Reevaluation of the chronology and stratigraphy of the early Holocene site Hohen Viecheln (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) with special consideration of the diagnostic bone artefacts

• Applicants: Dr. Daniel Groß; Dr. Detlef Jantzen; Dr. Harald Luebke; Dr. John Meadows
• Subject Area: Prehistory and World Archaeology
• Term: from 2015 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 271652103

The submitted research project deals with the early Mesolithic site Hohen Viecheln. It was excavated in the 1950s and is subject to a reevaluation with special focus on the typochronology of specific artefacts. Despite the excellent local preservation of finds, ambiguities in the stratigraphy and chronology prevent the exact positioning of the site in the current Mesolithic research. The site is known due to its bone point inventory and frequently used as a reference site. On that account it is highly important to proof the chronological position on modern scales. As a consequence, the artefact inventories demand a reevaluation and need to be presented with respect to the modern state of research. An extensive radiocarbon dating program is needed to clear the so far existing stratigraphical and chronological ambiguities. The review of the sequential problems will allow contextualizing recently published material studies in their supra-regional chronological and technological context. The successful realization of the project will rehabilitate Hohen Viecheln in the Mesolithic research of central and middle Europe and will fulfil its reputation as an important reference site for the first time.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants