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2024-09-25 13:38:21   •   ID: 2386

Treasures in the loess - landscapes around Krems an der Donau

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Plate 1 and Figure 1: Loess gully called the "Steinaweg" near Göttweig / Lower Austria. Plate 1 shows a photo taken in August 2024. Figure 1 shows the Steinaweg as seen from the Göttweig Monastery (own work); Figure 2: Loess profile near Stratzing (own work); Figure 3: Cellar Lane (sunken road with wine cellars dug next to each other into the loess wall) from Fels am Wagram / Lower Austria (Wikipedia Commons); Figure 4-6 Gravette-Point from Willendorf (own work; Figure 7: "Micro-Saws“ or „Micro-Denticulates" are suggested to be an index fossil of the Pavlovian and were found at the Krems Wachtberg Cluster, Krems Hundssteig (Kesseldorfers findings) and at Gösing (picture by Thilo Parg, modified by JM); Figure 8: Ivory Pendant from my own collection-Lang -Mannersdorf; Figure 9: Artifacts from Kammern-Grubgraben from my own collection.

Loess is an eolian sediment formed under cold conditions, while paleosols are the modification of loess during warmer conditions.

Loess–palaeosol sequences provide the longest terrestrial records of global environmental change. In particular, sequences from the Central Loess Plateau in China span the past 2,5 Ma and many studies have shown that they provide proxy records of glacial–interglacial climatic cycles (Hunt et al. 1995).

However, loess-paleosol sequences rarely provide a complete picture of Quaternary climatic fluctuations and the interpretation of climatic change is often limited without the extensive use of absolute dating methods (C-14, TL, Paleomagnetism). Even sequences from neighbouring regions - for example from southern Moravia and Lower Austria - often do not match well.

Beside the lack of precise numerical age of numerous important key sequences and the continuous use of national stratigraphic schemes, the main problem are regional hiatuses in the record, mainly caused by erosion and secondary reworking of the original soils and the impact of different climates on pedogenesis.

In particular, loess stratigraphies in Austria, Czech and Slovakia are complicated by a more humid climate and a marked seasonality compared with the climate of the Pannonian - Danube loess belt, which led to a more complex stratigraphy (Sprafke et al. 2014; Sprafke 2016). In addition higher relief and higher humidity means that loess-paleosol sequences in Lower Austria were comperably more affected by erosion.

One should also consider, that shorter climatic events (in geological terms) often had surprisingly little influence on local pedogenesis compared with high-resolution, global deep-sea chronology.

The Lower Austrian loess record in the Krems vicinity includes some of the most famous loess profiles in Europe, such as the Göttweiger Interglacial (MIS5) and the “Paudorfer Bodenbildung” (Paudorf paleosol) an up to 1 m thick pedocomplex that developed during MIS 5. In Krems at the „Schießstätte“ a mighty (20m) loess profile includes early and middle Pleistocene paleosols, while at Stratzing a high resolution record of the late MIS3 has been detected (Hofer 2010, Sprafke et al. 2014; Sprafke 2016). Unfortunately all the classic profiles are without archaeological material.

Around Krems and within a 20 km radius, access to last glacial loess, nowadays can be found either during major earth movements (Strazig, Krems Wachtberg, Krems Hundssteig), during the course of construction work in old wine cellar lanes, where underground tunnels were dug deep into the loess, forming large cellar vaults for the storage of wine (Gösing am Wagram), from loam pits (Ziegelei Kargl / Langenlois) or in loess walls exposed by old gullies / sunken roads (Getzersdorf, Kammern-Grubgraben).

The Wachau and the adjacent areas along both sides of the Danube (Wagram and the Kamp Valley; Traisen Valley) were never covered by ice shields during the Quaternary. However, during glacial periods, especially during marked cold episodes, these areas were part of the European periglacial tundra that extended between the ice shields of the Alps and the Eurasian Ice Sheet. Nevertheless the area was populated even during the LGM, because favorable climatic micro-regions may have existed (Rosenburg, Kammern- Grubgraben).

