Hohlenstein-Stadel
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Hohlenstein-Stadel cave
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location in Germany
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| Location | Lone valley, Swabian Jura, Germany |
| Coordinates | 48°32′57″N 10°10′21″E / 48.54917°N 10.17250°ECoordinates: 48°32′57″N 10°10′21″E / 48.54917°N 10.17250°E |
Hohlenstein-Stadel is a cave located in the Hohlenstein cliff (not to be confused with the Hohle Fels) at the southern rim of the Lonetal (valley of the Lone) in the Swabian Jura in Germany. While first excavations were started after the second half of the 19th century, the significance of some of the findings was not realized until 1969. The most significant finding was a small ivory statue called the Lion-man, which is one of the oldest pieces of figurative art ever found.
The name of the cliff is derived from a combination of Hohlenstein meaning "hollow rock" and Stadel meaning "barn". The Hohlenstein cliffs are made of limestone which was hollowed out by natural causes to create caves. The Stadel is one of three caves that are of important paleontological and archaeological significance. The other two are Die kleine Scheuer (Small barn) and the Bärenhöhle (Bears' cave).
The first excavations at Hohlenstein were made in 1861 by Oskar Fraas, geologist and paleontologist, who was searching for Cave bear bones at the Bärenhöhle and the Stadel. He returned in 1866, realizing the archeological importance of the site.
In 1935, archaeologists returned to excavate the cave. An initial trial dig under was followed by further work in 1936. Between 1937 and 1939 further excavations were conducted directed by Wetzel and , a geologist. On the very last day of digging, on 25 August 1939, Völzing found a large number of broken pieces of ivory. They were little noted and went into storage at the Museum of Ulm.
It was not until 1969 that Joachim Hahn came across the more than 200 pieces and assembled them into a 31 cm tall figurine of a humanoid with a lion's head. This is now known as the Löwenmensch, one of the oldest pieces of figurative art ever discovered.
Further excavations followed in 1956 and 1957, and between 1959 and 1961. The stratigraphy includes layers from the Neolithic, Mesolithic, Upper Paleolithic, notably the Magdalenian and the Aurignacian periods and finally the Middle Paleolithic.
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