Breitenbach

The archaeological site near the village of Breitenbach in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany is an important open-air settlement that dates to the period of initial colonization of Europe by anatomically modern humans. The occupations date to the early Upper Palaeolithic and more specifically belong to the Aurignacian cultural complex. Breitenbach is currently the biggest open-air settlement site in western Eurasia dating to this time period. Overlying the Palaleolithic deposits are the remains of a younger settlement that has been dated to the Neolithic. Palaeolithic settlement Significance The open-air site Breitenbach is located at the northern boundary of the Aurignacian oikumene, from which only few sites are currently known. It is also one of the few Aurignacian open-air sites known from Central Europe – knowledge about modern human spatial behaviour and subsistence practices during the Aurignacian derives primarily from cave sites. The extent of the settlement is estimated between 8,000 and 10,000 square meters – this is very unusual for this period and foreshadows the large open-air settlements of the Gravettian known from eastern Europe. As a late representative of the Aurignacian, Breitenbach is of supra-regional interest in understanding the dynamics of the Aurignacian-Gravettian transition. It also promises insight to spatial organisation and subsistence practices of hunter-gatherer groups during the time of the initial occurrence of the “complete set” of behaviourally modern characteristics. Location