Duvensee (Mesolithic living spaces)

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The Duvenseer living spaces are archaeological sites of the early Mesolithic period (Mesolithic) in Duvenseer Moor in Schleswig-Holstein . The Duvenseer Moor is one of the oldest and best-researched sites of the early Holocene in Central Europe. Duvensee is known for his finds made from otherwise rarely preserved organic materials. For the understanding of the survival strategies of the hunters and gatherers of the early post-glacial period, the storage areas are of great importance. New studies on the diet , economy and landscape use of the Duvensee Group provide information on the development of our current lifestyle and diet.

Location and conservation

The Duvenseer Moor lies on the edge of the municipality of Duvensee in the Duchy of Lauenburg in southern Schleswig-Holstein. It emerged from a former 4.3 km² lake, which was formed as a dead ice hole in the early preboreal after the last ice age . The lake has gradually silted up since the late Preboreal and was completely drained in the 19th century. The northwestern shore of the lake was inhabited in the early Mesolithic. On two islands or peninsulas there were remains of small to medium-sized living spaces in z. T. close neighborhood. As the lake became increasingly boggy, the remains of the residential area were covered by a protective layer of peat and have survived for thousands of years. Due to the peat extraction at the beginning of the 20th century, the bog was peeled off in many places, so that the remains are just below the present surface and are no longer protected.

Schematic representation of Duvensee (residential space 6)

Dating

The living spaces are classified in the early Mesolithic by radiocarbon dating. After that, the use of the lake bank began in the late Preboreal around 9000 BC. Chr. (Places 8 and 9). The last traces of the Mesolithic date from around 6500 BC. Chr. (Residential space 19). After that, the use stops; only in the Neolithic Age ( individual grave culture ) was the Duvensee shore settled. The residential areas can be assigned to the late preboreal , boreal and early Atlantic by means of pollen analyzes .

Research in Duvensee

The new research of the Center for Baltic and Scandinavian Archeology (ZBSA), Schleswig, in the Duvenseer Moor has continued the long tradition of archaeological research at the Archaeological State Museum Schleswig-Holstein since 2009. In 1924 stone tools and other remains of living space were discovered in the peat of the Duvenseer Moor. The first excavators G. Schwantes , K. Gripp and M. Beyle called them "living spaces" and consecutively numbered them according to their supposedly "floor-like" structures . These designations have survived to this day, beyond the actual function of the squares as proper names. The excavations quickly caused a sensation due to the sensational finds and led to the introduction of a separate cultural group, the "Duvensee Culture" or " Duvensee Group ". In 1946, further excavations were carried out by Hermann Schwabedissen. The further exploration of the Mesolithic sites has been carried out since the 1960s by his student Klaus Bokelmann. An intensive prospecting and excavation program led in the following decades up to the turn of the millennium to the discovery of further Mesolithic and Neolithic dwellings on small islands or peninsulas on the western shore of what was then the Early Holocene Lake. The excellent state of preservation with preserved storage area structures such as fire pits, specialized hazelnut roasting facilities, bark mats and flint strike concentrations allow a detailed investigation of the spatial organization of prehistoric hunter / gatherer storage areas. A dissertation submitted in 2007 to the Monrepos Archaeological Research Center and Museum for Human Behavioral Development of the Roman-Germanic Central Museum (RGZM) at Monrepos Castle dealt primarily with an analysis of the finds from living spaces 6, 8 and 9. The finds from the first excavations were made in 2009 in the context of re-examined a master’s thesis.

Thick layers of hazelnut shells were discovered in all settlements during the early excavations. They were located around central fireplaces that were used to process nuts (hazelnut roasting sites). The excavations were v. a. shaped by the activities of Klaus Bokelmann (Archaeological State Museum Schleswig). A total of 12 living spaces were excavated. Their good preservation and careful documentation form a solid basis for economic, spatial and technological investigations of stone tools and structures. These were the subject of Daniela Holst's research on Duvensee, which focused on living spaces 6, 8 and 9.

