Ilsfeld earthworks
The earthworks of Ilsfeld is a fortified settlement of the Neolithic Michelsberg culture (MK) west of Ilsfeld , south of Heilbronn in the district of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg . The fortification that can be seen in aerial photographs is an oval system of three trench rings measuring 400 by 300 m with an inner area of around 13.0 hectares. The earthwork is on a ridge.
In 1970 and 1971 investigations were carried out in which the western end of the oval was recorded. Because of the advancing clay mining, further excavations were necessary from 1974 to 1979, which cut two of the trenches at right angles over an area of 30 × 140 m and reached far into the interior. This seemed interesting because no traces of interior settlement had yet been identified, but there were numerous reading finds that spoke in favor of dense settlement.
The examination of the two trenches gave a similar picture to the earlier investigations. The inner trench, which is pointed in profile, was the deepest and reached 4.5 m below today's surface. With its width of 6.5 m it was relatively narrow. In a second phase, the trench was given a box-shaped profile. The middle trench was three feet deep. The outermost trench was not in the area threatened by clay mining and was not examined.
Numerous human bones were found as incomplete skeletons on the sole and in the filling of the trenches. Some showed clear traces of impact. It is not a question of graves, but of body parts that were put into the trenches during ritual acts. On the relatively short distance of 30 meters that was uncovered, the remains of about ten individuals lay. The lower part of the trenches was filled with fire rubble from the settlement ( clay , millstones , shards, stone tools and animal bones). Above this, a thick layer of humus indicated that they had been open for a long time after the settlement was abandoned and that they were probably only flooded with the onset of intensive farming in the Middle Ages. Today nothing can be seen on the surface of the system.
According to J. Wahl, the skull of a 30-40-year-old, tall, robust man is spectacular, with two unhealed blows and an artificial, symmetrical enlargement of the occipital opening . The normal population of the Michelsberg culture of Ilsfeld is characterized by delicate bone structure. Wahl suspects that a stranger was slain. The roof of the skull was pierced from the inside out. Traces of weathering on the upper side of the skullcap indicate that the head was impaled in the entrance area of the moat and displayed as a trophy for a long time.
The construction of the earthwork required an extraordinary amount of work with the resources at the time. Part of the settlement could be discovered in the excavation area in the interior. However, the area immediately behind the ramparts was empty. Here a large earth wall from the excavated masses of the trenches can be assumed, of which no traces have been preserved. Farther in, pit after pit were lined up in a dense pattern. On the one hand, there were large, misshapen depressions with black, empty fillings, which were pits for the clay needs of the houses. Small, mostly circular pits with vertical walls, originally probably granaries, were filled with waste from the settlement. There were burnt grain, grinding stones, stone tools, animal bones and burned or damaged pots. In a pit lay the skeleton of a child in a crouched position. However, it was not possible to see the floor plans of the houses. It is unclear whether this is due to their construction or the unfavorable soil conditions. Only individual posts, which did not show any connection, could be observed.
The pottery from the pits, on the other hand, is very numerous and easy to supplement. When the restoration is complete, a few hundred complete vessels should be available. They show the typical treasure trove of the Michelsberg culture. Characteristic are the so-called tulip cups , bowls, bowls and scoops as well as storage vessels with hanging eyelets. Various external influences are reflected in the ceramic. In the oldest pits, for example, there are numerous fragments of the Schussenried culture and the Schwieberdinger group, which is particularly common north of Stuttgart . An incised mug with a handle indicates connections with France.
Stone utensils are also well represented: scratches, knives, arrowheads, some with remnants of pitch pitch , and various stone axes of different sizes. Bone and stag horn tools were found.
literature
- J. Biel: A fortification from the Neolithic near Ilsfeld, Heilbronn district. In: Denkmalpflege in Baden-Württemberg 4, 1975, pp. 28–30.
- Christian Jeunesse: The earthworks of the Michelsberg culture
- Michael M. Rind: Human sacrifice. From the cult of cruelty. University Press Regensburg. 2nd edition 1998, ISBN 3-930480-64-6 (small overview). P. 117
- J. Wahl: Manipulated human bones. In: Archeology in Germany 1/95, pp. 32–33.
Coordinates: 49 ° 3 '0.7 " N , 9 ° 13' 2.8" E