A Middle Pleistocene steppe bison find within the Dürnstein Castle (Wachau, Lower Austria)

During foundation work at Dürnstein Castle, part of the UNESCO-listed Wachau Cultural Landscape, fossilized bones of a Middle Pleistocene steppe bison (Bison priscus) were discovered. The find, dated to between 240,000 and 400,000 years ago, suggests the bison likely drowned in a flood and was rapidly buried by fluvial sediments in a protected bay of the ancient Danube River. Morphometric comparisons and taphonomic analyses supported this reconstruction. Additionally, bones from an adjacent site showed signs of Middle Palaeolithic human influence, indicating possible anthropogenic translocation. The study also provides a preliminary chronological framework for regional Bison species succession, spanning from Early to Late Pleistocene.

Fladerer, F. A., Roetzel, R., & Veitschegger, K. (2020). A Middle Pleistocene steppe bison find within the Dürnstein Castle (Wachau, Lower Austria). Austrian Journal of Earth Sciences, 113(2), 237–250. https://doi.org/10.17738/ajes.2020.0015