stage to the present, which has been studied extensively. Still, there is ongoing debate on the position of the Middle Pleistocene deposits exposed at Schöningen, and – as a consequence – on the age estimate of the spear horizon and the other Palaeolithic sites from the open-cast mine. This debate relates to a) the interpretation of the stratigraphic sequence exposed at Schöningen...Show moreRescue excavations in the Schöningen open-cast mine (Lower Saxony, Germany), carried out since the 1980s, have led to the discovery of multiple Lower Palaeolithic sites. In 1995, the locality became world-famous for the discovery of Palaeolithic wooden throwing spears from the site Schöningen 13 II-4 (known as the ‘spear horizon’), found in association with lithic artefacts and a bone assemblage largely composed of horses. Aside from its archaeological significance, the Schöningen open-cast mine is well-known for its extensive Quaternary glacial–interglacial sequence, spanning the period from the Elsterian Stage to the present, which has been studied extensively. Still, there is ongoing debate on the position of the Middle Pleistocene deposits exposed at Schöningen, and – as a consequence – on the age estimate of the spear horizon and the other Palaeolithic sites from the open-cast mine. This debate relates to a) the interpretation of the stratigraphic sequence exposed at Schöningen and its organic contents, (b) the debate surrounding the age of the Holsteinian Interglacial and its correlation with the marine isotope record, and (c) the debate on the number of interglacials that could have existed between the Elsterian and the Saalian glaciations. A review of the lithostratigraphic, biostratigraphic and chronometric evidence from the open-cast mine, presented in this thesis, has led to the development of a chronostratigraphic subdivision of the Middle Pleistocene sequence that is in line with most evidence from other sequences in Europe. Three lithostratigraphic units have been defined. They are correlated with the Holsteinian Interglacial and MIS 11 (Unit I), the Reinsdorf Interglacial and MIS 9 (Unit II), and the Schöningen Interglacial and MIS 7 (Unit III). This chronostratigraphic subdivision allows for an age estimate of around 300ka (thousand years ago) for the spear horizon (Schönigen 13 II-4), and an age estimate of around 400ka for the oldest archaeological site from the open-cast mine (Schöningen 13 I).Show less

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The chronostratigraphic position of the Middle Pleistocene sequence exposed at Schöningen (Lower Saxony, Germany)