The first modern humans in the Middle Danube Area? : New Evidence from Willendorf II (Eastern Austria)

Abstract

Abstract. While there are no human fossil remains from eastern Austria in the period 50–30 ka BP, the archaeological finds from the early Upper Palaeolithic are well known. This chapter gives an overview of the Aurignacian/EUP sites in eastern Austria and presents preliminary results of a new analysis of finds from the well-known site of Willendorf II. About 460 never-before-published lithics from Willendorf II/layer 3 serve as the main scope of the work presented here. Preliminary results of typological and technological analyses (raw material studies, attribute analysis, and refitting) are presented. The technology resembles the early Aurignacian technology of southern Germany (e.g., Geißenklösterle, AH III) and Aurignacian I in France. In comparison to the local late Middle Palaeolithic and the transitional industries (Bohunician, Szeletian), it indicates clear differences in reduction strategies. In the chapter’s last section, the regional sequence in the Middle Danube Area is presented, and the various cultural entities and their relationships are discussed. The Danube Corridor Hypothesis is contrasted with the regional data.