Gudenus Cave : : the Earliest Humans of Austria / / Robert G. Bednarik.

• VerfasserIn: Bednarik, Robert G.,
• Place / Publishing House: Oxford : : Archaeopress Publishing Ltd,, [2023]; ©2023
• Year of Publication: 2023
• Edition: First edition.
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (189 pages)

Summarising 60 years of research by the author at the earliest human occupation site known in Austria (1962 to 2021), this book describes the strategies and methods of studying a Pleistocene cave site that had been regarded as fully excavated, and their long-term applications.

Table of Contents

Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright page -- Contents Page -- List of Figures -- Figure 1. Coat of arms of the Gudenus family. -- Figure 2. Plan view of Gudenus Cave and its proximity to the Kleine Krems on the left, and section from the creek to the main cave entrance, looking north (after Woldřich 1893). -- Figure 3. Plan of the Gudenus Cave (after Szombathy 1913). -- Figure 4. Prof. Jan Nepomuk Woldřich. -- Figure 5. Map of the lower valley of the Kleine Krems, from Hartenstein to the Kremszwickel, indicating the distribution of caves and rockshelters in the area. The numbers correspond to the last two digits of the Austrian Cave Cadastre numbers. Selected n -- Figure 6. Artefacts from the Gudenus Cave (after Woldřich 1893). -- Figure 7. Hugo Obermaier (on the left) and Henri Breuil. -- Figure 8. 'Magdalenian' blade tools from Gudenus Cave, after Obermaier and Breuil (1908: Pl. I). -- Figure 9. 'Magdalenian' lithics from Gudenus Cave, after Obermaier and Breuil (1908: Pl. II). -- Figure 10. 'Magdalenian' bone and antler tools from Gudenus Cave: (1) engraved 'needle case' of bone -- (2-6, 14) bone and antler needles -- (7) bone awl -- (9) very worn bone chisel -- (10, 16, 20) spear points with presumed blood or poison grooves -- (12, 15, 18, -- Figure 11. Rolled-off recording of the engraved markings on the presumed needle case from Gudenus Cave, see Figure 10, No. 1. After Obermaier and Breuil 1908: Fig. 5. -- Figure 12. Three of the bone fragments that have been worn intensively by sand. After Obermaier and Breuil 1908: Fig. 6. -- Figure 13. Three hand axes worn by sediment. After Obermaier and Breuil 1908: Pl. IV. -- Figure 14. Ten amorphous lithics worn by sediment. After Obermaier and Breuil 1908: Pl. V. -- Figure 15. Eight unifacial stone tools worn by sediment. After Obermaier and Breuil 1908: Pl. VI.

Figure 16. Six hand axes unworn by sediment. After Obermaier and Breuil 1908: Pl. VII. -- Figure 17. Six lithics unworn by sediment. After Obermaier and Breuil 1908: Pl. VIIIa. -- Figure 18. The 'undersides' of the same six lithics as shown in Figure 17. After Obermaier and Breuil 1908: Pl. VIIIb. -- Figure 19. Ten stone implements made from amorphous flakes not worn by sediment. After Obermaier and Breuil 1908: Pl. IX. -- Figure 20. Nine lithics not worn by sediment. After Obermaier and Breuil 1908: Pl. X. -- Figure 21. Thirteen knapped flakes of rock crystal. After Obermaier and Breuil 1908: Pl. X. -- Figure 22. The location of the Waldviertel, shown in black, within Lower Austria -- the white dot indicates the location of Gudenus Cave. -- Figure 23. Site plan of Burg Hartenstein: 10 - two entrances of Gudenus Cave, 14 - Gudenus Rockshelter, 135 - Untere Zisternenlucke, 136 - Obere Zisternenlucke. -- Figure 24. The main and southern entrances of Gudenus Cave below one of the ruined towers of Burg Hartenstein. -- Figure 25. View of the northern passage of Gudenus Cave, with Blocks 1 and 2 visible, and the emptied vertical crevice to their left (arrow). Note the dark bands of amphibolite. -- Figure 26. Geology in the vicinity of Gudenus Cave. -- Figure 27. North-eastern wall of Gudenus Cave after removal of Blocks 3 and 4, Block 2 remains on the left. Note parallel bedding of amphibole strata on the wall. -- Figure 28. The division of Gudenus Cave into six descriptive zones: northern (1), main (2) and southern (3) portals, northern passage (4), central chamber (5), eastern passage (6), Bayer's Niche (7), southern passage (8) and southernmost passage (9). -- Figure 29. Speleological map of Gudenus Cave by Hartman and Hartman (1985). -- Figure 30. Map of Gudenus Cave for the documentation of its archaeology, made for the present study.

