Boardwalk in the Meerhusener Moor

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The so-called Bohlenweg in the Meerhusener Moor (Reg.No. XV (Le)) is a prehistoric and early historical stick dam in Tannenhausen , a district of the city of Aurich in East Friesland . The trail was excavated and scientifically described in 1962, 1983 and 1984. The Bohlenweg in the Meerhusener Moor is one of the oldest paved roads in Germany. It is related to numerous other sites of prehistoric plank paths in the Low German lowlands, especially in the Weser-Ems region. When the road was temporarily exposed, parts of a car were found. They are considered to be the oldest wagon remains discovered in Germany to date.

location

The boardwalk led from the edge of the Aurich Geest plateau near the large stone grave of Tannenhausen over the Meerhusener Moor and ended north of the Eternal Sea at a point where the Pleistocene sandy soils of the Geest were reached again.

construction

The path is at least 2.5 kilometers long. The maximum length is given as over three kilometers. The exact length of the route is still unknown, as the northern end has not yet been explored. About 26,000 alder trees were used in its construction. In width it measured a maximum of 4 meters, but on average around 2.8 meters. This was necessary because it was driven on by wagons with a rigid axle that could not maneuver on narrower track widths.

Due to different amounts of precipitation, the moor rose and fell over the course of the seasons. Therefore, only a flexible structure of the path came into question. In the course of the road were potholes and depressions filled with shrubbery. Then two long tree trunks were laid out parallel on the moor as carriers in the direction of the road. These were then cross-linked with split trunks of birch, oak and alder. In some places, woven mats were also used, and the four-meter-wide roadway was probably also protected with a layer of peat or heather , which made it easier to drive on. In total, around 120 hectares of forest were cleared for the path  . The path was only used for around 30 years. Then it was overgrown by the moor and has been preserved to this day.

Age

Two axes found (C820, C821) were radiocarbon dated to 4367 ± 33 (3013-2921 BC) and 4412 ± 32 (3094-2936 BC) and thus fall into the funnel cup period .

Results of the excavations

The trail was archaeologically explored in 1962, 1983 and 1984. In 1984 296 meters of the boardwalk were excavated. Around 35 finds were discovered, including a roughly 62 centimeter long and eight centimeter wide log with a head-shaped structure at its end, which is interpreted as a cult figure. Many broken wheels, around twelve axles and several drawbars were also discovered. The track width of the vehicles was about 1.5 m, the wheels had a diameter of about 70 to 90 cm with a tread width of 6 cm. The wagon wheels were made of oak planks that had been split off in the longitudinal direction of the tree trunk. Parts of cattle hooves found between the planks of the dam prove cattle to be draft animals. The remains of the wagon are considered to be the oldest found in Germany to date.

After the excavations, the path was covered with peat again and is therefore no longer recognizable today. The finds were brought to the Lower Saxony State Museum for Art and Cultural History in Oldenburg . For the Historical Museum Aurich were replicas made of individual finds.

literature

  • Wolfgang Schwarz: The prehistory in East Frisia . Schuster, Leer 1995, ISBN 3-7963-0323-4 .
  • Harm Wiemann, Johannes Engelmann: Old streets and ways in East Friesland (=  East Friesland under the protection of the dike . No. 8 ). Self-published, Pewsum 1974, p. 104 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Wolfgang Schwarz: The prehistory in East Friesland . Schuster, Leer 1995, ISBN 3-7963-0323-4 , p. 77 .
  2. ↑ a b Historical Museum Aurich (ed.): Tannenhausen - a place with history . Aurich 1998.
  3. ^ Harm Wiemann, Johannes Engelmann: Old streets and paths in East Friesland (=  East Friesland in the protection of the dike . No. 8 ). Self-published, Pewsum 1974, p. 104 .
  4. ^ Stefan Burmeister 2011: 329

Coordinates: 53 ° 32 '21.4 "  N , 7 ° 27' 2.8"  E