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Papers by Gerd-Christian Weniger

Nature Communications, 2024

Quaternary International, Apr 1, 2018

The Ardales Cave is located in a mountain area near the village of Ardales about 50 km North of M... more The Ardales Cave is located in a mountain area near the village of Ardales about 50 km North of Malaga. It was Henri Breuil who recognized first its rock art in 1918. Ardales cave is outstanding in Southern Spain for its numerous examples of paintings and engravings from the Upper Palaeolithic. To date 1010 pictorial artefacts from 252 panels have been described. They probably represent three chronological phases from the Gravettian, the Solutrean and the Magdalenian. Apart from the rock art an important number of non-pictorial artefacts have been conserved. These are stone and bone tools placed near the panels, paste of red and yellow pigment, stone containers used as pigment palettes and stone lamps used for artifical lightning. The talk will present latest results of the spatial distribution of the non-pictorial artefacts and their possible relation to human movement in the cave and to the position of the rock art panels

Capítulo introductorio del libro de la Sima de las Palomas de Teba

The exploitation of raw materials in prehistory: sourcing, processing and distribution, 2017, ISBN 1-5275-0523-5, págs. 368-381, 2017

EGUGA, Apr 1, 2017

The timing of Neanderthal disappearance in the Iberian Peninsula is a hotly debated subject in Pa... more The timing of Neanderthal disappearance in the Iberian Peninsula is a hotly debated subject in Palaeolithic archaeology. Several studies suggested a late survival in South and Central Iberia until about 32,000 year ago (ka), but were probably subject to significant age underestimation due to contamination of dating samples and/or lack of stratigraphic integrity. More recently, Late Neanderthal presence was dated to no later than 38 ka. In Central Iberia, few archaeological sites contain Mousterian levels attesting occupation by Neanderthals. The newly discovered rock shelter of Abrigo del Molino contains chronologically well-constraint Mousterian levels, which, according to radiocarbon dating on bone, place the latest Neanderthal occupation to around 42-44 ka and within Greenland interstadial 11. Accumulation of these levels took place after deposition of fluvial and slope sediments, dated to around 46 ± 3.5 ka using luminescence techniques, and probably correlating with Greenland stadial 13 including Heinrich event 5. Micromorphological evidence of banded sediment fabrics suggests frost dynamics pointing to cold climate conditions during that time in Central Spain. Abrigo del Molino thus provides a detailed and chronologically well-constrained record on Late Neanderthal presence and morphodynamic change in Central Iberia during times of millennial-scale climate changes. The site gives further evidence for an early rather than late disappearance of Neanderthals in Iberia.

Prehistoric archaeology is an object-oriented discipline. Archaeological objects like stone tools... more Prehistoric archaeology is an object-oriented discipline. Archaeological objects like stone tools, bone tools or pieces of mobile art embed human behaviour. A central task of prehistoric research is to decode this information in order to reconstruct ancient human behaviour. This premise affords a defined set of tools for analysis and documentation to describe and evaluate particularly the shape of the object and its surface modifications manufactured by humans. Basis for all types of analysis is therefore a precise visual description of the object. This documentation forms part of the scientific process and should follow a generally accepted convention. Only when these rules are respected, a standardised and reproducible recognition of the object becomes possible.

The increasing amount of data and the growing importance of digital techniques in archaeology and... more The increasing amount of data and the growing importance of digital techniques in archaeology and paleoanthropology require a new form of data organization. The wiki-like data base NESPOS was set up as an international cooperation during an EU funded project and has been developing successfully during the last years. Today it offers a broad range of possibilities for researchers and is amongst others curating CT data of human fossils for the Natural History Museum London and functions as a working platform for the European research program EVAN (European Virtual Anthropology Network).

During Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2, abrupt climate changes created highly variable paleoenvironm... more During Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2, abrupt climate changes created highly variable paleoenvironments inhabited by human populations across the Iberian Peninsula. Pollen and sedimentary analyses from deep-sea cores off Portugal provide records of regional-scale paleoenvironmental responses to the climate shifts that punctuated this period. Archaeological assemblages offer a regional and local-scale understanding of human- environment interactions during this period. One site in particular, Lapa do Picareiro, has yielded a continuous, stratified sedimentary sequence that provides a diachronic record for MIS 2 human occupation and environmental change. Here, we present archaeological data from the Late Gravettian through Solutrean occupations (Levels U-O) in order to show how local-scale, assemblage-level variability may or may not help our understanding of human-environment interactions and culture change during this period when we try to fit them into the traditional techno- typolog...

