New paper by Svenja Schray and Nicholas Conard on the Aurignacian at Geißenklösterle

Published open access on September 30, 2026 in Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

Svenja Schray and Nicholas Conard were reassessing the chronostratigraphy of the Aurignacian at Geißenklösterle Cave at the Swabian Albs based on an extensive record of lithic refits.

The study demonstrates the general stratigraphic integrity of the Aurignacian deposits and shows that lithic refits documented between the two main horizons are the result of excavation errors.

The improved chronostratigraphic framework indicates that the Aurignacian deposits at Geißenklösterle mainly preserved human occupations between 42.000 and 38.800 years cal BP improving the context for the technological innovations associated with the Aurignacian, including the early evidence of figurative art and musical instruments, found at the site.

You can find the paper available in open access here:
https://authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S2352-409X(26)00522-5

Congrats to the authors!

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