HUNTER-GATHERER BEHAVIOR IN A CHANGING LATE-GLACIAL LANDSCAPE - ALLEROD ARCHAEOLOGY IN THE CENTRAL RHINELAND, GERMANY

In the Central Rhineland Neuwied Basin, tectonic activity led to a num ber of major Pleistocene volcanic eruptions, the last of which, that o f the Laacher See volcano towards the end of the Allerod Interstadial, covered large areas with pumice and ash, sealing the late glacial lan d surface and preserving paleontological and archaeological localities . This Central Rhineland landscape was characterized by a mosaic veget ation in which stands of trees, of different composition according to topography and hydrology and in places with dense undergrowth, alterna ted with more open areas with a rich herbaceous vegetation. A wide ran ge of animal species included red deer (Cervus elaphus), horse (Equus sp.), a large bovid (Bos primigenius?), moose (Alces alces), and beave r (Castor fiber). The Central Rhineland was inhabited at this time by the Federmessergruppen, a term applied generally here to the northern European late glacial technocomplex with curved-backed points. Apart f rom larger settlement sites, the Laacher See tephra also preserves evi dence for a more ephemeral human presence, such as hearths with either little or no associated indication of other human activity, and altho ugh no Federmessergruppen burials have yet been found, on two occasion s human remains have been found beneath the pumice.