Fig 1.
Late upper palaeolithic, final palaeolithic and preboreal (early mesolithic) sites in Rhineland, Westphalia and neighbouring regions in NW Europe mentioned or discussed in the text.
– 1 Heek (distr. Borken, Munsterland Bucht, northern Westphalia); 2 Borken-Gemenkrückling (distr. Borken, Munsterland Bucht, northern Westphalia); 3 Rietberg (distr. Gütersloh, Munsterland Bucht, eastern Westphalia); 4 Paderborn-Sande (distr. Paderborn, Munsterland Bucht, eastern Westphalia); 5 Salzkotten-Thüle (distr. Paderborn, Munsterland Bucht, eastern Westphalia); 6 Werl-Büderich (distr. Soest, Soest Börde & Munsterland Bucht, southern Westphalia); 7 Fröndenberg-Schelk (distr. Unna, Haarstrang, southern Westphalia); 8 Castrop-Rauxel (distr. Recklinghausen, Ruhr region, northern Westphalia); 9 Herne (Ruhr region, southern Westphalia); 10 Geldrop (prov. North-Brabant, The Netherlands); 11 Blätterhöhle (Hagen, northern Sauerland, southern Westphalia); 12 Oeger Höhle (Hagen, northern Sauerland, southern Westphalia); 3 Hohler Stein (Rüthen-Kallenhardt, distr. Soest, northern Sauerland, southern Westphalia); 14 Mönchengladbach-Geneicken (Lower Rhine plain, Rhineland); 15 Dormagen-Nievenheim (distr. Rhein-Neuss, Lower Rhine plain, Rhineland); 16 Bedburg-Königshoven (distr. Rhein-Erft, Lower Rhine plain, Rhineland); 17 Bonn-Oberkassel (Rhineland); 18 Kartstein (Mechernich, North Eifel uplands, Rhineland); 19 Remouchamps (Aywaille, prov. de Liège, northern Ardenne, southern Belgium); 20 Bad Breisig (distr. Ahrweiler, northern Rhineland-Palatinate); 21 Gönnersdorf (Neuwied, Neuwied Basin, northern Rhineland-Palatinate); 22 Irlich (Neuwied, Neuwied Basin, northern Rhineland-Palatinate); 23 Andernach-Martinsberg (distr. Mayen-Koblenz, Neuwied Basin, northern Rhineland-Palatinate); 24 Fußgönheim (Maxdorf, distr. Rhein-Pfalz, southern Rhineland-Palatinate).–Geochronological classification of the Palaeolithic sites in the oxygen isotope stages according to Greenland ice cores.–Graphic: map basis = maps-for-free.com released under Creative Commons CC0; realisation by LWL-AfW Olpe/M. Baales & A. Müller.
Fig 2.
Geochronological classification of late upper palaeolithic, final palaeolithic and early mesolithic technocomplexes in NW Europe (in brackets: Exclusively French technocomplexes) against the background of the NGRIP ice core chronology [cf. 6].
–Graphic: map basis = Geobasis data of the NRW state and municipalities, Land NRW (2021)–Licence dl-de/zero-2-0 to LWL; realisation by LWL-AfW Olpe/M. Baales.
Fig 3.
View (from SE) of the slope into the valley of the Milchenbach with the Blätterhöhle (arrows) at the southern end of the Weissenstein.
–Photo: LWL-AfW Olpe/M. Baales.
Fig 4.
Location of the Blätterhöhle in the processed DEM terrain model.
–Graphics and editing: LWL-AfW/I. Pfeffer & A. Müller; map basis: Geobasis data of the NRW state and municipalities © Geobasis NRW 2015.
Fig 5.
Situation of the Blätterhöhle on the western edge of the valley of the Lenne, DEM orthographic view.
–Graphic: Geobasis data of the NRW state and municipalities, Land NRW [2021]–licence dl-de/zero-2-0; realisation LWL-AfW Olpe/M. Baales.
Fig 6.
Blätterhöhle entrance situation with the protective gate in place.
–Photo: City of Hagen/W.Heuschen.
Fig 7.
View from NW on the Blätterhöhle entrance area below a steep dolomite cliff of the Weissenstein with the Lenne valley in the background.
–Photo: LWL-AfW Olpe/H. Menne.
Fig 8.
Excavation situation 2014 on the Blätterhöhle entrance area (Vorplatz) with the 2nd cave entrance either secured by a protective gate (in the background).
–Photo: LWL-AfW Olpe/M. Baales.
Fig 9.
Excavation work 2009 on the Blätterhöhle entrance area in the Mesolithic find horizons.
–Photo: City of Hagen/J. Orschiedt.
Fig 10.
Map of the archaeologically investigated area in the Blätterhöhle entrance area.
In the southernmost and easternmost excavation squares the grey sediment 6c was only partially present. The profiles DM, DE and 5S are indicated (see below), as well as the location of the Final Palaeolithic human remains.–Graphic: LWL-AfW Olpe/M. Baales.
Fig 11.
Cave entrance 1 above the NW corner of the 2014 excavation area.
A Mesolithic combustion feature (dark colouring) can be seen in profile.–Photo: LWL-AfW Olpe/M. Baales.
Fig 12.
Excavation work under a protective roof in lower levels of the Blätterhöhle entrance area in 2016.
–Photo: City of Hagen/W. Heuschen.
Fig 13.
In 2019 the excavation work is further advanced.
