Rock shelter

A Abri (French: shelter, protection, shelter ) is incurred by erosion, mostly situated in the valleys of sandstone or Jurakalkgebieten rock overhang. The old German word for rock overhang is Balm and appears in numerous place names ( Balm ).

Such shelters are also " semi-cave " (English: rock shelter ), called " rock shelter ", " alcove " or " ledge ". They offered people protection from wet, cold and wind, which is why shelters are the one for archeology regarding Stone Age settlement traces of high relevance, the other for the Zoology for the detection of food residues or winter resting places of certain animals.

Formation

Rock shelters occur approximately from the weathering of hard medium sandstone. On free-standing rock leads the hygroscopic structure of the material to honeycomb weathering as well as a permanent sanding. Occur particularly in glacial phases frost weathering and, depending on location, also Korrasionseffekte (wind erosion ) on. As it creates not only rock shelters, but also flutes and, in rarer cases, mushroom rocks.

Sandstone

In the sandstone area of ​​southern Leinebergland between the towns of Norten -Hardenberg, the Holy City, Göttingen is the largest group of rock shelters in Central Europe. They are found in the rocky gorge-like valleys between the line and the calibration field often in confined spaces. In an area of about 30 km long and 6-10 km wide around 1,600 shelters today are captured.

Cretaceous sandstone

Also in the Cretaceous quartz sand stones of Saxony and Bohemia formed by the weathering numerous rock shelters. The main reason for this is the solution of the binder in the sandstone ( Sandsteinverkarstung ).

Limestone

In rock walls of the limestone valleys formed cliffs by the stronger erosion of weak rock layers or by scouring during the valley formation.

Archeology

Between 1978 and 1998, an interdisciplinary collection and analysis project of Göttingen circle archeology had led to a series of test excavations in Lower Saxony to the discovery of over 100 rock shelters inhabited in prehistoric times. Good and archaeological findings in the geostratigrafische to over two meters thick sediment layers below the rocky roofs arose while for the older periods of the young and Spätpaläolithikums and for the Mesolithic. Finds of stone, bone and antler, well-preserved hearths, pits and stone paving and charred botanical remains enabled highly differentiated snapshots at the storage bins earlier hunters and gatherers. In successive cultural layers found devices (eg, the Abri- Audi - tips) set the foundations of Palaeolithic chronologies.

Most tracks among the retrieved rock shelters are from the last ice age ( Weichsel glaciation ). They were hunters, perhaps as a base camp. From a veritable collection activities, in view of the fauna are only assumed little or seasonal. Such a course was more seasonal visited until the larger herd animals moved on.

There are indications that the open side of rock shelters may have been closed with tent-like structures made of organic material. Fire and hearths apparently indicate that food was prepared.

Since 1978, the Czech Jiri A. Svoboda prehistorian be investigated archaeologically in northern Bohemia shelters headed.

Well-known rock shelters in German-speaking:

  • Shelters the bed Rodersberg; particularly Abri IX ( Lkrs. Göttingen)
  • Abri in Pfaffenholz (Altmühltal )
  • Allerberg ( Lkrs. Göttingen)
  • Bürgertal
  • Chesselgraben (Canton Solothurn )
  • Rock stables at Ehingen (Donau), the district mills
  • Gradonna ( East Tyrol)
  • Heideschmiede in Heidenheim an der Brenz, ( Middle Palaeolithic )
  • Helga - Abri, district Schelkingen in the Ach Valley, fireplaces Magdalenian, the Upper Palaeolithic and Early Mesolithic of
  • Hollow stone of Vent in the Ötztal Nature Park
  • Swiss image in Schaffhausen
  • Sesselfelsgrotte ( Middle Palaeolithic, Upper Palaeolithic ) and Abri I ( Gravettian and Magdalenian ), both in New -essing
  • Leaved

Well-known rock shelter in France:

  • Abri- Audi in Les Eyzies -de- Tayac- Sireuil in the Dordogne
  • Abri Cap Blanc
  • Abri de Cro- Magnon
  • Rock shelters of Vachons
  • Abri du Mannlefelsen ( Haut-Rhin)
  • Abri du Roc -au Sorcier
  • Abri Pataud (Dordogne )
  • Blanchard (Dordogne )
  • Caminade
  • Castel Merle
  • Labattut in Montignac
  • La Cave
  • Le Moustier (Dordogne )
  • Movius (Dordogne )

In historical times, the houses were in France and in Switzerland built under large rock shelters - and still inhabited until the 20th century. The Cliff Dwellings Gila mentioned buildings of the Indians in New Mexico are under wide rock shelters.

Buntsandstein Glacial period Heilbad Heiligenstadt Eichsfeld Elbe Sandstone Mountains Sebnitz Paleolithic Last glacial period Montignac (Dordogne) Klaus Grote
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