Breitenbach - Archaeological Site

The archaeological site near the village of Breitenbach in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany is an important open-air settlement that dates to the period of initial colonization of Europe by anatomically modern humans [1]. The occupations date to the early Upper Palaeolithic and more specifically belong to the Aurignacian cultural complex [1]. Breitenbach is currently the biggest open-air settlement site in western Eurasia dating to this time period [1]. Overlying the Palaleolithic deposits are the remains of a younger settlement that has been dated to the Neolithic [1]. The site was discovered in the spring of 1925 by the local school teacher E. Thiersch [1]. Several 14C dates place the occupations at Breitenbach between 23,990±180 and 28,380±170 years ago [1]. The site is primarily known for its mammoth remains [1]. Also occurring in numbers at the site are the remains of horse, reindeer and to a lesser extent those of woolly rhinoceros, hyena, wolf, lion, Arctic fox and Arctic hare [1].