–Photo: LWL-AfW Olpe/M. Baales.
Fig 14.
Top: Projected are the flint finds of sediment units 6b unten, 6b/8 and sediment 6c, from the directly adjacent excavation quarters; in addition, sediment 6c is highlighted. Below: False colour representation with DStretch. Sediment 6c and the red layer 8a stand out very clearly.–Photos/Data: City of Hagen/W. Heuschen, Ruhr-University Bochum/Annika Manz; compilation: LWL-AfW Olpe/D. Riemenschneider.
Fig 15.
Small fragment of a larger mammal diaphysis cracked open while fresh with cut marks.
The fragment comes from sediment 6c and was radiocarbon dated to about 12.1 kyr cal BC.–Photos: J. Orschiedt; compilation: LWL-AfW Olpe/M. Baales.
Table 1.
Identified species of molluscs from sediment 6c.
Table 2.
AMS-14C-dates on bones and charcoal from the sediment unit 6b unten and sediment 6c (MAMS—Mannheim; KIA—Kiel).
Calibration by using OxCal v4.4.4 [135].
Fig 16.
Calibration of AMS-14C ages with OxCal v.4.4.4 for sediment unit 6b unten and sediment 6c.
red: bones, green: charcoal, dark grey: floated charcoal spangles.–Graphic: LWL-AfW Olpe/D. Riemenschneider.
Fig 17.
Lithic implements from sediment 6c (all white patinated flint).
For a more detailed description see text.–Graphic: LWL-AfW Olpe/A. Müller.
Fig 18.
Further lithic implements from sediment 6c (all white patinated flint).
For a more detailed description see text.–Graphic: LWL-AfW Olpe/A. Müller.
Fig 19.
Lithic implements from sediment unit 6b unten (lydite: Nos. 2, 3, 6; all others: White patinated flint) and a retoucher from an elongated river quartzite pebble.
For a more detailed description see text.–Graphic: LWL-AfW Olpe/A. Müller.
Fig 20.
Lithic implements from sediment 8 (no. 5) and sediment unit 6b/8 (all others) (all white patinated flint).
For a more detailed description see text.–Graphic: LWL-AfW Olpe/A. Müller.
Fig 21.
Projection of final palaeolithic and mesolithic single recorded lithic implements (n = 170) and human remains on the (assembled) NS profile DE (cf. Fig 10).
All finds from the directly adjacent half square meters.–Graphic: LWL-AfW Olpe/D. Riemenschneider.
Fig 22.
Projection of final palaeolithic and mesolithic single recorded lithic implements (n = 167) and human remains on the WE profile 5S (cf. Fig 10) showing only the basal sediments/sediment units.
All finds from the directly adjacent half square meters.–Graphic: LWL-AfW Olpe/D. Riemenschneider.
Fig 23.
Final palaeolithic tooth and mandible fragments of a child of about 7 years.
Single tooth finds: unerupted molar M2 (tooth germ, 47?), unerupted molar M2 (tooth germ, 17?), molar M1 (46) with only a half root, complete deciduous molar m1 with two roots (84); the right sided fragment of a mandible with fitting halved deciduous molar m2 (85) and a tooth germ of the PM2 (45) with a fully formed crown and root base. Further erupting permanent teeth are visible in the mandible (cf. Fig 27).–Photo: J. Orschiedt, LWL-AfW Olpe/A. Müller.
Table 3.
Preserved teeth from excavations 2018 and 2019.
–Development stages and Root resorption based on modified Mooreen stages [142, 143] according to [145]: CrC—crown completed with defined pulp roof; Rc—root length completed with parallel ends; R1/4—root length less than crown length with visible bifurcation area; < 1/4 resorption of apical quarter of the root.–Wear stages according to [144]: 1—unworn; 2—wear facets, no observable dentine; 3—cusp pattern partially or completely obliterated, small dentine patches.
Fig 24.
Situation of the human mandible fragment and an adjacent tooth in the same find level.
Left: NS profile reconstructed on the basis of the planum documentation of the excavated square F 6b, right: top view of the find level in F 6b.–Graphic: LWL-AfW Olpe/M. Baales.
Fig 25.
Fitting of the complete deciduous molar m1 with two roots (84) into the alveoli of the mandible.
–Photo: J. Orschiedt, LWL-AfW Olpe/A. Müller.
Fig 26.
X-ray of the mandibular fragment showing the crowns of not yet erupted permanent teeth.
–Photo: J. Orschiedt, LWL-AfW Olpe/A. Müller.
Fig 27.
Schematic representation of the jaws (right sided view) of an approximately 7-year-old child: The permanent teeth/crowns are highlighted in white and the deciduous dentition in dark grey.
The recovered mandibular fragment is highlighted in brown and the associated teeth and tooth fragments in red.–Graphic: J. Orschiedt, LWL-AfW Olpe/A. Müller.
Fig 28.
Mandibular premolar from a further, older adult human individual.
–Photo: J. Orschiedt, LWL-AfW Olpe/A. Müller.
Fig 29.
20-year average values of δ18O and [Ca2+] from the Greenland ice cores GRIP (red), GISP2 (green), and NGRIP (blue) on the GICC05modelext time scale focussing on the 15 to 11 kyr (b2k) time slice.
The fluctuations respectively generally positive climate trend for the middle and younger part of GS-1 are clearly visible.–Graphic: LWL-AfW Olpe/M. Baales changed according to [147, Fig 1].