Short-Term Occupations During the Early Middle Paleolithic in Eastern Germany

Prehistoric hunter–gatherers frequently relocated to avoid foraging in previously depleted areas. Lakes and rivers played important roles in these movements as fixed locations in the landscape where foragers could have access to clean water and ambush thirsty animals. The types of human occupations along lakes and rivers could have been various depending on the aims of displacements and the activities carried out at the shore. Repeated settlements in the same areas could have generated palimpsests rich in archeological artifacts that are not always easy to disentangle and interpret. This study aims to present new data on two early Middle Paleolithic open-air sites, Markkleeberg and Zwochau, located on riverbanks in Eastern Germany. Results indicate that the settlements were short term and that Neanderthals applied different strategies of production and artifact exports off-site. In a broader perspective, the settlement systems in North–Central Europe during the Early Middle Paleolithic comprise a wide range of behaviors within the short-term category. The distinction between these different types of occupations will shed light on the behavioral plasticity of Neanderthals.