Gudenushöhle | |
 Gudenus cave interior | |
  Location in Austria | |
| Location | near Lichtenau im Waldviertel |
|---|---|
| Region | Lower Austria |
| Coordinates | 48°26′49″N 15°23′44″E / 48.44682°N 15.3956°E |
| History | |
| Periods | Paleolithic |
The Gudenus cave ( German: Gudenushöhle) is an archaeological site near the city of Krems in north-eastern Austria. It is noted for its fossils and remains of Palaeolithic human settlers.
Description
The Gudenus cavern is situated 20 km (12 mi) northwest of the city of Krems, in the valley of the Little Krems, not far from Willendorf, in Lower Austria. [1] The site is close to the River Danube. [2] The cave is 22 m (72 ft) long with a width of 2 to 3 m (6.6 to 9.8 ft) and is situated 7.5 m (25 ft) above the level of the stream. [1]
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left entrance area -
right entrance area
Paleontology
The archaeological deposit has yielded bones of numerous animals, including Woolly mammoth, Woolly rhinoceros, Aurochs, Chamois, Reindeer, and Red deer. [1] Human artifacts include numerous flint implements beginning with the Mousterian (i.e. Neanderthals) of the Middle Paleolithic, although there is no certainty as to the dating. [2] There is also an Upper Palaeolithic, Magdalenian, assemblage including an engraved reindeer bone, [3] and a fragment of a bone flute dated to about 16,000–10,000 BCE. [4]
References
- ^ a b c Obermaler, Hugues (1907). "Quaternary Human remains in Central Europe". Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution for the year ending June 30 1906. Smithsonian Institution.
- ^ a b Ciochon, Russell L.; Fleagle, John G. (1993). The Human Evolution Source Book. Prentice Hall. p. 507.
- ^ Oliva, Martin (2005). Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Moravia. Moravian Museum. p. 103.
- ^ Pilch, John J. (2011). Flights of the Soul. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 95. ISBN 978-0802865403.
External links
Media related to
Gudenushöhle at Wikimedia Commons