Marc Haendel - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Marc Haendel

JQS. Journal of quaternary science/Journal of quaternary science, Mar 18, 2024

We present sequential oxygen isotope records (δ 18 O phosphate vs. VSMOW) of horse tooth enamel p... more We present sequential oxygen isotope records (δ 18 O phosphate vs. VSMOW) of horse tooth enamel phosphate of six individuals from two adjacent Palaeolithic sites in Lower Austria. Three molars from the site Krems-Wachtberg date to 33-31k cal a BP, and three molars from Kammern-Grubgraben to 24-20k cal a BP. All teeth show seasonal isotope variations, which are used to reconstruct the annual oxygen isotope composition of drinking water (δ 18 O dw) and palaeotemperatures. Measured δ 18 O phosphate values ranged from 8.6 to 13.0‰ and from 10.8 to 13.9‰ at Krems-Wachtberg and Kammern-Grubgraben, respectively. An inverse modelling approach was used to reconstruct summer and winter temperatures after a correction for glacial oceanic source water δ 18 O. Reconstructed annual δ 18 O dw was −16.4 ± 1.5‰ at Krems-Wachtberg and −15.3 ± 1.4‰ at Kammern-Grubgraben, resulting in annual temperatures of −5.7 ± 3.1 and −3.5 ± 2.9°C, respectively. Summer and winter temperatures reconstructed from individual teeth exhibit high seasonal variations with moderate summer temperatures and extremely low winter temperatures typical for a polar tundra climate. Isotopic differences between individuals are attributed to interannual climate variability or to different drinking water sources. Our reconstructed temperatures are, overall, consistent with previously reported values from European horse teeth, when taking regional differences into account.

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

Processing of osseous materials was an important component of the repertoire of technological inn... more Processing of osseous materials was an important component of the repertoire of technological innovations throughout the Palaeolithic. The study of hard animal materials assemblages therefore provides crucial information regarding hominin adaptational ranges and cultural evolution. In contrast to the wide array of studies published on this topic in western and central Europe, the Palaeolithic osseous industries from Romania received comparatively limited attention. The organic industry recovered from Cotu Miculinți, a Late Glacial Maximum (LGM) site located in the Prut Valley (northeastern Romania), provides a case at point. The present study proposes a throughout reassessment of the collection of osseous artifacts from this site, covering several key aspects – raw materials, chaîne opératoire, and the functionality of the assemblage – in an attempt of setting the site’s osseous industry into the wider context of LGM cultural adaptations in the area east of the Carpathians. The results of our analysis reveal an assemblage predominantly made of reindeer antler and document a standardization of the technical transformation scheme, by use of both segmentation and extraction. This resulted in the production of two types of blanks: segmentation produced massive pieces that were transformed into hammers or perforated batons, and extraction by grooving led to standardized rods on flat blanks used to produce barbed points or smoothers. The finished pieces were used in domestic activities (processing of hides, bark, and wood) and for hunting. The assemblage of osseous artifacts from Cotu Miculinți displays many features in common with contemporaneous sites in the area, in particular Cosăuți (Moldova), which is strongly indicative for a similar cultural and adaptive background.

Research results and reports from the Institute for Oriental and European Archaeology of the Aust... more Research results and reports from the Institute for Oriental and European Archaeology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences of the year 2019 including outreach activities, excavations, surveys, analyses, material studies and current publications from all research groups and labs working in 17 countries.

Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, 2009

The Upper Palaeolithic double burial of newborns and the single burial of a ca. 3-month-old infan... more The Upper Palaeolithic double burial of newborns and the single burial of a ca. 3-month-old infant uncovered at the Gravettian site of Krems-Wachtberg, Austria, are of paramount importance given the rarity of immature human remains from this time. Genome-wide ancient DNA shows that the male infants of the double grave are the earliest reported case of monozygotic twins, while the single grave´s individual was their 3rd-degree male relative. We assessed the individuals´ age at death by applying histological and µCT inspection of the maxillary second incisors (i2) in conjunction with C- and N-isotope ratios and Barium (Ba) intake as biomarker for breastfeeding. The results show that the twins were full-term newborns, and that while individual 2 died at birth, individual 1 survived for about 50 days. The findings show that Gravettian mortuary behaviour also included re-opening of a grave and manipulation of its layout and content. Maria Teschler-Nicola et al. use ancient DNA sequencing...

Research results and reports from the Institute for Oriental and European Archaeology of the Aust... more Research results and reports from the Institute for Oriental and European Archaeology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences of the year 2019 including outreach activities, excavations, surveys, analyses, material studies and current publications from all research groups and labs working in 17 countries.