Special finds

In the wet soils of the Duvenseer Moors, organic remains of the Mesolithic age have been preserved extremely well. The special finds include:

  • Paddle ( paddle from Duvensee ): A pine paddle from residential area 2 is one of the oldest direct evidence of the use of waterways in Schleswig-Holstein.
  • Bark mats: Mats made of birch and pine bark up to 5 m² in size were found on several residential spaces (e.g. residential spaces 8, 11, 13, 19). They are mostly associated with fire places or roasting places and probably served as insulation against the moisture of the moor.
  • Arrow shafts : Two arrow shafts made of hazel and pine wood were discovered at living space 6.
  • A shaft made of pine root wood shows how the core and disc axes typical of the Mesolithic North Germany were used.
  • Bone points: fine-toothed bullet points were found in the early excavations. The specific shapes in Duvensee are assigned to the regional type "Bone tip type Duvensee".

Most of the finds are flint tools and the waste from their manufacture or repair. They provide the data basis for technological and spatial analyzes of the residential areas.

The paddle and the other finds from the early excavations in residential areas 1–5 are now in the Hamburg Archaeological Museum in Hamburg-Harburg; all other finds in the archives of the Archaeological State Museum Schleswig .

Settlement on Duvensee

The “living spaces” on the Duvensee are storage spaces for non-sedentary hunters and gatherers from the Mesolithic. Duvensee was visited for the nut harvest due to the good growing conditions, i.e. a maximum of two weeks per year in late summer / early autumn, but other activities such as hunting and fishing have also been proven. During this time, raw material-intensive and waste-rich work was carried out there, namely high-fat nuts were processed (roasting, cracking, possibly grinding) and stone artifacts were produced. There is no evidence of dwellings here. Spatial analyzes suggest that the work on these workplaces was carried out in the open air. The structures, tools and nut residues that have been preserved show the great importance of vegetable food supplies: Hazelnuts were harvested in large quantities and processed into long-lasting, transportable supplies. The current investigations by the ZBSA also provided various indications of hunting activities that took place while the area was in use.

  • Remnants of nuts and other seeds: Very large quantities of hazelnut shells were found on almost all residential areas, which form entire layers of layers. Together with the hazelnut roasting areas, they form a special characteristic of the Duvenseer residential areas. Charred seeds of yellow pond rose ( Nuphar lutea ) and cattail ( Typha sp.) Were also found in the fireplace of residential area 6 . A cluster of knotweed seeds ( Polygonum convolvulus ) was discovered at residential area 5 .
  • Roasting pits: There are special fire pits on all living spaces, in which large amounts of sand were heated in which the nuts were roasted. Several hundred liters of sand had to be transported to each roasting station. Large bark mats served as a protective underlay for the roasting areas (residential area 8), and wooden boxes that bordered the area were made in residential area 6. In residential area 11, heated clay plates were used to roast nuts (residential area 11).
  • Nutcracker: There are nutcrackers made of heavy sandstone or quartzite rubble with round hollows on which the nuts were cracked in several residential areas. Some rock artifacts also show traces of friction that indicate further processing, e.g. B. point out nut flour. On nutcrackers from the Font del Ros site in Spain, around the same time , chemical residues of nut flour could be detected.
Nutcrackers from residential area 6
  • Models for the use of nuts: The volume of hazelnut stocks generated at Duvensee is calculated from the amount of nutshells on the residential areas, the working time required for processing and the load-bearing capacity and growth habit of hazelnut bushes in the early Mesolithic. These model calculations prove the important economic importance of hazelnuts. You can have secured up to almost 50% of the entire energy supply of the hunter-gatherer. The profit margin for the extraction of nut stocks is extraordinarily high and even exceeds the yields of traditional arable farming.

