Interpreting gaps: A geoarchaeological point of view on the Gravettian record of Ach and Lone valleys (Swabian Jura, SW Germany)

A geoarchaeological study reveals that the apparent gap in Gravettian artifacts between the Ach and Lone valleys in the Swabian Jura, SW Germany, is likely due to differential cave erosion rather than human depopulation. Using ERT, EC-logging, and GPR data, researchers found that sediments and archaeological materials eroded from caves and were deposited above river incisions after 37-32 Kcal BP in both valleys. The study proposes that cave erosion was more intensive in the Lone Valley due to earlier phases of downcutting and hillside erosion. Radiocarbon dating gaps in both valleys, interpreted as evidence of cave erosion, support this hypothesis. Additionally, geochronological data from the Danube Valley suggest that terrace formation moved westward, potentially triggering regional landscape changes that led to differential erosion.

Barbieri, A., Bachofer, F., Schmaltz, E. M., Leven, C., Conard, N. J., & Miller, C. E. (2021). Interpreting gaps: A geoarchaeological point of view on the Gravettian record of Ach and Lone valleys (Swabian Jura, SW Germany). Journal of Archaeological Science, 127, 105335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2021.105335