Caves and Ice Age Art of the Swabian Alb

In the last part of the Ice Age (Würm Ice Age), the Swabian Alb was inhabited by people who left behind unique items in caves. Since 2017, six caves in the eastern part of Baden-Württemberg have been part of the "Caves and Ice Age Art of the Swabian Alb" World Heritage Site.

The density of archaeological sites there is extraordinary. Since their discovery in the 1860s, stone and bone tools as well as jewellery and art objects between 35,000 and 43,000 years old have been found at all sites. Caves and finds provide outstanding evidence of the culture of the first modern people to settle in Europe.

Flute from the bone of a griffon vulture, 
Museopedia / Wikipedia org, CC BY-SA 4.0

Unique testimonies of this culture, which have been preserved in the caves, are carved figures, jewellery and musical instruments. They are among the oldest examples of figurative art and the oldest musical instruments found in the world to date (flutes made of bird bones). More than 50 figures and remains of 24 flutes testify not only to the beginning of the fine arts, but also to music.


Tobi