Added June 29, 1999. Updated February 2, 2001, 21:54.
The Oldest Cave Art in Central Europe?
By
Maximilian O. Baldia
June 29, 1999
What is very likely the first evidence of Ice
Age cave art in Germany, if not Central Europe, is being reported today, June
29, 1999, in an invitation to a press conference. It states that
Prof. Nicholas Conard and Prof. Hans-Peter Uerpmann, found a rock in the
Fels-Höhle or Hole Fels cave, painted 13 000 year ago. The cave is located
in near Schelklingen, southwest of Ulm. The
press release was sent out by the German Internet information service Informationsdienst
Wissenschaft (idw) in cooperation with the Eberhard-Karls-University in
Tübingen.
12 July, 1999
Over the last several days reactions to press reports, regarding the stone, have been posted on the German archaeology email list in Freiburg. These have questioned the claim that the stone is evidence of cave painting.
The questioning began on July 9, when Alfred Czarnetski, a prominent physical anthropologist, responded to a report in an article of the German newspaper, Berliner Zeitung, dated July 7. 1999. Prof. Czarnetzki, also from the University of Tübingen, noted that in the 1980's Kim Hahn, a prominent archaeologist and college friend, had found other painted stones in the cave. But Hahn never claimed that these were evidence of cave paintings.
Since Czarnetzki's post, other archaeologists,
including one who participated in the above mentioned excursion, have pointed
out that it is difficult to prove that the rock was actually painted while
still part of the cave structure. Similar painted stones from this and other
caves have been known for decades. Some supposedly indicate that they could not
have been part of the cave walls when they were painted.
For the excavation results of 2000 see: A 30 000 Year Old Ivory Horse Sculpture from South Germany.
Related Links
A 30 000 Year Old
Ivory Horse Sculpture from South Germany.
French Caves:
References and Credits
Informationsdienst Wissenschaft (idw) http://idw.tu-clausthal.de/
Please send comments or questions to Max Baldia.