The Early Upper Palaeolithic open‐air site of Friedrichsdorf‐Seulberg, Germany, in the context of the northern central European Aurignacian

Our knowledge of the Early Upper Palaeolithic occupation in northern central Europe is very limited, and recent research at the open‐air site of Friedrichsdorf‐Seulberg in Hesse, Germany, provides important new information on the Aurignacian. The site is rather small (26.5 m 2 ) and spatial analysis identified a central hearth with two associated activity zones, including a probable refuse pit. Multidisciplinary analyses of lithic artefacts, faunal remains, charcoal and site stratigraphy suggest a single short‐term, seasonal occupation by a small hunter‐gatherer group. The lithic assemblage is dominated by carinated and nosed scrapers and microblades, indicative of on‐site tool maintenance related to composite hunting weapons. The faunal assemblage is primarily composed of reindeer, and the presence of cut marks, fresh bone fractures and burnt bones suggests that butchery and marrow processing took place at the site. New radiocarbon (AMS) dates of 38 810–35 150 cal. a BP, which are consistent with the luminescence ages, place the site's occupation within the late Greenland Interstadial 8 or Greenland Stadial 8. Charcoal analysis reveals Pinus as the dominant wood taxon used as fuel for the hearth and supports a steppe‐tundra environment. The presence of raw materials such as Baltic flint and Jurassic chert transported over a distance of at least 170 km highlights extensive mobility networks in northern central Europe.