Quaternary International, 2014

The classic Upper Palaeolithic location of the Wachtberg in Krems (eastern Austria) features a mu... more The classic Upper Palaeolithic location of the Wachtberg in Krems (eastern Austria) features a multitude of exposures in a limited area of about 50,000 m 2. In addition to Gravettian sites which have been investigated in detail in the course of recent years using modern methods, there are the records of old excavations, several documented sections, as well as a considerable number of core samples displaying heterogeneous documentation standards. This paper provides an overview of these different sources of information and aims at synthesizing the data for a comprehensive understanding of the local loess sedimentation and Palaeolithic occupation.

Quaternary International, Nov 26, 2014

ABSTRACT The loess sediment embedding the main Gravettian layer at the Krems-Wachtberg archaeolog... more ABSTRACT The loess sediment embedding the main Gravettian layer at the Krems-Wachtberg archaeological site facilitates exceptional preservation. To gain insight in the sedimentation process before and after the Palaeolithic settlement, the magnetic fabric (preferential orientation of magnetic particles) of loess of the Krems-Wachtberg site was investigated. Magnetic fabric properties clearly show an eolian origin of the loess, but may indicate some relocation in the metre above the cultural layer. The magnetic fabric properties can be divided into three intervals, the top interval shows lowest foliation and inconsistent magnetic fabric directions. The middle interval around the main cultural layer shows low foliation, but a clear preferential NW-SE direction of the lineation. This lineation is interpreted as preferential direction of the eolian loess accumulation from the southeast. The interval below ~0.5 m underneath the main find horizon shows a northeastesouthwest lineation, but an imbrication suggesting that sediment accumulation occurred at 90° to this direction, similar to the interval around the find horizon.

Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, 2009

Quartär, 2009

Abstract-Recent archaeological excavations at the Upper Palaeolithic open-air site of Krems-Wacht... more Abstract-Recent archaeological excavations at the Upper Palaeolithic open-air site of Krems-Wachtberg in eastern Austria exposed a well-preserved Gravettian living floor with a number of distinct features. This paper gives a review of the first four years of investigations ...

Berichte der Geol. Bundesanstalt, 2019

A main goal of the project "Gog & Magog-the Time of Mammoth Hunters in Vienna" was establishing a... more A main goal of the project "Gog & Magog-the Time of Mammoth Hunters in Vienna" was establishing a database for recording Pleistocene mammal bones from different public collections. Main attention was laid on anthropogenic manipulation signatures such as cut-marks or fire influence-with the goal to gather information concerning formerly unknown Palaeolithic sites. 14 C-dating of a horse metacarpal bone with skinning marks produced an age of roughly 38,700-36,500 cal BC. This is the first evidence for the presence of Early Upper Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers in Vienna.
Zusammenfassung Im Rahmen des Projekts "Gog & Magog-Die Mammutjägerzeit in Wien" wurde eine Datenbank der in unterschiedlichen öffentlichen Sammlungen vorhandenen pleistozänen Tierknochen aus Wien erstellt. Ein Hauptaugenmerk wurde dabei auf anthropogene Manipulationsspuren wie Schnittmarken und Feuereinwirkung gelegt, um Hinweise auf bislang unbekannte paläolithische Fundstellen zu er-langen. Die 14 C-Datierung eines Pferde-Metacarpales mit Schnittspuren, wie sie bei der Fellablösung entstehen, ergab ein Alter von 38.700-36.500 cal BC. Dies ist der erste sichere Nachweis für die Anwesenheit von Wildbeutern des älteren Aurignacien auf dem Gebiet des heutigen Wien.

Articles by Marc Haendel

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2023

Processing of osseous materials was an important component of the repertoire of technological inn... more Processing of osseous materials was an important component of the repertoire of technological innovations throughout the Palaeolithic. The study of hard animal materials assemblages therefore provides crucial information regarding hominin adaptational ranges and cultural evolution. In contrast to the wide array of studies published on this topic in western and central Europe, the Palaeolithic osseous industries from Romania received comparatively limited attention. The organic industry recovered from Cotu Miculinți, a Late Glacial Maximum (LGM) site located in the Prut Valley (northeastern Romania), provides a case at point. The present study proposes a throughout reassessment of the collection of osseous artifacts from this site, covering several key aspects – raw materials, chaîne opératoire, and the functionality of the assemblage – in an attempt of setting the site’s osseous industry into the wider context of LGM cultural adaptations in the area east of the Carpathians. The results of our analysis reveal an assemblage predominantly made of reindeer antler and document a standardization of the technical transformation scheme, by use of both segmentation and extraction. This resulted in the production of two types of blanks: segmentation produced massive pieces that were transformed into hammers or perforated batons, and extraction by grooving led to standardized rods on flat blanks used to produce barbed points or smoothers. The finished pieces were used in domestic activities (processing of hides, bark, and wood) and for hunting. The assemblage of osseous artifacts from Cotu Miculinți displays many features in common with contemporaneous sites in the area, in particular Cosăuți (Moldova), which is strongly indicative for a similar cultural and adaptive background.

