Hohen Viecheln is one of the key sites for Early Mesolithic research in Northern Europe. Due to a large number
of osseous tools the site became a reference site already shortly after excavation. However, because of a
difficult stratigraphy the chronological depths of the site and its inventory have been discussed ever since.
Due to the importance of the material for comparison, a re-evaluation of the chronology of the site and typology
of the bone points was conducted through directly dating several artefacts. The results of these analyses
show the possibility to metrically differentiate between different bone point types and the inherent potential
for formalising the description of such tool types beyond morphologic features.
With the support of radiocarbon dating it was shown that bone points of the Duvensee-type were longer in
use at the site than points of the more regionally distributed Pritzerbe-type. It is also shown that the stratigraphy
clearly shows phases of erosion that caused a re-deposition of older material on top of the find layers.
As a consequence, the direct dating of finds improved the understanding of the geological processes at the
site as well as the chronology and archaeo-cultural developments in the Early Mesolithic. With respect to the
artefacts the site is integrated into a wider perspective, and it can be demonstrated that the assemblage from
Hohen Viecheln shows several northern connections to the Danish island of Zealand.
Groß, D. et al.: Re-evaluation of the site Hohen Viecheln 1, in: Gross et al. (edd.), Working at The Sharp End at Hohen Viecheln, Untersuchungen und Materialien zur Steinzeit in Schleswig-Holstein und im Ostseeraum, Vol. 10, pp. 15–111, DOI: 10.23797/9783529018619-1.