1 Institute of Geography, University of Cologne, Albertus-Magnus-Platz, 50923 Köln (Cologne)/Germ... more 1 Institute of Geography, University of Cologne, Albertus-Magnus-Platz, 50923 Köln (Cologne)/Germany 2 Department of Geology, University of Liège, Liège/Belgium 3 Commission for Archaeology of Non-European Cultures (KAAK), Dürenstr. 35-37, 53173 Bonn/Germany 4 Neanderthal Museum, Talstraße 300, 40822 Mettmann/Germany 5 Institut National des Sciences de l'Archéologie et du Patrimoine (INSAP), 1, rue Ghandi, Rabat/Morocco

Our study focusses on the ephemeral stream deposits of Wadi Selloum to reconstruct the palaeoenvi... more Our study focusses on the ephemeral stream deposits of Wadi Selloum to reconstruct the palaeoenvironmental evolution in direct vicinity of the rock shelter Ifri n’Ammar. As one of the oldest settlement sites of anatomically modern humans (AMH) in North Africa, Ifri n’Ammar documents periodical occupations since ~170 ka. Since these discontinuous settlement dynamics may be related to or influenced by landscape changes and climate forcing, our study aims (i) to identify phases of morphodynamic activity and stability in the deposits of Wadi Selloum by using micromorphological (sixteen thin sections), sedimentological (laser diffractometry, loss on ignition, magnetic susceptibility), geochemical ( XRF and Scheibler method) and mineralogical (X-ray diffractometry) proxies. Furthermore, (ii) a robust chronology for the ephemeral stream deposits is established by applying a combination of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and post infrared infrared stimulated luminescence (pIRIR290) ...

The formation of palimpsests involves phases of strongly reduced sediment accumulation, partial s... more The formation of palimpsests involves phases of strongly reduced sediment accumulation, partial sediment erosion or sediment mixing by bioturbation, cryoturbation, peloturbation or processes of mass movement along a slope. Humans may also cause mixing by differential trampling, raking out of fire residues or dung and levelling of dwelling floors. Generally, mixing processes cause problems in age determination of archaeological sequences resulting in age inversion or unexpectedly young ages. Micromorphology provides an important tool to identify mixing processes and clarify site formation in order to set up more reliable (chrono-) stratigraphic frameworks of shelter deposits. In addition, the first step to identify and disentangle Palimpsests is to evaluate mixing processes

Nature Communications, 2024

Quaternary International, Apr 1, 2018

Capítulo introductorio del libro de la Sima de las Palomas de Teba

The exploitation of raw materials in prehistory: sourcing, processing and distribution, 2017, ISBN 1-5275-0523-5, págs. 368-381, 2017

EGUGA, Apr 1, 2017

by Isabell Schmidt, João Cascalheira, Gerd-Christian Weniger, Alessandro Potì, Emily Lena Jones, J. Emili Aura Tortosa, Francisco Javier Muñoz Ibáñez, Jesús F. Jordá, José Ramos Muñoz, Lidia Cabello Ligero, Paula Ortega-Martínez, Sebastián Pérez-Díaz, Manuel Alcaraz-Castaño, Balbín Behrmann Rodrigo De, Lukas Friedl, Grace Ellis, and Miguel Cortés Sánchez

The book assembles new insights into humanity’s social, cultural and economic developments during... more The book assembles new insights into humanity’s social, cultural and economic developments during the Last Glacial Maximum in Western Europe and adjacent regions. It gathers original, up-to-date research results on the Solutrean techno-complex, reflecting four major fields of research: data from current excavations; analysis of lithic assemblages; new results from studies on climatic conditions and human-environmental interactions; and insights into artistic expressions. New methodological and analytical approaches are applied, providing significant contributions to Paleolithic research beyond the Last Glacial Maximum.

