Address
University Tübingen Abteilung für Ältere Urgeschichte und Quartärökologie
Burgsteige 11
72070 Tübingen
Room 111, Schloss Hohentübingen
phone: +48 691-723-149
mail: martyna.lech@ifu.uni-tuebingen.de
Research interest
- Middle Paleolithic in Central and Eastern Europe
- Lithic technology
- The role of leaf points in the Middle Paleolithic
- Cultural and technological change during the transition from the Middle to Upper Paleolithic in Europe
Research project
The Hohle Fels is one of the most important sites documenting the Middle and Upper Paleolithic sequence in the Swabian Jura due to their complex stratigraphy, the presence of a rich collection of stone artifacts, and unique finds of Upper Paleolithic-like figurative art and musical instruments. Although the site is widely known from the time of the Upper Paleolithic connected to the Homo sapiens settlement and it was covered in many publications, not a lot is known and studied about previous residents of this cave - the Neanderthals.
In 2020 in Hohle Fels Cave in GH 13/AH X, one leaf point was found made from Jurassic chert from the Swabian region. The layer predates 62.5 ka BP and lies ca. 1.2 meters beneath the base of the Aurignacian. This find contradicts the interpretation that leaf points invariably correspond to the end of the Middle Paleolithic/ or the transition and supports the hypothesis that Blattspitzen are not reliable cultural and chronostratigraphic markers of the Upper Paleolithic. My Ph.D. project will research the Neanderthal occupation in the Hohle Fels connected with the occurrence of Blattspitzen through techno-typological studies of lithic material. The present project seeks to create a data set of lithic reduction sequences and raw material economies so this will provide the opportunity for testing and refining results obtained from other Middle Paleolithic sites especially ones linked with the occurrence of leaf points implemets in Central Europe.
Work experience
| 2023 | Hohle Fels, Upper - Middle Paleolithic, Germany (Head: N. J. Conard) Langmahdhalde, Upper - Middle Paleolithic, Germany (Head: N. J. Conard) Vogelherd, Middle Paleolithic-Neolithic, Germany (Head: N. J. Conard) |
| 2022 | Hayonim Cave, Middle – Lower Paleolithic, Israel (Head: E. Hovers) Hohle Fels Cave, Upper - Middle Paleolithic, Germany (Head: N. J. Conard) |
| 2021 | Rock Shelter Diable Boisko aimed at recognizing the human settlement in the Ciężkowice Foothills, Poland (Head: M. Cieśla) |
| 2019 | Member of analysis team in Uxul, responsibility: lithic analysis, illustrator stone-artifacts, Mexico (Head: N. K. Grube) |
| 2018 | Sułkowice, part of the project “Mesolithic in the Carpathian Mountains”, Poland (Head: P. Valde-Nowak) Ciemna Cave, part of the project “Last Neanderthals in Ciemna Cave”, Poland (Head: P. Valde-Nowak) Obłazowa Cave, part of the project “Paleolithic ritual place in Obłazowa Cave”, Poland (Head: P. Valde-Nowak) Kraków- Bieżanów, part of the project “Dynamics of late Paleolithic settlements in the western part of the Northern Subcarpathia”, Poland (Head: D. Stefański) |
| 2017 | At-Tafileh region, part of the project HLC (Heritage-Landscape-Community), focused on the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age period, Jordan (Head: P. Kołodziejczyk) Obłazowa Cave, part of the project “Paleolithic ritual place in Obłazowa Cave”, Poland (Head: P. Valde-Nowak) |
| 2016 | Sułkowice part of the project “Mesolithic in the Carpathian Mountains”, Poland (Head: P. Valde-Nowak) Kłodnica +Geophysical research in Chodlik, Early Medivial site, Poland (Head: Ł. Miechowicz) Obłazowa Cave, part of the project “Paleolithic ritual place in Obłazowa Cave”, Poland (Head: P. Valde-Nowak) |
| 2015 | Książnice, Neolithic, Poland (Head: S. Wilk) Witów, Bronze Age, Poland (Head: A. Gawlik) |
| 2014 | Ciemna Cave, part of the project “Last Neanderthals in Ciemna Cave”, Poland (Head: P. Valde-Nowak) |
Academic qualifications
MA in ARCHAEOLOGY
Institute of Archaeology, Jagiellonian University (Cracow)
Master’s Thesis: "Inventory of layer XI from the Obłazowa Cave against
the background of the issues of Szeletian industry "
Supervisor - Prof. Dr. Paweł Valde-Nowak
BA in ARCHAEOLOGY
Institute of Archaeology, Jagiellonian University (Cracow)
Bachelor Thesis: "Middle Paleolithic in Lower Course of the Prądnik River"
Supervisor - Dr. Krzysztof Sobczyk
Scholarships
| 2023 | Doctoral scholarships under the Postgraduate Scholarships Act of the Land of Baden-Wuerttemberg (LGFG) |
| 2019 | Laureate of the rector scholarship of the Jagiellonian University |
| 2018 | Laureate of the scholarship of the Minister of Science and Higher Education in Poland, for outstanding achievements and laureate of the rector scholarship of the Jagiellonian University |
| 2017 | Laureate of the rector scholarship of the Jagiellonian University |
| 2016 | Laureate of the scholarship of the Minister of Science and Higher Education in Poland, for outstanding achievements and laureate of the rector scholarship of the Jagiellonian University |
Presentation & Poster
2024 Lech M., Boysen D., Conard N. J., Floss H.
Looking for common ground: Multi-site application of consistent methodology in bifacial technology (case study: eastern France and southern Germany). 17th Skam Lithic Workshop, New Perspectives In The Lithic Studies, Krzemionki 24-26 of April (Presentation)
2024 Lech M., Conard, N. J.
The Blattspitzen assemblage of AH X from Hohle Fels Cave in the Ach Valley of southwestern Germany. 65th Conference of the Hugo Obermaier Society, Weimar 2-6 of April (Poster)
2023 Lech M. & Conard, N. J.
Contextualizing the cultural stratigraphy and chronostratigraphy of the Blattspitzen horizon at Hohle Fels Cave, SW Germany. 13th Annual ESHE Conference in Aarhus, 21.-25. September 2023 (Poster)
2023 Lech M. & Conard, N. J.
The chronostratigraphy and cultural context of the Blattspitzen horizon at Hohle Fels Cave, southwestern Germany. 20th Annual UISPP Conference in Timişoara 4-9. September 2023 (Presentation)
2022 Lech M..
The riddle of Szeletian and the problem of leaf points industries in Central Europe. Virtual Conference for Women Archaeologists and Paleontologists 2022 (Presentation)
Publications
Lech. M, The problem of the recognition Szeletian in Poland - an overview of the
subject, Acta Archaeologica Carpathica 56, p. 67-86.