JQS. Journal of quaternary science/Journal of quaternary science, Mar 18, 2024

We present sequential oxygen isotope records (δ 18 O phosphate vs. VSMOW) of horse tooth enamel p... more We present sequential oxygen isotope records (δ 18 O phosphate vs. VSMOW) of horse tooth enamel phosphate of six individuals from two adjacent Palaeolithic sites in Lower Austria. Three molars from the site Krems-Wachtberg date to 33-31k cal a BP, and three molars from Kammern-Grubgraben to 24-20k cal a BP. All teeth show seasonal isotope variations, which are used to reconstruct the annual oxygen isotope composition of drinking water (δ 18 O dw) and palaeotemperatures. Measured δ 18 O phosphate values ranged from 8.6 to 13.0‰ and from 10.8 to 13.9‰ at Krems-Wachtberg and Kammern-Grubgraben, respectively. An inverse modelling approach was used to reconstruct summer and winter temperatures after a correction for glacial oceanic source water δ 18 O. Reconstructed annual δ 18 O dw was −16.4 ± 1.5‰ at Krems-Wachtberg and −15.3 ± 1.4‰ at Kammern-Grubgraben, resulting in annual temperatures of −5.7 ± 3.1 and −3.5 ± 2.9°C, respectively. Summer and winter temperatures reconstructed from individual teeth exhibit high seasonal variations with moderate summer temperatures and extremely low winter temperatures typical for a polar tundra climate. Isotopic differences between individuals are attributed to interannual climate variability or to different drinking water sources. Our reconstructed temperatures are, overall, consistent with previously reported values from European horse teeth, when taking regional differences into account.

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

Processing of osseous materials was an important component of the repertoire of technological inn... more Processing of osseous materials was an important component of the repertoire of technological innovations throughout the Palaeolithic. The study of hard animal materials assemblages therefore provides crucial information regarding hominin adaptational ranges and cultural evolution. In contrast to the wide array of studies published on this topic in western and central Europe, the Palaeolithic osseous industries from Romania received comparatively limited attention. The organic industry recovered from Cotu Miculinți, a Late Glacial Maximum (LGM) site located in the Prut Valley (northeastern Romania), provides a case at point. The present study proposes a throughout reassessment of the collection of osseous artifacts from this site, covering several key aspects – raw materials, chaîne opératoire, and the functionality of the assemblage – in an attempt of setting the site’s osseous industry into the wider context of LGM cultural adaptations in the area east of the Carpathians. The results of our analysis reveal an assemblage predominantly made of reindeer antler and document a standardization of the technical transformation scheme, by use of both segmentation and extraction. This resulted in the production of two types of blanks: segmentation produced massive pieces that were transformed into hammers or perforated batons, and extraction by grooving led to standardized rods on flat blanks used to produce barbed points or smoothers. The finished pieces were used in domestic activities (processing of hides, bark, and wood) and for hunting. The assemblage of osseous artifacts from Cotu Miculinți displays many features in common with contemporaneous sites in the area, in particular Cosăuți (Moldova), which is strongly indicative for a similar cultural and adaptive background.

Research results and reports from the Institute for Oriental and European Archaeology of the Aust... more Research results and reports from the Institute for Oriental and European Archaeology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences of the year 2019 including outreach activities, excavations, surveys, analyses, material studies and current publications from all research groups and labs working in 17 countries.

Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, 2009

The Upper Palaeolithic double burial of newborns and the single burial of a ca. 3-month-old infan... more The Upper Palaeolithic double burial of newborns and the single burial of a ca. 3-month-old infant uncovered at the Gravettian site of Krems-Wachtberg, Austria, are of paramount importance given the rarity of immature human remains from this time. Genome-wide ancient DNA shows that the male infants of the double grave are the earliest reported case of monozygotic twins, while the single grave´s individual was their 3rd-degree male relative. We assessed the individuals´ age at death by applying histological and µCT inspection of the maxillary second incisors (i2) in conjunction with C- and N-isotope ratios and Barium (Ba) intake as biomarker for breastfeeding. The results show that the twins were full-term newborns, and that while individual 2 died at birth, individual 1 survived for about 50 days. The findings show that Gravettian mortuary behaviour also included re-opening of a grave and manipulation of its layout and content. Maria Teschler-Nicola et al. use ancient DNA sequencing...

Research results and reports from the Institute for Oriental and European Archaeology of the Aust... more Research results and reports from the Institute for Oriental and European Archaeology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences of the year 2019 including outreach activities, excavations, surveys, analyses, material studies and current publications from all research groups and labs working in 17 countries.

