Thermoluminescence, electron spin resonance and C-14-dating of the Late Middle and Early Upper Palaeolithic site of Geissenklosterle Cave in southernGermany

Thermoluminescence (TL) dating of burnt silex (flint, chert), electron spin resonance (ESR) dating of teeth and C-14-accelerator-mass-spectrometry (AM S) dating of bones has been carried out on samples from the Late Middle Pal aeolithic and Early Upper Palaeolithic levels of the Geissenklosterle Cave, South Germany. ESR dating on tooth enamel from the upper part of level IV, which contains a very small undefined Middle Palaeolithic assemblage, yields a mean age of 43.3 +/- 4 ka. The overlying Early Aurignacian (level III) is placed in th e Hengelo Interstadial by palaeoecological analysis. C-14-AMS results give a mean age of 38.4 +/- 0.85 ka, whereas a mean age of 40.2 +/- 1.5 ka is ob tained by TL of burnt silex, confirming the correlation of the Early Aurign acian level with the Hengelo Interstadial in Oxygen Isotope Stage (OIS) 3. C-14-AMS of bone samples from the Aurignacian (level II) resulted in a mean age of 33.5 +/- 0.35 ka, whereas the TL ages on burnt silex are again olde r at c. 37 ka. These TL results can be taken as an indication of the age un derestimation by C-14 caused by the lack of calibration. The Aurignacian le vel contains some of the most elaborate symbolic representations from the U pper Palaeolithic. artwork of comparable quality is radiocarbon dated to 31 ,000 ka at the Grotte Chauvet, thus being significantly younger. Furthermor e, the Geissenlosterle Cave provides evidence of the existence of early roc k art in Central Europe, although only small pieces survived erosion. The G ravettian assemblage of the Geissenklosterle Cave yielded a mean C-14-AMS a ge of 29.0 +/- 0.25 ka.