The intensive exploitation of energy-rich vegetable food resources had far-reaching implications for the diet and survival strategies of the hunters and gatherers of the Mesolithic. This innovative economy is a characteristic of the Middle Stone Age, which distinguishes it from the previous Paleolithic and already shows echoes of the Neolithic development of agriculture.

GIS analyzes

Comparative analyzes of the residential space dynamics at Duvensee were carried out for residential spaces 6 and 8. They are based on precise three-dimensional maps of the stone tools and their combinations, as well as new geostatistical investigation methods (including using kriging ) of the find densities. They prove a constant behavior for almost 1000 years. Dynamic processes are initiated exclusively by the roasting process, the most important function of the living space. The spatial investigations also provide important information about the short, simple occupancy of the living spaces.

Technology and typology of stone tools

Technological and typological analyzes of the stone tools allow the reconstruction of their entire production process at Duvensee. Between 5,000 and 10,000 stone artifacts were found on the residential areas. Locally available flint of poor quality was used as the raw material. It was processed into tees and irregular blades using simple, hard striking techniques. In the foreground was the manufacture of arrowheads, microliths and the associated repair of hunting weapons in all residential areas . Core and disc axes are also characteristic. They were used for wood processing. Investigations into the production method and the change in shape of stone tools show developments in the craft tradition in the early Mesolithic. Due to the good dating of the short-term and one-time stays at Duvensee for each place of residence, they serve as a reference for the classification of other sites.

credentials

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h D. Holst: Subsistence and landscape use in the early Mesolithic: Nut roasting places on the Duvensee . Monographs of the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseums 120. Verlag des Römisch - Germanisches Zentralmuseums, Mainz 2014.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f D. Holst: Hazelnut economy of early Holocene hunteregatherers: a case study from Mesolithic Duvensee, northern Germany. In: Journal of Archaeological Science. 37, 2010, pp. 2871-2880.
  3. ↑ a b c d e f D. Holst: A single nut doesn't rattle in the sack. Subsistence strategies in the Mesolithic. In: Communications from the Society for Prehistory Tübingen. 18, 2009, pp. 11-38.
  4. ^ H. Funck: The drainage of the Duvensee. (= Series of publications of the Heimatbund and history association Herzogtum Lauenburg. 10). Commission publisher E. Werner, Mölln 1963.
  5. ^ A b Klaus Bokelmann: Duvensee, a place of residence of the Mesolithic in Schleswig-Holstein and the Duvensee group. In: Offa. 28, 1971, pp. 5-26.
  6. ↑ a b c K. Bokelmann, F.-R. Averdieck, H. Willkomm: Duvensee, Wohnplatz 8. New aspects of the collecting economy in the early Mesolithic. In: Offa. 38, 1981, pp. 21-40.
  7. ↑ Bernhard Weninger, Kevan Edinborough, M. Bradtmöller, M. Collard, P. Crombé, U. Danzeglocke, D. Holst, O. Jöris, M. Niekus, Stephen Shennan , Rick Schulting: A radiocarbon database for the Mesolithic and Early Neolithic in Northwest Europe. In: P. Crombé, M. Van Strydonck, J. Sergant, M. Boudin, M. Bats (eds.): Chronology and evolution within the Mesolithic of North-West Europe: Proceedings of an international meeting, Brussels May 30th – June 1st 2007. Brussels 2009, pp. 143–176.
  8. ↑ F.-A. Averdieck: Palynologial investigations in sediments of ancient lake Duvensee, Schleswig-Holstein (North Germany). In: Hydrobiologica. 143, 1986, pp. 407-410.
  9. ^ A b Gustav Schwantes, K. Gripp, M. Beyle: The early Mesolithic living space of Duvensee. In: Prehistoric Journal. 16, 1925, pp. 173-177.
  10. ^ Mareike Jenke: Excavations in the Duvenseer Moor, Duchy of Lauenburg district - For the reconstruction of an old excavation. In: Hammaburg. NF No. 16, 2011, ISBN 978-3-931429-22-5 , pp. 10-12.
  11. ↑ Klaus Bokelmann, F.-R. Averdieck, H. Willkomm: Duvensee, residential space 13. In: Offa. 42, 1985, pp. 13-33.
  12. ^ D. Holst: On the development of early Mesolithic artefact production: Handicraft tradition and landscape use at Duvensee (Schleswig Holstein). In: Archaeological correspondence sheet. 4, 2008, pp. 457-476.
  13. ↑ a b c D. Holst: Spatial organization and settlement dynamics of Mesolithic nut processing sites in the Duvensee Bog (Northern Germany). In: S. Gaudzinski-Windheuser , O. Jöris, M. Sensburg, Martin Street, Elaine Turner (Eds.): Site-internal spatial organization of hunter-gatherer societies: case studies from the European Palaeolithic and Mesolithic. Papers submitted at the session (C58) "Come in and find out: opening a new door into the analysis of hunter-gatherer social organization and behavior", held at the 15th UISPP conference in Lisbon, September 2006. (= RGZM Tagungen . Volume 12). Verlag des Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum Mainz, 2011, pp. 187–211.
  14. ↑ Daniel Groß, Henny Piezonka, Erica Corradini, Ulrich Schmölcke, Marco Zanon: Adaptations and transformations of hunter-gatherers in forest environments: New archaeological and anthropological insights . In: The Holocene . June 25, 2019, ISSN  0959-6836 , p. 095968361985723 , doi : 10.1177 / 0959683619857231 ( sagepub.com [accessed September 2, 2019]).
  15. ^ Daniel Groß, Harald Lübke, Ulrich Schmölcke, Marco Zanon: Early Mesolithic activities at ancient Lake Duvensee, northern Germany . In: The Holocene . tape 29 , no. 2 , February 2019, ISSN  0959-6836 , p. 197-208 , doi : 10.1177 / 0959683618810390 ( sagepub.com [accessed September 2, 2019]).
  16. ^ W. Lage: To the interpretation of the clay strata in the fireplace of the Duvenseer Moor. Clay plates as cooking and roasting devices during the Mesolithic in Schleswig-Holstein. In: Archaeological correspondence sheet. 34, 2004, pp. 293-302.