Figure 31. Schematic section illustrating how the vertical crevice was formed before the Riss glacial. -- Figure 32. Mean annual temperatures 1971-2000 of occupied places in Austria as a function of elevation. The six entries from the Waldviertel are shown as circles. -- Figure 33. Thermal environment of Gudenus Cave, as indicated by the study results in 1981. The thick line represents Botsball responses, the thin continuous line the cave temperature, and the broken line the external temperature. -- Figure 34. The seven test locations for smoke dispersal in Gudenus Cave -- see text for details. -- Figure 35. The catchment areas of the Große Krems (A+B+C), the Kleine Krems (D+E) and the Krems river upstream of Imbach (F+G) in km2. Also shown are the four zones of average annual precipitation that apply across the combined catchments. -- Figure 36. Original 1963 field sketch depicting the morphology of the recess behind Blocks 1 and 2 -- at that time, it was anticipated that the two occupation horizons would be of Breuil and Obermaier's two proposed strata. -- Figure 37. NW-SE section of the sediment excavated in the recess behind Blocks 1 and 2: the first stratigraphic depiction ever secured from Gudenus Cave, drawn on-site in October 1963. -- Figure 38. Chert flake U/23 in situ, upper occupation layer [III], looking SE and showing the recess behind Block 2 (right). Block 1 is visible in the foreground, the foot of the cave wall on the left. -- 7 July 1963. -- Figure 39. Upper occupation layer [III], NW part: the recess behind Blocks 1 and 2. Osteal and lithic remains are numbered. -- Figure 40. Lower occupation layer [II], NW part: the recess behind Blocks 1 and 2. Remains are numbered. -- Figure 41. Section AA through the recess behind Block 1 and 2, looking SE, referring to Figures 39 and 40.

Figure 42. The Crevice was formed as Blocks 3 and 4 slid down along the steep fault slope until they came to rest on the sediment. -- Figure 43. Upper occupation layer [III], SE part: the recess behind Blocks 3 and 4. -- Figure 44. Part of the upper occupation layer in the SE Crevice, visible across the upper part of the photograph, and cleft separating Blocks 3 (left) and 1, with several finds in situ. -- Figure 45. Lower occupation layer [II], SE part: the recess behind Blocks 3 and 4. -- Figure 46. Lowest occupation layer [I]: the recess behind Blocks 3 and 4. The hatched area provided sediment sample DS-6. Objects U/131 to U/139 may not form part of the occupation deposit, occurring somewhat lower, and most have been omitted here. -- Figure 47. Section of the sediment column in the Crevice concealed by Blocks 3 and 4, roughly NW to SE, looking NE. Occupation Layers I, II and III are shown, as are the collection sites of sediment samples DS-1 to DS-7. -- Figure 48. Section A of the sediment column in the Crevice concealed by Blocks 3 and 4, roughly SW to NE, looking NW. -- Figure 49. Upper part of Section A, above Benchmark in Figure 48, roughly SW to NE, looking NW. -- Figure 50. Section through Bayer's Niche, showing its state in 1976. -- Figure 51. Stone implement U/109, Occupation Layer I, dorsal side in the two left images. -- Figure 52. Stone implement U/113, Occupation Layer I, dorsal side in the two left images. -- Figure 53. Stone implement U/114, Occupation Layer I, dorsal side in the two left images. -- Figure 54. Stone implement U/118, Occupation Layer I, dorsal side in the two left images. -- Figure 55. Stone implement U/124, Occupation Layer I, dorsal side in the two left images. -- Figure 56. Stone implement U/26, Occupation Layer II. -- Figure 57. Stone implement U/20, Occupation Layer III.

Figure 58. Stone implement U/23, Occupation Layer III, dorsal side in the two left images. -- Figure 59. Stone implement U/35, Occupation Layer III, dorsal side in the two left images. -- Figure 60. Stone implement U/37, Occupation Layer III. -- Figure 61. Stone implement U/29, Occupation Layer IV, dorsal side in the two left images. -- Figure 62. Stone implement U/143, Occupation Layer IV, dorsal side in the two left images. -- Figure 63. Stone implement U/143, Occupation Layer IV, dorsal side in the two left images. -- Figure 64. The bâton percé from Gudenus Cave. -- Figure 65. Perforated teeth of (a) fox, (b) red deer and (c) wolf of the Gudenus Cave Magdalenian. -- Figure 66. Bone whistle, probably produced with a metal tool. -- Figure 67. Sample DS-8, cumulative grain size distribution curve. -- Figure 68. Fine fractions of samples DS-8 and DS-9, compared to those of the present river sediment, DS-10. -- Figure 69. Sample DS-9, cumulative grain size distribution curve. -- Figure 70. Sample DS-1, cumulative grain size distribution curve. -- Figure 71. Fine fractions of samples DS-1, DS-2 and DS-3, compared to those of the present river sediment, DS-10. -- Figure 72. Sample DS-2, cumulative grain size distribution curve. -- Figure 73. Sample DS-3, cumulative grain size distribution curve. -- Figure 74. Sample DS-6, cumulative grain size distribution curve. -- Figure 75. Fine fractions of samples DS-6, DS-7 and DS-5, compared to those of the present river sediment, DS-10. -- Figure 76. Sample DS-7, cumulative grain size distribution curve. -- Figure 77. Sample DS-5, cumulative grain size distribution curve. -- Figure 78. Sample DS-10, cumulative grain size distribution curve. -- Figure 79. The stratigraphical models by (a) Hacker (1884) -- (b) Woldřich (1893) -- (c) Obermaier and Breuil (1908) -- and (d) Bayer (1924a).

Figure 80. Flow patterns of floodwaters within Gudenus Cave during the inundation phases recorded by this project. The powerful eddy in the cave's central chamber is responsible for the tribological wear on walls, stone tools and faunal remains.