Exploring Gravettian Mammoth Rib Tool Production in the Ach Valley (SW Germany) Through Experimental Archaeology

Münzel SC, Schürch B, Starkovich BM, Conard NJ, Wiedmann J, Wolf S (2026)

Publication Language: English

Publication Type: Journal article, Original article

Publication year: 2026

Journal

Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology Springer

Book Volume: 9:35

Pages Range: 1-24

URI: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41982-026-00272-3?utm_source=researchgate.net&utm_medium=article#article-info

DOI: 10.1007/s41982-026-00272-3

Open Access Link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41982-026-00272-3?utm_source=researchgate.net&utm_medium=article

Abstract

Artefacts made from mammoth ribs are common in Gravettian contexts in the Swabian Jura of southern Germany. The death of the Indian elephant cow Molly at the Wilhelma Zoo in Stuttgart presented a rare opportunity to conduct experimental archaeological studies aimed at reconstructing the manufacturing processes of such tools. These experiments were carried out during the workshop “Processing of Proboscidean Ribs as Raw Material for Tools,” held at the Museum für Urgeschichte und Eiszeitkunst (URMU). The primary objective was to process elephant ribs in order to gain insights into the chaîne opératoire involved in the production of smoothers and points, and to compare the experimental results with archaeological evidence derived from faunal remains and mammoth rib artefacts recovered from Hohle Fels and Geißenklösterle caves. The analysis of the workshop identified three principal stages in the production sequence: (1) the manufacture of a rib blank, (2) the longitudinal splitting of the blank, and (3) the shaping of smoothers or points. While certain technological traits and manufacturing traces produced during the experimental workshop could be identified in the archaeological assemblage, others were not evident. This reciprocal process of experimentation and archaeological analysis proved to be a crucial step in the investigation of the discarded rib material from Hohle Fels and Geißenklösterle.

Authors with CRIS profile

Benjamin Schürch Lehrstuhl für Ur- und Frühgeschichte (UFG)

Involved external institutions

Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (SHEP) DE Germany (DE) Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Münzel, S.C., Schürch, B., Starkovich, B.M., Conard, N.J., Wiedmann, J., & Wolf, S. (2026). Exploring Gravettian Mammoth Rib Tool Production in the Ach Valley (SW Germany) Through Experimental Archaeology. Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology, 9:35, 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41982-026-00272-3

MLA:

Münzel, Susanne C., et al. "Exploring Gravettian Mammoth Rib Tool Production in the Ach Valley (SW Germany) Through Experimental Archaeology." Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology 9:35 (2026): 1-24.

BibTeX: Download