Pleistocene freshwater ostracods from the Homo erectus site at Bilzingsleben, Germany—Review of historic collection and unpublished manuscript material for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction

Abstract

We provide a review of micropalaeontological research on Ostracoda from the Middle Pleistocene (MIS 11, Holstein interglacial) hominin site Bilzingsleben in Thuringia in Central Germany from 1963 to the 1990s. Samples from four sections inside and six search pits outside the excavation area were investigated and, in total, 49 ostracod species were identified. The ostracod assemblages of the sections mirror the complex and small-scale palaeoenvironmental evolution of the site from a seeping-spring to fluviatile, lacustrine and finally seeping-spring habitat in which a massive tufa layer formed and prevented erosion of the sediments beneath. Pleistocene index fossils are represented by Ilyocypris quinculminata from search pit 3/sample 9933 and Scottia browniana from section 70. Both species indicate the age dating of MIS 11 for the tufa deposit. The results of this study facilitate new insights into site formation processes, enable refinement of the interpretation of the archaeological record and shed light on the question: Does the find-bearing layer at the Bilzingsleben site contain in situ remains of a camp site of Homo erectus or not? Our results suggest that the site is not unaffected at least.