While our analyses of the Wallertheim collection are not yet complete, and continued study will undoubtedly yield more valuable information, we have been able draw several preliminary conclusions with respect to specific archaeological horizons. Wal A appears to represent a brief summer camp with a hearth in which production oriented stone knapping took place and remains of fallow deer and large bovid were processed and consumed. We believe Wal D also represents a brief summer camp at which production and maintenance oriented stone knapping took place and remains of small and large equids were processed and consumed. Here evidence for artifact curation and transport allow us to address questions such as mobility, land-use patterns and planning depth. Low density background accumulations of lithics combined with rich but largely unmodified faunas dominated by bovids (Wal E) and equids (Wal F) have been identified and remain challenging to interpret. These four well-preserved archaeological horizons provide a wealth of data with which to address many issues concerning Neandertal settlement, subsistence and behavior in the Rheinland during the last interglacial. For a more detailed look at Wallertheim and related sites please consult several of the references listed below.