Müller, W., Eriksen, B. V., Richter, D., Street, M. & Weniger, G.-C. (eds.) 2014: Quartär: Intern... more Müller, W., Eriksen, B. V., Richter, D., Street, M. & Weniger, G.-C. (eds.) 2014: Quartär: Internationales Jahrbuch zur Eiszeitalter- und Steinzeitforschung; Band 61 (2014) / International Yearbook for Ice Age and Stone Age Research; Volume 61 (2014). Rahden/Westf.: Leidorf. 192 pages.

This work is an attempt to present a comprehensive interpretation of the Magdalenian of Southwest... more This work is an attempt to present a comprehensive interpretation of the Magdalenian of Southwest Germany using both archaelogical and non-archaeological evidence . Because of the fragmentary and particularly unreliable data sources, the results set forth have only model-like characteristics .

AO -Der letzte Neandertaler" ist in erster Linie eine Liebesgeschichte zwischen dem Neandertaler ... more AO -Der letzte Neandertaler" ist in erster Linie eine Liebesgeschichte zwischen dem Neandertaler AO und der Homo Sapiens Aki. Beim Gedanken an diese Romanze hätten sich Wissenschaftler vor einem Jahr noch entsetzt an den Kopf gefasst. Es hätte sicher Forscher gegeben, Paläogenetiker oder Paläoanthropologen, die hätten das als völligen Humbug bezeichnet, als reine Fiktion.

A riel Scharon wird Israel nicht mehr regieren. Bis auf Ägyptens Diktator Mubarak sind die Führer... more A riel Scharon wird Israel nicht mehr regieren. Bis auf Ägyptens Diktator Mubarak sind die Führer des nahöstlichen Ancien Régime aus der Geschichte abgetreten: Palästinas Jassir Arafat, Iraks Saddam Hussein, Syriens Hafis al-Assad, Saudi-Arabiens König Fahd. Gemeinsam pflegten sie ihre ohnmächtige Feindschaft mit Israel. Doch keiner von ihnen verfügte (anders als die Israelis) über die ultimative Waffe, die Atombombe. Ihre Nachfolger sind militärisch schwach und registrieren den neuen Nachbarn: die U. S. Army, mit 140 000 Soldaten auf dubioser Demokratisierungsmission im Irak. Solange die Amerikaner da sind, so lange wird es keine konventionellen Kriege mehr auf der arabischen Halbinsel geben. Nur ein islamischer Staat in der Region, Iran, lässt sich nicht zurückhalten auf seinem Weg zur nuklear bewaffneten Mittelmacht. Die »sehr, sehr verhängnisvollen Signale«, die Außenminister Frank-Walter Steinmeier aus Teheran vernommen hat, waren die bekannten: Die Mullahs pfeifen auf völkerrechtliche Bedenken und nehmen ihre Uran-Anreicherung wieder auf. An deren Ende steht atomwaffenfähiges Bombenmaterial. Am Dienstag drohte der Minister Iran mit »Folgen«. Selbst Russland und China zeigten sich »besorgt«. Doch deren Sorge grenzt an Heuchelei. Iran, viertgrößter Energielieferant der Welt mit 70 Millionen Einwohnern, wird 27 Jahre nach der Chomeini-Revolution immer noch geführt von einer alternden Mullah-Elite und neuerdings von einer nachdrängenden Kohorte vierzig-bis fünfzigjähriger gewalt-und kriegserprobter Revolutionsgardisten unter dem Präsidenten Mahmud Ahmadineschad. Im Parlament haben sie die Mehrheit. Im Kabinett sitzen mit Innenminister Pur-Mohammadi und »Informations«-(sprich: Geheimdienst-)Minister Mohseni Eschei zwei Schreibtischtäter, auf deren Konten die Leben von über 2800 iranischen Dissidenten gehen. Diese wurden 1988 ohne Gerichtsverfahren in ihren Gefängniszellen ermordet -Studenten, »linke« Oppositionelle, Regimegegner. Wenn Teherans Präsident fordert, »Israel von der Landkarte zu radieren«, dann meint er das ernst. Dass es verrückte Staaten gibt, wissen die Deutschen aus ihrer eigenen Geschichte. Irans Führung ist dabei, verrückt zu werden. Mit Nordkoreas Hilfe rüstet das Land seine Armee mit Raketen aus -ganz gewiss nicht für konventionelle Sprengköpfe. Mit Russlands Hilfe baut es Reaktoren, in denen waffenfähiges Plutonium hergestellt werden kann. Mit Pakistans Hilfe hat es gelernt, A-Bomben zu konstruieren. Ob es in einem halben Jahr (wie israelische Experten vermuten) oder erst in vier Jahren (wie die CIA glaubt) über Atomsprengköpfe verfügt, spielt kaum eine Rolle. Am 18. Januar sollte eigentlich in Wien die nächste Gesprächsrunde beginnen zwischen Delegierten Irans und Diplomaten Großbritanniens, E

