@techreport{BeckerClareDietrichetal., author = {Becker, J{\"o}rg and Clare, Lee and Dietrich, Oliver and K{\"o}ksal-Schmidt, {\c{C}}iğdem and Merbach, Anja and Notroff, Jens and Pant, Smriti and Peters, Joris and P{\"o}llath, Nadja and Schmidt, Klaus}, title = {G{\"o}bekli Tepe Newsletter 2014}, publisher = {German Archaeological Institute, Press Office}, address = {Berlin}, pages = {27}, language = {en} } @misc{HolmerBőszeBonhageetal., author = {Holmer, Anna and Bősze, Ildik{\´o} and Bonhage, Alexander and Susanne, Lindauer and G{\"u}nther, Moosbauer and P{\"o}llath, Nadja and Kristina, Reetz and J{\"o}rg, V{\"o}lkel}, title = {Prehistoric slot pits on a loess covered Rissian Danube terrace at Straubing (SE Bavaria) - structures for fat tanning?}, series = {Journal of geomorphology : journal of basic and applied geomorphology}, volume = {2}, journal = {Journal of geomorphology : journal of basic and applied geomorphology}, number = {1}, publisher = {Borntraeger Science Publishers}, address = {Stuttgart}, doi = {10.1127/jgeomorphology/0874}, pages = {67 -- 129}, abstract = {Slot pits are uniquely shaped pits linked to prehistoric settlements in Central Europe, some dating back to the Mesolithic. They are typically long, deep, and narrow, yet their exact function remains unclear despite extensive research. This study aims to synthesize previous archaeological and pedological findings regarding slot pits and refine hypotheses about their function and age. Samples were collected from slot pits, other pit types, and surrounding loess at an excavation site in Straubing-Lerchenhaid, Bavaria, covering periods from the Linear Pottery Culture to the Iron Age. Pedological analysis indicated that the slot pits were not filled with material from nearby chernozemic horizons, and that no measured element was enriched in slot pits but not other pit types. Radiometric dating of bulk sediment samples, charcoal and animal remains, suggested ages ranging from the End Mesolithic to the End Neolithic. Although biomarker analyses showed traces of human faeces, they were not significant enough to suggest that the pits were primarily used as latrines, which was supported by the lack of elevated phosphorus levels in pit samples. A combination of these findings leads to the hypothesis that slot pits may have been utilized in the fat tanning process.}, language = {en} }