Quaternary International, 2014

The classic Upper Palaeolithic location of the Wachtberg in Krems (eastern Austria) features a mu... more The classic Upper Palaeolithic location of the Wachtberg in Krems (eastern Austria) features a multitude of exposures in a limited area of about 50,000 m 2. In addition to Gravettian sites which have been investigated in detail in the course of recent years using modern methods, there are the records of old excavations, several documented sections, as well as a considerable number of core samples displaying heterogeneous documentation standards. This paper provides an overview of these different sources of information and aims at synthesizing the data for a comprehensive understanding of the local loess sedimentation and Palaeolithic occupation.

Quaternary International, Nov 26, 2014

ABSTRACT The loess sediment embedding the main Gravettian layer at the Krems-Wachtberg archaeolog... more ABSTRACT The loess sediment embedding the main Gravettian layer at the Krems-Wachtberg archaeological site facilitates exceptional preservation. To gain insight in the sedimentation process before and after the Palaeolithic settlement, the magnetic fabric (preferential orientation of magnetic particles) of loess of the Krems-Wachtberg site was investigated. Magnetic fabric properties clearly show an eolian origin of the loess, but may indicate some relocation in the metre above the cultural layer. The magnetic fabric properties can be divided into three intervals, the top interval shows lowest foliation and inconsistent magnetic fabric directions. The middle interval around the main cultural layer shows low foliation, but a clear preferential NW-SE direction of the lineation. This lineation is interpreted as preferential direction of the eolian loess accumulation from the southeast. The interval below ~0.5 m underneath the main find horizon shows a northeastesouthwest lineation, but an imbrication suggesting that sediment accumulation occurred at 90° to this direction, similar to the interval around the find horizon.

Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, 2009

Quartär, 2009

Abstract-Recent archaeological excavations at the Upper Palaeolithic open-air site of Krems-Wacht... more Abstract-Recent archaeological excavations at the Upper Palaeolithic open-air site of Krems-Wachtberg in eastern Austria exposed a well-preserved Gravettian living floor with a number of distinct features. This paper gives a review of the first four years of investigations ...

Berichte der Geol. Bundesanstalt, 2019

A main goal of the project "Gog & Magog-the Time of Mammoth Hunters in Vienna" was establishing a... more A main goal of the project "Gog & Magog-the Time of Mammoth Hunters in Vienna" was establishing a database for recording Pleistocene mammal bones from different public collections. Main attention was laid on anthropogenic manipulation signatures such as cut-marks or fire influence-with the goal to gather information concerning formerly unknown Palaeolithic sites. 14 C-dating of a horse metacarpal bone with skinning marks produced an age of roughly 38,700-36,500 cal BC. This is the first evidence for the presence of Early Upper Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers in Vienna.
Zusammenfassung Im Rahmen des Projekts "Gog & Magog-Die Mammutjägerzeit in Wien" wurde eine Datenbank der in unterschiedlichen öffentlichen Sammlungen vorhandenen pleistozänen Tierknochen aus Wien erstellt. Ein Hauptaugenmerk wurde dabei auf anthropogene Manipulationsspuren wie Schnittmarken und Feuereinwirkung gelegt, um Hinweise auf bislang unbekannte paläolithische Fundstellen zu er-langen. Die 14 C-Datierung eines Pferde-Metacarpales mit Schnittspuren, wie sie bei der Fellablösung entstehen, ergab ein Alter von 38.700-36.500 cal BC. Dies ist der erste sichere Nachweis für die Anwesenheit von Wildbeutern des älteren Aurignacien auf dem Gebiet des heutigen Wien.

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2023

Processing of osseous materials was an important component of the repertoire of technological inn... more Processing of osseous materials was an important component of the repertoire of technological innovations throughout the Palaeolithic. The study of hard animal materials assemblages therefore provides crucial information regarding hominin adaptational ranges and cultural evolution. In contrast to the wide array of studies published on this topic in western and central Europe, the Palaeolithic osseous industries from Romania received comparatively limited attention. The organic industry recovered from Cotu Miculinți, a Late Glacial Maximum (LGM) site located in the Prut Valley (northeastern Romania), provides a case at point. The present study proposes a throughout reassessment of the collection of osseous artifacts from this site, covering several key aspects – raw materials, chaîne opératoire, and the functionality of the assemblage – in an attempt of setting the site’s osseous industry into the wider context of LGM cultural adaptations in the area east of the Carpathians. The results of our analysis reveal an assemblage predominantly made of reindeer antler and document a standardization of the technical transformation scheme, by use of both segmentation and extraction. This resulted in the production of two types of blanks: segmentation produced massive pieces that were transformed into hammers or perforated batons, and extraction by grooving led to standardized rods on flat blanks used to produce barbed points or smoothers. The finished pieces were used in domestic activities (processing of hides, bark, and wood) and for hunting. The assemblage of osseous artifacts from Cotu Miculinți displays many features in common with contemporaneous sites in the area, in particular Cosăuți (Moldova), which is strongly indicative for a similar cultural and adaptive background.