Success, limits and failure of subsistence strategies

The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, ca. 24,000-19,000 cal BP) was, in contrast to the common notion, a period of relative climatic stability and reinvigoration of the human population. It was during the preceding period of the Late Gravettian (ca. 29,000-25,000 cal BP) that climatic conditions were the harshest of the entire Upper Paleolithic and hunter-gatherer communities in northern latitudes were faced with considerable subsistence stress. The project focusses on a site cluster in Austria, Moravia and southern Poland. Although sparsely populated, this area did not experience a breakdown of its regional population in contrast to other areas north of 50N during this climatic deterioration. The questions thus arise as to what made this region special and which adaptive strategies were developed by its inhabitants. In order to address these questions, we compare the environmental and archaeological situation of the LGM with the one of the Early Gravettian, a period of cultural prosperity and comparatively favorable climatic conditions. We combine archaeological analysis (e.g. of lithic and organic tools), osteoarchaeological information and sedimentological and paleoenvironmental data (geochemistry, stable isotopes, mollusks, etc.). An innovative aspect of this project is the close entanglement of archaeological and on-site paleoenvironmental analyses for one of the key regions of the LGM in Central Europe in a diachronic perspective. Special attention will be given to the following questions: What are the environmental differences between the early Gravettian and the LGM and how did changes in temperature and humidity affect prey species? What are the specific adaptations of the LGM huntergatherers in comparison with those of the early Gravettian? This interdisciplinary approach will allow a deeper understanding of human population dynamics and adaptive strategies of hunter-gatherers.

The FWF Project "Success, Limits and Failure of Subsistence Strategies in Eastern Central Europe during the Early Gravettian and the Last Glacial Maximum" (FWF I4306) was part of a D-A-CH Project with participation of the DFG as Lead Agency. The project focussed on various Upper Palaeolithic sites in Lower Austria addressing the following main questions: What made the study area attractive for hunter-gatherer groups, and how did the humans adapt to changing environment conditions during the Gravettian, 33,000-25,000 cal BP, and the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), 24,000-19,000 cal BP? In the area of Krems, the density of high-quality sites of different function is remarkably high, making it a key-region for a diachronic comparison of subsistence strategies, land-use patterns, and adaptive changes between the two periods, since it provides ample opportunities for spatial, technological, typological, osteological, malacological, and environmental analyses. Our investigations targeted the sites of Krems-Wachtberg and Langenlois A for the early Gravettian, as well as the LGM sites of Kammern-Grubgraben and Langmannersdorf. The processing of the faunal assemblage and the regional climatic situation of the LGM sites was mainly the responsibility of the DFG project partners. The part of the project funded by the FWF was dedicated to the analysis of the lithic inventory originating from the site Kammern-Grubgraben during the excavations from 1985-1990 and 1993-1994. A first comprehensive technological and typological analysis of this collection is being conducted as part of an ongoing PhD thesis. Furthermore, the flint inventory from Kammern-Grubgraben was contextualised within a regional and supra-regional framework with other LGM-period assemblages (e.g. Langmannersdorf, Dolhasca, Cotu Miculini, Bistricioara-La Mal, Bistricioara-Lutrie III). The created database of the analysis allows to identify the features of different archaeological layers of the site Kammern-Grubgaben and to compare the finds of the individual stratigraphic units. Furthermore, the work entailed processing of the documentation from the previous excavations. The current excavation campaigns of the Austrian Archaeological Institute, in conjunction with the existing excavation data, have facilitated a more comprehensive understanding of the spatial distribution of finds and features, as well as their functional interpretation within the context of the site. While the main occupation sequence at Kammern-Grubgraben falls into the LGM, the recent excavations also demonstrated the presence of an earlier find layer, representing a hitherto unknown Late Gravettian occupation. This provides valuable insights into our understanding of the specific adaptations made by hunter-gatherers during the transition from the Gravettian to the LGM, with regard to lithic resource management, land-use patterns, subsistence strategies, and exchange networks.