Animal and Human, Climate and Landscape in the Late Weichselian Glacial and Early Holocene of Central Germany

More than 50 directly dated animal bones with identified species in most cases provide the basis for a discussion of the period 18,000-10,000 cal BP in the region between the Harz Mountains, Thuringian Forest, Ore Mountains and the Elbe and Spree rivers. Further, not directly dated animal species can be in- or excluded after examining the find contexts of the archaeological excavations in which most of the bones were discovered. In addition, the depiction of (human) mobiliary art can be considered. It becomes clear that in the period 16,000-15,000 cal BP a Late Magdalenian appeared with tundral and steppe species. In contrast, the period 15,000-14,000 cal BP cannot be exactly described as find complexes are missing and biostrategraphies and radiometric metering are indistinct. However, the beginning of the Late Palaeolithic from about 14,000 cal BP is obvious and associated with large animal species in arboreous habitats. Again, the following period which reaches up to the Early Holocene, can only vaguely be understood due to insufficient data and few archaeological excavations. The existence of horses in Central Germany can be shown continuously from the Late Weichselian Glacial up to the Early Holocene.