The Krems sites are preserved in the Loess, overlying a terrain spur, at the confluence of the Krems river and the Danube, the Kamp Valley is an important axis between the Middle Danube region towards Moravia while the Traisen River is fed by water from the water rich Lower Austrian Limestone Alps.

I have already described the cave and abri -stations of the Krems valley with predominantly Middle Paleolithic findings in an earlier blog entry; See here: 2299

During last 120 years several other sites were detected in the Krems-, the Kamp- and the Traisen Valley and its surroundings, some of them gained major importance after modern excavations (Stratzing, Krems Wachtberg-Cluster, Kammern-Grubgraben), some were reinterpreted (Langmannersdorf, Langenlois). Some sites are awaiting reecavation see here: 1486 , here: 1675 , here: 1194 , and here: 1675

The following list is in accordance with the literature by Obermaier (1907), Neugebauer-Maresch (1993), Weinfurter (1950) and others. Non included here are the findings near Horn and Tulln and locations more upstream at the Danube in the Wachau (Willendorf, Aggsbach, Spitz)

Gobelsburg: total of eight find spots with up to seven strata: Gravettian with partly microlithic inventory. Occasional organic artefacts.

Gösing am Wagram: In total 14 find spots with Upper Paleolithic artefacts (mainly Gravettian) are known from older unsystematic excavations.

The site Gösing-Setzergraben (Buchinger 2020) was found during renovation of an old wine cellar in the loess and was unfortunately almost completely destroyed. It was excavated in 2014 and represents the first modern excavation in the area.

The remnants of the uppermost of in total four cultural layers yielded lithics, faunal remains and the remains of an in situ preserved hearth. This layer was dated to ca 26,5 k.a. BP.

The raw material of the site was mostly collected from local sources and its composition is similar to that at Krems Wachtberg.

Backed bladelets and microgravettes are common but the most characteristic element are microdenticulates, diagnostic for the Pavlovian in Eastern Austria and Moravia (Krems-Wachtberg, Krems Hundssteig-modern excavations and Kesselsdorfers findings, Willendorf 2/5 (?), Dolni Vestonice, Pavlov, Jarošov-Podvršťa and Boršice).

Hadersdorf am Kamp: Gravettian artefacts including some microliths.

Kammegg: This interesting site has affinities both to the (Epi)-Gravettian and the Magdalenian. No absolute dating available.

Krems-Wachtberg Cluster; See here: 1486 and here: 2189

Krems Hundssteig; See here: 1194 , and here: 1520

Krems-Stein- Förthofgraben: Aurignacian

Stratzing / Galgenberg: Aurignacian; See here: 1194

Meidling near Krems: Upper Paleolithic

Langmannersdorf; See here: 1594 and here: 1675

Langenlois: Gravettian

Senftenberg: Aurignacian

Steinaweg ;See figure 1: Upper Paleolithic

Rosenburg: Epiaurignacian according to Skrdla, dated to ca. 20 k.a. BP. See here: 1675

Ruppersthal: Epi-Aurignacian around 21 k.a. BP

Unterloiben: Upper Paleolithic

Getzersdorf: Aurignacian

Monographs: Some pdfs are accessable on the net for free (!)

Die jungpaläolithischen Stationen in der Ziegelei Kargl in Langenlois, Niederösterreich: Die Ausgrabungen von 1961 bis 1963.(Mitteilungen der Prähistorischen Kommission, Wien 2019)

Das Jungpaläolithikum von Krems-Wachtberg: Die Steinartefakte der Ausgrabungen 2005‒2015 (Mitteilungen der Prähistorischen Kommission, Wien 2024)

Krems-Hundssteig - Mammutjägerlager der Eiszeit: Ein Nutzungsareal paläolithischer Jäger- und Sammler(innen) vor 41.000-27.000 Jahren (Mitteilungen der Prähistorischen Kommission, Wien 2008)

Das Silexinventar der gravettienzeitlichen Fundstelle Gösing-Setzergraben“; MA Thesis ; Wien 2020

H. Obermaier: Die am Wagramdurchbruch des Kamp gelegenen niederösterreichischen Quartärfundplätze : Ein Beitrag zur Kenntnis des älteren Jungpaläolithikum in Mitteleuropa (Wien 1908)