A cold case from the last Glacial Maximum: A partial mammoth skeleton from southern Germany (Danube Valley, Germany) – Part 1: Traces of human activity and archaeological context

Pasda K, Rössner GE, Steinmann C, Maier A, Mayr C, Rosendahl W, Lindauer S, Friedrich R, Stojakowits P, Kevrekidis C, Uthmeier T, Reiss L, Zolitschka B (2026)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2026

Journal

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports Elsevier

Book Volume: 73

Article Number: 105839

DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105839

Abstract

Remains of at least 72 skeletal elements and a tusk of one woolly mammoth were unearthed from an Upper Würmian palaeo-channel fill and adjacent overbank deposits in southeastern Germany. The skeletal remains are from a large but not yet fully grown individual. Cut marks on several ribs indicate human involvement. However, archaeological traces, such as artefacts or settlement remains, were not recovered. The individual was radiocarbon-dated to 26.9–25.3 ka cal BP, which corresponds to the late Gravettian. Other archaeological evidence from the Gravettian period in south-eastern Germany is rare. This find represents the most recent evidence of a late Gravettian occupation of eastern character in Bavaria before the settlement hiatus of the LGM.

Authors with CRIS profile

Thorsten Uthmeier Lehrstuhl für Ur- und Frühgeschichte (UFG) Lilian Reiss Institut für Geographie

Involved external institutions

Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie DE Germany (DE) Bayerisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege (BLfD) DE Germany (DE) Universität zu Köln DE Germany (DE) Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) DE Germany (DE) Curt-Engelhorn-Zentrum Archäometrie / Curt Engelhorn Centre Archaeometry DE Germany (DE) Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen (rem) DE Germany (DE) Universität Augsburg DE Germany (DE) Universität Bremen DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Pasda, K., Rössner, G.E., Steinmann, C., Maier, A., Mayr, C., Rosendahl, W.,... Zolitschka, B. (2026). A cold case from the last Glacial Maximum: A partial mammoth skeleton from southern Germany (Danube Valley, Germany) – Part 1: Traces of human activity and archaeological context. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105839

MLA:

Pasda, Kerstin, et al. "A cold case from the last Glacial Maximum: A partial mammoth skeleton from southern Germany (Danube Valley, Germany) – Part 1: Traces of human activity and archaeological context." Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 73 (2026).

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