Early art from the Kapellenberg near Groitzsch

Location of the site

The hilltop is part of a terminal moraine ridge from the Saalian Ice Age. It towers 25 m above the surrounding terrain. An oxbow lake of the Mulde, which today flows past about 1 km away, is located directly to the east of the hill. This was a very favorable location for hunting communities of the late Upper Palaeolithic. The hilltop offered them a far-reaching view of the surrounding area, while the nearby course of the river ensured a supply of drinking water and possibly also attracted passing herds of animals. They also found enough flint in the material of the terminal moraine to make the stone tools they needed.

Image Source P. de Vries, Foto ©LfA 2013.

Storage bins

Four activity zones (A-D) could already be distinguished on the basis of the surface finds. These were investigated during the excavations of 1952 and 1961. The excavation was comprehensively published by Hanitzsch in 1972. With an excavation area of 1100 m², Groitzsch can be counted among the larger planned excavations after the Second World War. In the area of the activity zones, a total of seven work sites and two possible campsites were identified more precisely on the basis of concentrations of finds.

Image Source H. Hanitzsch 1972, 21.

Workplaces

The workplaces each measured between 40 and 250 m². It was possible to distinguish between chipping areas and other workplaces. Core stones, production waste such as chippings or unfinished tools were mainly found at the chipping sites. They gave the excavation team an insight into the various processing steps involved in the production of stone tools and suggest that individuals within the group specialized in their manufacture. Several different tools were often found in the areas referred to as workplaces, often showing signs of use. Oval stone pavements measuring 5.20 x 3.20 m and 4.70 x 2.40 m were found in two places, suggesting huts or tents.

Image Source R. Moschkau, Foto ©LfA 1956.

Flint finds

The high number of finds recovered is remarkable: over 154,000 stone artifacts were unearthed during the excavations. Of these, around 2600 were typical tool forms and 280 were special forms. In all the inventories of the Groitzsch sites, the most common forms found in the late Upper Palaeolithic were drills and back knives, as well as burins, scrapers and prongs. Several segment-shaped back points were also found at Site B, while Site C mainly contained core tools. The extremely high quantity of finds made it possible to investigate percussion techniques in more detail and to compare them with other large find inventories. In 1958, the most famous find from Groitzsch came to light in the area of Site D: a small engraved plate made of dark gray clay slate, on which three horses can be seen.

Image Source V. Geupel/J. Vollbrecht, 14 ©LfA 2000.

Animal representations

Several animals can be seen on the small slate tile. Two horses can be seen on one side, their muzzles touching on one narrow side. The one underneath seems to have been carved after the first one. It was only later that a third depiction of a horse was discovered on the reverse. In recent years, it has also been noted that the image on the reverse could be a so-called picture puzzle. Turned through 180°, one could recognize the torso and hind legs of a mammoth.

Image Source Archæo 7, 2010, 40.

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Finding the slate tile

The slate slab was found by Rolf Dunkel in 1958. The excavation worker immediately noticed the carvings in the slate. A clear break can be seen on one narrow side. Some edges are visibly chipped. The former shape and size of the now roughly rectangular plate are therefore unclear. A parallel in Ice Age art can be found at Saaleck, about 70 km from Groitzsch. The working photo shows Helmut Hanitzsch and Dieter Kaufmann evaluating a find during the excavation in August 1961.

Image Source G. Wetzel, Foto ©LfA 1961.

Other engraved finds

Only recently, another horse engraving was discovered on an old find of tuffite stone. Due to the coarser material, the bundles of lines are less clearly visible, revealing their shape in a 3D scan. Another special piece is a silicified piece of wood with several parallel lines that form a kind of zigzag pattern.

Image Source Foto ©LfA 1960.

Dating

As there was no bone or charcoal preservation on site, nor was it possible to geologically date the find layers, the individual sites (A-D) could only be assigned to a date on the basis of typological differences in the flint tools and stratigraphic observations. In this way, the Groitzsch A1 and D sites were assigned to the older Alleröd Interstadial, while A2 and C fall into the younger period. Site B corresponds in its type spectrum to forms of the younger Dryas. According to this, the Kapellenberg of Groitzsch would have been repeatedly visited by Paleolithic groups over a thousand years, between approx. 12500 and 11000 BC.

Image Source A. Kinne, Foto ©LfA 2011.

Research chronicle

Image Source Foto ©LfA 1929.