Hadersbach earthworks
The Hadersbach earthworks near Hadersbach , town of Geiselhöring in Bavaria , discovered in 1982 during gravel mining , is the facility with the largest inner surface of an earthworks of the Cham culture to date . The area of around 32,000 m² was protected by a moat and natural approach obstacles. The site examined by the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments is exposed on a spur-like plateau on the right bank of the Kleiner Laber . In addition to the Cham-period findings, ribbon ceramic findings, two Middle Neolithic graves and Urnfield findings were examined. A total of 228 results are available for Hadersbach, but no C14 data.
The moat system
A bottom ditch, which was divided into a straight and an arched section by an 8 m wide earth bridge, was found over a length of 114 m. It had a maximum width of six meters and a depth of up to 1.5 m. The bottom of the trench was covered with sterile, washed-in material. The trench itself has a homogeneous, fund-bearing backfill. In some trench segments, a second, upper layer could be seen. In the area of the trench heads, fire debris lay beneath the find layer. Shattered ceramics were found in the filling layer , which indicates a single-phase use of the system. The remaining finds consisted of charred wood, rubble fragments , stone tools, bones and some spindle whorls . The findings corresponding to the findings in Dobl, Galgenberg, Piesenkofen and Riekofen indicate an intentional backfilling of the trench.
The gate fittings
Parallel to the straight trench, a narrow foundation trench, interpreted as a palisade, was recognized over a length of about 20 meters . In the area of the earth bridge, two narrower, two-meter-long trenches came up against it, which formed a kind of gate lane at right angles to the palisade. Similar findings are available from the Riekofen , district of Regensburg, and Steinkirchen-Steinfürth, district of Deggendorf. Palisades running parallel to the moat are also documented from earthworks of the Michelsberg and Altheim cultures. Further post holes in the area of the earth bridge, which were also shown by some other earthworks of the Cham culture, did not show any regularity in their arrangement. Since up to now hardly interpretable developments of earth bridges occurred in Neolithic earthworks, an interpretation is not possible with the current state of research.
The ceramics
to form
Approximately 236 kg of ceramics were recovered in Hadersbach, about 193 kg of which came from the trench. The material could not be broken down either stratigraphically or typologically. The largest amount is made up of pots, followed by bowls and bowls. In these types of vessels, wall vessels dominate. Beakers and miniature vessels as well as conical and dome-shaped shapes complete the spectrum. The mostly undecorated cylindrical and conical bombastic spindle whorls typical of the Cham culture are also represented.
Ornaments
Objects found in Hadersbach have a large repertoire of types of decoration and motifs. There are smooth strips as well as strips decorated with notches, shaped stitches and finger impressions. Weakly formed thin ridges were often modeled out of the vessel and then notched. Undecorated ones, on the other hand, are mostly attached and smoothed. Mesh-like combinations of smooth strips that cover the surface are rare. A number of shards have horizontal line impressions with vertical fringes, filled triangles or sloping lines. Furrow bites, in which the remains of a white incrustation were determined, showed only two sherds. In the roughening of the vessels, which mainly occurs on tubular pots or large storage vessels, broom stitches, mat imprints and silt roughening were found. The smoothed neck zone is set off from the roughened area by nubs, short ridges, finger impressions or horizontal incised lines. Edge ornamentation consisting of oblique or straight notches is also rare.
There are no decors in the simple pots. In the case of buckled wall pots, simple rows of shaped stitches or knobs or combinations of these can usually be found in the area of the break. In the tubular pots, decorated or smooth short strips dominate the upper third of the vessel. Roughness was found in the lower part of two vessels. A series of shaped stitches in connection with knobs or eyelets also occurs in the s-shaped profiled pots.
A richer decoration was noted on the bowls. At the fold, a simple horizontal row primarily consists of a combination of a series of shaped stitches or a notched bar with knobs or pairs of lenses. In the edge area or above the break there are incised zigzag lines, often filled with stitching.
Bowls are mainly covered with a scratch decoration on the entire upper part. It consists of a combination of zigzag patterns with horizontal scoring lines, grooves or strips below.
Cultural classification
Ceramics
The elements dominating in Hadersbach were assigned by I. Burger and I. Matuschik to the younger period of the Cham culture. The ceramic shows ornamentation techniques that have so far primarily been introduced by Riekofen and the material is different from that of H.-J. Hundt published older Cham culture, clearly settling. Shapes and decorative motifs have primarily parallels in Riekofen. Hadersbach connects the Dobl layout with the existence of short strips, single-row strips and cross-hatching. The cross-footed bowls highlighted by I. Burger as an element of the younger Cham culture do not appear in Hadersbach. The ceramics by Hadersbach and Riekofen also have a character that suggests their integration into the context of the neighboring cultural groups. The close connection with the West Bohemian Cham culture is evident. A number of ceramic shapes, which so far rarely appeared in the Bavarian Danube region, can be displayed in western Bohemia.
Earthwork
Due to their size, the Hadersbach earthworks (over three hectares) and Riekofen (estimated one hectare) occupy a special position. I. Matuschik considers the large earthworks to be younger than the smaller ones. Perhaps as a result of the influence of the cultures of Bernburg , Jevisovice , Rivnac and Wartberg , where large moats are common. B. Engelhardt suggests a socio-structural interpretation of large plants with a political center function. The excavation area only covered a limited section of the interior and does not allow any reliable conclusions to be drawn about settlement. House floor plans have not been found in Hadersbach.
literature
- Stefanie Graser: The earthworks of Hadersbach, City of Geiselhöring, district of Straubing In: Hemmenhofener Skripte 1 News about Horgen - Cham - Goldberg - Cord ceramics in southern Germany 1999 Freiburg