literature

  • Klaus Bokelmann: Living by the water - storage places by the lake. In: Archeology in Germany. 4, 1999, pp. 26-27.
  • Daniel Groß, Harald Lübke, Ulrich Schmölcke, Marco Zanon: Early Mesolithic activities at ancient Lake Duvensee, Germany . In: The Holocene 29 (2), 2018, 197-208. doi: 10.1177 / 0959683618810390.
  • Daniel Groß, Henny Piezonka, Erica Corradini, Ulrich Schmölcke, Marco Zanon, Walter Dörfler, Stefan Dreibrodt, Ingo Feeser, Sascha Krüger, Harald Lübke, Diana Panning, Dennis Wilken: Adaptations and transformations of hunter-gatherers in forest environments: New archaeological and anthropological insights . In: The Holocene, 2019, doi: 10.1177 / 0959683619857231.
  • Daniela Holst: On the development of early Mesolithic artefact production: Handicraft tradition and landscape use at Duvensee (Schleswig Holstein). In: Archaeological correspondence sheet. 4, 2008, pp. 457-476.
  • Daniela Holst: A single nut won't rattle in the sack. Subsistence strategies in the Mesolithic. In: Communications from the Society for Prehistory. 18, Tübingen 2009, pp. 11-38. (PDF; 1.2 MB)
  • Daniela Holst: Hazelnut economy of early Holocene hunter-gatherers: a case study from Mesolithic Duvensee, northern Germany. In: Journal of Archaeological Science. 37, 2010, pp. 2871-2880.

Coordinates: 53 ° 42 ′ 1 ″  N , 10 ° 33 ′ 7 ″  E