Young and Late Palaeolithic open air sites in the valley of the Weisse Elster river (Central Germany)

Abstract

Although Central Germany is a classical research area regarding the late Young Palaeolithic of Europe many inventories information lack information entirely or in parts. This contribution therefore presents comprehensive information for a local concentration of sites from the valley of the Weisse Elster between Bad Köstritz and Zeitz. Only one of these eight sites has been explored by excavation, the others have come into existence by collecting surface finds. Consequently seven inventories also contain younger artefacts, especially prehistoric flints dominating in four complexes. For this reason neither the differentiation between Palaeolithic and post-Mesolithic flints nor between retouching and simple core damages is unproblematic. Five inventories comprise not more than 100, only three more than 400 Palaeolithic lithics. Nevertheless, the inventories allow an archaeo stratigraphical classification of a find record from the Magdalenian to the Late Palaeolithic.