Social structures of gravettian hanter gatherer societies

Since 2005 the FWF-project P17258 "Gravettian Settlement Patterns in Krems-Wachtberg, Lower Austria" with an intensive excavation is in progress. The achieved results require further investigations. So far the excavation resulted in an extraordinary rich find layer with an excellent preservation. The simultaneous find analysis already indicates clear analogies with the famous South Moravian sites. Natural sciences as well as various dating methods achieved first results. An AMS radiocarbon date has an age of 26580160 BP (Poz-12920). A singular feature was the uncovering of a double burial of newborn infants embedded in red ochre. They were situated in an intentional pit, covered with a mammoth scapula and supported by a tusk. Due to this complex construction the thin skeletal remains were extraordinarily well preserved. This careful situation as well as the grave gifts in form of ivory beads indicates the social position of the late infants in the society. Also the spatial organization of the camp site is helpful for the understanding of the social structures of Gravettian hunter-gatherers. In 2006 civil works will begin close to the excavation area. Therefore it is only possible to get more information on the spatial and social organization of the site in 2007. The new project will be conducted as interdisciplinary research and is defined for two years. In the first year a final field campaign of 7 months is planned. Till the end of 2008 the interpretation including the results since 2005 will be done. The new data will be discussed and further published in cooperation with national and international scientists.

Since 2005 the FWF-project P17258 "Gravettian Settlement Patterns in Krems-Wachtberg, Lower Austria" with an intensive excavation is in progress. The achieved results require further investigations. So far the excavation resulted in an extraordinary rich find layer with an excellent preservation. The simultaneous find analysis already indicates clear analogies with the famous South Moravian sites. Natural sciences as well as various dating methods achieved first results. An AMS radiocarbon date has an age of 26580160 BP (Poz-12920). A singular feature was the uncovering of a double burial of newborn infants embedded in red ochre. They were situated in an intentional pit, covered with a mammoth scapula and supported by a tusk. Due to this complex construction the thin skeletal remains were extraordinarily well preserved. This careful situation as well as the grave gifts in form of ivory beads indicates the social position of the late infants in the society. Also the spatial organization of the camp site is helpful for the understanding of the social structures of Gravettian hunter-gatherers. In 2006 civil works will begin close to the excavation area. Therefore it is only possible to get more information on the spatial and social organization of the site in 2007. The new project will be conducted as interdisciplinary research and is defined for two years. In the first year a final field campaign of 7 months is planned. Till the end of 2008 the interpretation including the results since 2005 will be done. The new data will be discussed and further published in cooperation with national and international scientists.