Zum Stand der Mittelsteinzeit-Forschung in Deutschland - Erste Ergebnisse einer umfassenden Untersuchung

Abstract

The
following article serves as a summary of the present State of research on the mesolithic period in Germany based on the evaluation of 27 excavated sites and a total of 57 surveyed layers. Although not all published assemblages are included in the study, the results are still representative. The data were compiled by the authors within the framework of a seminar at the Institute of Prehistory at the University of Cologne. It forms the basis of a continuing project, "Edition Mesolithikum Mesolithic Edition", in which the fundamental
knowledge of the mesolithic period is being collected and evaluated. A first analysis of the data presently available shows that the State of research in Germany is extremely heterogeneous. This can be partially explained by varying preservation conditions. The main Problem however lies in the fact that the mesolithic period is not investigated to the s a m e extent in all regions, and much material remains unpublished. Only a small number of mesolithic Sites have been investigated in the Central Upland Z o n e (Mittelgebirge) of Germany, and no excavations have as yet been conducted in the German Alps. The absolute dating of mesolithic settlement sites is, with only very few
exceptions, totally insufficient. This also applies to botanical and faunal studies. Even the results from the analyses of silex assemblages, which comprise the core of the finds from mesolithic sites, are offen incomplete in the publications. The results of the evaluation presented here show, however, the enormous potential of mesolithic sites for prehistory. A fact that has, as yet, not been recognized by all researchers.