Am Donnerstag den 16. Januar 2025 um 18 h hält Sibylle Wolf (SHEP*, Universität Tübingen) den Vortrag "The UNESCO World Heritage “Caves and Ice Age Art in the Swabian Jura” - Recent Discoveries and Current Projects". Der Vortrag erfolgt auf Englisch - the talk is in English.

The Swabian Aurignacian (ca. 42 000 – 35 000 years before present) is especially known for the figurative artworks and personal ornaments made from mammoth ivory as well as the early musical instruments made from mammoth ivory and bird bones. These finds belong to the UNESCO World Heritage “Caves and Ice Age Art in the Swabian Jura”. We know these artefacts since the excavations conducted by Gustav Riek 1931 in the Vogelherd Cave in the Lone Valley. Until today prehistorians carry out excavations in the Ach- and Lone Valley sites.

Here, Wolf presents the latest highlights of the Hohle Fels excavations as well as new research on the refitting of the Geißeklösterle perforated baton. The focus also lies on molluscs which give hints to the mobility of our early ancestors in Central Europe. Finally, the Leibniz ScienceCampus GACT is presented. Here, research on ancient DNA in sediments takes place.

*) Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment