Journal of Archaeological Science (1999) 26, 125—141 Article No. jasc.1998.031 1, available online at http://www.idealibrary.com on IflE~L Middle Palaeolithic Bone Tools from the Open-Air Site Sa1zgitter~Lebenstedt (Germany) Sabine Gaudzinski Rö misch- Germanisches Zentralmuseum Mainz, Forschungsbereich Altsteinzeit, Schloss Monrepos, 56567 Neuwied, Germany (Received 20 October 1997, revised manuscript accepted 27 February 1998) At the Middle Palaeolithic site of Salzgitter-Lebenstedt (Germany) an assembiage of bone tools (N28) made of Mammuthus primigenius ribs and fibulae was reanalysed. The tools are described comprehensively. Taphonomic analysis of the complete faunal assembiage, serving as a background for this study, showed that the raw material for bone tool production has most probably been intentionally selected by hominids. The bone tools are discussed within the archaeological context illustrating their uriique occurrence in the Middle Palaeolithic record. © 1999 Academic Press Keywords: BONE TOOLS, MIDDLE PALAEOLITHIC, GERMANY, FAUNAL ANALYSIS, TAPHONOMY. Introduction (‘~ alzgitter-Lebenstedt is situated c. 50 km south ~ east of Hannover in Germany (Figure 1). The L3 site was excavated by A. Tode in 1952 (Tode, 1982) and excavations were re-opened in 1977 (Grote & Preul, 1978). During the 1980s and 1990s the resuits obtained by the analysis of the 1952 excavation were published by an interdisciplinary work-group, but apart from the mammoth molars (Guenther, 1991) the faunal assembiage remained untreated. Since the first discovery of the site, a smali number of the modified bones have been repeatedly mentioned in the German literature (compare Busch, 1991). As these faunal remains have neither been described in detail nor been analysed they feil into oblivion and were not referred to in discussion about Middle Paiaeoiithic hominids‘ abilities to produce bone tools (cf. Vincent, 1993; Mithen, 1996; Noble & Davidson, 1996). As Salzgitter-Lebenstedt presents the only European assemblage with a series of bone tools in a Middle Palaeolithic context, a study of modi&ations on bones from the site was undertaken by the author in 1996, accompanied by a systematic and contextual taphonomic analysis of the faunal assembiage (Gaudzinski, in press). The Setting of the Site Salzgitter-Lebenstedt is located on the northern siope of a smali river, the Krähenriedebach, in the immediate embouchure area of the Fuhse valiey. 125 An erosional channei with glaciofluviatile silt of Saalian age in which a further graveily layer was deepened represents the subjacent bed at the Salzgitter Lebenstedt exposure. The channel was fihled with Weichselian fluvial sediments with interposed still water deposits such as fine sand, mud and peat which cryoturbated during several episodes. The stratigraphic succession ends up with Plenigiacial and Postglaciai sediments (Preul, 1991). The fluvial sediments with a thickness of c. 2 m, can be separated into three subunits (Figure 2): Gravei with intercaiated fine sands and cryoturbated humic sands separated by a discordance from a cryoturbated sandy mud with peat lenses, representing deposits of stagnant water, form the basis of the channel infihling (unit 1). Separated by a further discordance, sand deposits and graveiiy sands with peat lenses resulting from a further stagnant water follow above (unit 2). Another discordance separates unit 2 and unit 3 which is characterized by fluvial gravel with interjacent silty channel casts. Resuits of palynological analysis documented simi larities in the vegetational history for units 1 and 2. They indicate that the sediments formed during an Interstadial either during the Early Weichselian (Brörup Interstadial [~ 100 000 BP], Seile, 1991; Pfaffenberg, 1991) or during the Weichselian Plenigla cial (Oerel Interstadial [‘4C age: 58 000—54 000 BP] or Glinde Interstadial [‘4C age: 51 000—48 000 BP], Behre, 1989; Behre & van der Plicht, 1992; Pastoors, 1996: 55 f). At Salzgitter-Lebenstedt a number of physical dates are available for the different units. For unit 1, live 0305 4403/99/020125+ 17 $3000/0 © 1999 Academic Press