Various studies suggest that the human population on the Iberian Peninsula was directly affected ... more Various studies suggest that the human population on the Iberian Peninsula was directly affected by the extremely variable climatic conditions of the Late Pleistocene – especially during Heinrich Events (HE). Southern Iberia has been frequently proposed as a refugium for hunter-gatherer populations during these phases of climatic deterioration. We took a sample of 152 controlled caves and rock shelters from a total of 300 Late Pleistocene sites. Four technocomplexes were studied: late Middle Palaeolithic (LMP), early Upper Palaeolithic (EUP), Gravettian and Solutrean. Our aim was to test whether these defined changes of technology, which coincide with climatic events (Schmidt et al. 2012), also had an impact on human presence on the landscape – from both, an isochronic as well as diachronic perspective.

The cultural sequence of the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene of Morocco displays three main t... more The cultural sequence of the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene of Morocco displays three main techno-complexes: a Middle Palaeolithic, including a special facies called Aterian; an Upper Palaeolithic, separated into an early phase of uncertain configuration; a later phase, termed Iberomaurusian; and an Epipalaeolithic. The more or less homogeneous appearance of the Middle Palaeolithic in Southern Europe, the Near East and Northern Africa suggests a permeable circum-Mediterranean complex where late Pleistocene humans shared common lithic technologies. Admixture of Neanderthal genes with the gene pool of anatomic modern humans suggests that these humans in Africa and Europe belong to the same species and morphological differences must be classified to the subspecies level only. Interstratifications of Middle Palaeolithic and Atérien levels indicate that tanged points only are not a sufficient marker to define a proper culture or techno-complex. The Aterian should therefore not be treated as an independent cultural complex. The most enigmatic period in northern Africa is the transitional phase from the Middle to the Upper Palaeolithic. Sites and well defined assemblages from this period are extremely rare. The character of human occupation and the accompanying technology during this time remains ambiguous. This crude and basically still unknown Early Upper Palaeolithic ends with the appearance of the Iberomaurusian. It represents the best defined Palaeolithic culture of north-western Africa. In our terminology the Iberomaurusian is followed by an Epipalaeolithic that commences around the Pleistocene Holocene boundary. Detailed analysis of 191 available radiometric data in combination with stratigrafical evidence from multilayered sites gives insight into human settlement pattern at various stages of the cultural sequence. Some 25 sites from Morocco provide evidence for the analysis.

On the northern slope of the Pyrenees the rich archaeological collection from Enlène and the adja... more On the northern slope of the Pyrenees the rich archaeological collection from Enlène and the adjacent Les Trois-Frères play an important role for the understanding of the settlement history of the southwestern part of Europe in the Upper Palaeolithic. Their richness in pictorial artefacts is well known and will serve, together with resource management data, as base for the exemplary reconstruction of Magdalenian foragers‘ conception of space (DFG: WE 1022/12). Whereas published resource management data are reliable, a systematic data collection of pictorial artefacts is lacking. The poster summarizes the major lines of the concept of textualization as appropriate method of emperical data collection.

In the frame of a research project "The Western Mediterranean-Bridge or Barrier?" of the CRC 806 ... more In the frame of a research project "The Western Mediterranean-Bridge or Barrier?" of the CRC 806 "Our way to Europe" possible contact scenarios between Northern Africa and Europe in the Middle Paleolithic via the Strait of Gibraltar are investigated. A theoretical framework constitutes the base for assessing and detecting feasible population interactions. Both primary and secondary data are taken into account. Primary data are available from field work conducted in Morocco and Southern Spain. Excavations at different sites took place during the last years and provide environmental and archaeological data. Secondary data are compiled within a database concerning lithic assemblage variability, raw material catchment, faunal exploitation, and organic production. The poster gives an outline of the project, presents the theoretical model, and gives first insights into data analyses.

