A bifacial paradise—The site of Ochtmissen, Germany, and its lithic assemblage in the context of the last glacial (early MIS 4) in the north‐central European Lowland

The Palaeolithic site of Ochtmissen (Lower Saxony, Germany) was excavated in fluvial terrace deposits during the winter of 1993/1994. The current study presents, for the first time, a thorough analysis of the lithic assemblage, encompassing its primary technological and typological characteristics, as well as the type and age of the fluvial deposits, in which the artefacts are embedded. Utilising an integrated approach encompassing all available data, we herein propose an attribution of the site to the (early?) MIS 4, thereby contributing a significant element to the ongoing discourse concerning the presence of humans north of 50° latitude during glacial periods in northern central Europe. Taking into account the information derived from the analysis of the technical and typological composition of the lithic assemblage, the stratigraphic and sedimentological data available from the excavation records, we propose an interpretation of the site's occupation strategy as sporadic yet recurring, and possibly seasonal. Taken together, all these data make a substantial contribution with new insights into the ongoing extensive debate regarding the modalities, extent and patterns of interaction between Neanderthal groups, the landscape and the climate in Europe.