In an open pine forest with few grasses, there is an ancient lake a few kilometers long and several hundred meters wide. On its muddy beaches herds of elephants and rhinos gather for drinking or bathing. In the midst of this scene stands a small family of "Heidelbergensis".
This envisioned landscape is the result of a new study that sheds light on the ancient ecology and behavior of animals and humans who lived in northern Germany about 300,<> years ago, which is the first detailed research on fossil footprints in that region, and also illustrates the complementary potential of bioarchaeology in reconstructing a reliable archaeological and ecological image of prehistoric sites to understand the behavior of humans at the time.
The study was published in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews on May 12, where an international research team from the University of Tübingen and the Senkenberg Center for Human Evolution and the Paleoecology analyzed footprint fossils of extinct animal and human species found at two sites in the German city of Schöningen, one of the most important sites rich in Paleolithic monuments.
Fossils include footprints of elephants, rhinoceros and feet presumed to be of an extinct human species (University of Tübingen)
The first evidence of human presence in northern Germany
Fossils include footprints of elephants, rhinoceros and footprints supposedly of an extinct human species. Other notable discoveries at the site include tools used by humans at the time, such as wooden spears, stone tools, animal bones and plant remains that reveal much about the life and environment of ancient humans, their diet and methods of making weapons.
The study suggests that these effects may belong to a species known as Homo-heidelbergensis. According to the press release published on the website "Viz.org" (Phys.org), the Schöningen ruins are the first evidence of the human presence in northern Germany.
The researchers identified three possible human footprints among hundreds of animal fossils that remained preserved on the muddy shores of an ancient lake from the Holocene (early ice) and Pleistocene (late ice) periods, 3.2 million years ago.
Archaeological lakes existed in the past when the climatic and hydrological conditions of their region were different. They may have dried up, receded or filled with sediment over time, but they are important sources of fossils, geological information and environmental changes that occurred in ancient times.
Examples of such ancient lakes include Lake Agassiz in Canada, Lake Balevian in South America, Loeb Noor in China, and of course the Schöningen Lakes in northern Germany.
Archaeological lakes are important sources of fossils and information about environmental changes that occurred in ancient times (World Atlas)
Extinct Heidelbergensis
Heidelbergensis is an extinct species of ancient humans that inhabited Africa, Europe and possibly Asia during the Middle Stone Age, 200,600 to 1908,<> years ago. It was first named in <> after the city of Heidelberg, southwestern Germany, after the remains of a skeleton distinguishing this species were found nearby. The remains were a large skull and a thick, wide jaw with small teeth. This species is considered a possible ancestor of Neanderthals and modern humans.
The study also suggests that this species of humans may have used the lake and its resources to provide food and water, and may have interacted or symbiosis with herds of elephants and other mammals.
Dr Flavio Altamura, leader of the published study and a fellow at the Sinkenberg Centre for Human Evolution and the Ancient Environment at the University of Tübingen, said: "Presumably this is what it looked like in Schöningen 300,<> years ago, we first performed a detailed analysis of footprint fossils from two sites in Schöningen."
According to Altamura, these analyses, along with information from sedimentary and archaeological analyses and ancient fossils, provide us with insights into the ancient ecology and mammals that lived in this area.