The settlement history of the Iberian Peninsula during the Upper Palaeolithic was influenced by d... more The settlement history of the Iberian Peninsula during the Upper Palaeolithic was influenced by diverse geographic and climatic conditions. An increase of site density from the early to the late Upper Palaeolithic can be observed ( ) -with a higher concentration of sites in the northern regions and in coastal areas of the Peninsula, while the interior and the southern areas were sparsely populated. Only the Solutrean period displays a similar number of human settlement sites in the North and South, as well as an increase of sites in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula (Schmidt et al. 2012). According to literature, a comparable pattern is visible for the distribution of rock art sites. During most of the Upper Palaeolithic periods mainly the northern and coastal areas show a greater artistic expression than the South or the interior of the Iberian Peninsula -with one exception during the Solutrean when an explosion of rock art sites can also be observed in the southern and interior regions (Bicho et al. 2007).

Weniger, G.-C. y Ramos, J. (Eds): Sima de las Palomas de Teba. 2011-2014. Intervenciones arqueológicas: 15-19. Ediciones Pinsapar. Málaga 2014 | book-chapter , 2014

Ramos, J., Weniger, G.-C., Cantalejo, P., Espejo, M.M. (Coords.): Cueva de Ardales 2011-2014. Intervenciones arqueológicas: 119-146. Ediciones Pinsapar. Málaga, 2014

Weniger, G.-C. y Ramos, J. (Eds): Sima de las Palomas de Teba. 2011-2014. Intervenciones arqueológicas: 21-25. Ediciones Pinsapar. Málaga, 2014

Weniger, G.-C. y Ramos, J. (Eds): Sima de las Palomas de Teba. 2011-2014. Intervenciones arqueológicas: 33-39. Ediciones Pinsapar. Málaga, 2014

Ramos, J., Weniger, G.-C., Cantalejo, P., Espejo, M.M. (Coords.): Cueva de Ardales 2011-2014. Intervenciones arqueológicas: 41-49. Ediciones Pinsapar. Málaga, 2014

Weniger, G.-C. y Ramos, J. (Eds): Sima de las Palomas de Teba. 2011-2014. Intervenciones arqueológicas: 29-31. Ediciones Pinsapar. Málaga

Robert Sala (Ed.): Pleistocene and Holocene hunter-gatherers in Siberia and the Gibraltar Strait. The Current Archaeological Record: 426-429. Universidad de Burgos y Fundación Atapuerca-, 2014

Ramos, J., Weniger, G.-C., Cantalejo, P., Espejo, M.M. (Coords.): Cueva de Ardales 2011-2014. Intervenciones arqueológicas: 147-153. Ediciones Pinsapar. Málaga, 2014

by Gerd-Christian Weniger, José Ramos Muñoz, Martin Kehl, Serafin Becerra Martín, Lidia Cabello Ligero, Antonio Barrena-Tocino, Juan Jesús Cantillo Duarte, Jörg Linstädter, Andreas Pastoors, Fco. Javier Medianero Soto, Salvador Domínguez-Bella, and Juan Jose Duran

Weniger, G.-C. y Ramos, J. (Eds): Sima de las Palomas de Teba. 2011-2014. Intervenciones arqueológicas: 187-190. Ediciones Pinsapar. Málaga, 2014

(Late Pleistocene population dynamics in Central Iberia: a new geoarchaeological project): We pre... more (Late Pleistocene population dynamics in Central Iberia: a new geoarchaeological project): We present a new research project aimed at investigating population dynamics and human-environment interactions during the second half of the Late Pleistocene in Central Iberia. In this communication we discuss the state-of-the-art on the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic settlement of the Iberian plateau and we propose new avenues of research for testing the validity of the currently accepted interpretations. It is our hypothesis that models on Late Pleistocene population dynamics in the Iberian interior lands are still biased by the poor quantity and quality of data available, especially for the Upper Palaeolithic. Our project is focused on the geoarchaeological study of 3 selected sites located in the Upper Tagus basin (Northern area of Guadalajara province, Spain).Our methods include micromorpholgy, high resolution sedimentology, 14C, OSL and U/Th dating, pollen, phytolith, microfaunal and anthracological analyses, as well as lithic technology, taphonomy and zooarchaeology.

Human Adaptations to the Last Glacial Maximum, 2019