Bentumersiel site

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Coordinates: 53 ° 14 ′ 47.7 "  N , 7 ° 23 ′ 28.4"  E

Bentumersiel site
p1
f1
location Lower Saxony , Germany
Location Bentumersiel
Bentumersiel site (Lower Saxony)
Bentumersiel site
When Roman Imperial Era
Where Bentumersiel , district of Leer / Lower Saxony

The Bentumersiel site is located near the mouth of the Ems on the left bank of the river in the area of ​​today's Jemgum municipality in the district of Leer in Lower Saxony . At the turn of the times, the river marked the border of the settlement areas of the Frisians and the Chauken , who lived in what is now East Frisia .

Along with the Hedemünden Roman camp , the Kalkriese region , the Wilkenburg Roman marching camp and the Harzhorn event, the site is one of the few sites with Roman militaria in northern Germany. The results of various excavation campaigns suggest that Bentumersiel possibly served as a supply port for the Roman fleet and Roman generals as a supply base around the turn of the times . However , there is no clear evidence that there was a Roman military camp in Bentumersiel .

Location and area

The site is to the left of the lower Ems on the slightly elevated bank wall in the river marshes of the Rheiderland between the present-day districts of Bentumersiel and Jemgumkloster. In total, the built-up area of ​​the flat settlement covered an area of ​​more than two hectares. Through drilling investigations, the East Frisian landscape was able to prove in 1971 and 1972 that the settlement was located on an approximately 50 meter wide isthmus, which was surrounded by the Ems and two tidal creeks that flow into it . A creek, which was open until the Roman Empire, connected the settlement near Bentumersiel with the Wurt of Jemgumkloster, a few hundred meters to the north, and flowed northeast of it into the Ems, which at that time probably ran further east.

history

The Germanic settlement

Bentumersiel was a Germanic settlement. Based on the findings of ceramics and some bronze objects, the Lower Saxony Institute for Historical Coastal Research suspects that the settlement of the place began as early as the third or second century BC. The settlement was founded in the first century BC at the latest. The buildings were loosely scattered across the settlement area about ten to 15 meters apart and were mostly surrounded by fences. On the west side, i.e. on the land side, the area was protected by a palisade and moat in the manner of a section fortification. The settlers apparently built this defense system before the first houses were built.

Among the finds from the early period of settlement were two fibulae and a bronze pendant that had Celtic echoes. Archaeologist Erwin Strahl interprets this as an indication that the marshlands of the Rheiderland had connections to the south from an early age.

The Germanic settlement lasted until the second or third century AD. Isolated finds from the uppermost soil, already disturbed by the clay mining, date to the fourth and fifth centuries.

The settlement differed greatly from a peasant Germanic march settlement of the Roman Empire. In the course of its existence, the settlement on the ground floor has never been raised by a terp to protect it against water. Buildings, fences and paths were aligned so that Bentumersiel was laid out with a plan. In addition, the few buildings uncovered so far were small houses without a stable part. The storage-like buildings near Bentumersiel were small, loose assemblies, each of which included a three-aisled hall house, which was probably used exclusively for residential purposes. This led to the assumption that the settlement was only used seasonally as a stacking and trading place since it was not possible to house the cattle over the winter. Bentumersiel may have had a close relationship with the Wurt Jemgum monastery a few hundred meters to the north. This was in the older pre-Roman Iron Age, then from around 100 BC. Until the 2nd / 3rd Century AD and finally since the 8th / 9th centuries. Settled in the 19th century. There the residents began already at the beginning of the 1st century BC. With the construction of a Wurt, while the inhabitants of Bentumersiel lived on the ground during the entire Roman Empire. The archaeologist Rolf Bärenfänger from the East Frisian landscape assumes that the inhabitants of Jemgumkloster controlled the flow of goods across the Ems.

It is conceivable that in 15/16 AD the Romans used the conveniently located settlement as a storage area. Fragments of the equipment of Roman legionaries made of metal and, above all, numerous fragments of amphorae and other Roman heavy and fine ceramics suggest that there was contact between Teutons and Romans here. So far, however, the archaeologists have not been able to discover traces of a military installation. Apart from a kinking trench, no unequivocal finds have been made that suggest a solid fortification. There are also no findings that could prove a Roman supply camp or a naval base.

The upper soil layers had been removed by the clay mining in the 20th century, so that three settlement horizons could be examined. In the two lowest layers of the settlement, the remains of three-aisled houses without stables as well as storage buildings and traces of paved paths, fences and ditches could be exposed. In the youngest settlement horizon, the archaeologists found significantly fewer traces of construction than the older ones. In this layer, however, a larger amount of finds of provincial Roman origin was found.

Possible contacts with the Romans

Under the general Drusus , the Romans reached 12 BC. First East Frisia. This first of the Drusus campaigns (12–9 BC) served to research the areas on the right bank of the Rhine and to calm the northern section of the border. Perhaps Drusus also wanted to subjugate the Chauken, but this failed because the fleet ran aground. The ships had to be rescued by the allied Frisians who were dragged along on land.

It is possible that the mouth of the Ems played a role again in the course of the immensum bellum (1 to 5 AD). Tiberius could have set up his winter camp in Bentumersiel in AD 4/5, but this has not yet been proven.

After the defeat of the Romans in the Varus Battle , Germanicus began a large-scale campaign against the Teutons in 14 AD ( Germanicus campaigns until 16 AD). In the summer of 16 AD a large Roman fleet landed in the Ems. The dating of the finds to the early first century AD suggests that the Romans visited the settlement during the campaigns. So by Tacitus recorded that the Romans transported their army to a total of 1,000 ships in the Ems region and the fleet waited for the return of the Legionaries of the campaigns against the Germans. Possibly she resorted to the stacking and storage area in Bentumersiel for their supply and to protect the ships. This is indicated by the finds of around 30 metal objects that came from the equipment of Roman legionaries and their horses. These included parts of the scabbard of a gladius (sword) and the bridle. The archaeologists also discovered large numbers of Roman ceramics, such as fragments of fine goods such as terra sigillata , but also amphorae and other heavy Roman ceramics in a number that has not yet been found in any other place in northwest Germany. In addition, the archaeologists do not see the amphorae with their content of wine, oil and garum (spice) as Germanic imports, but relate them to Roman legionnaires who received their usual food during a campaign.

Rediscovery

In 1928, when brick clay was mined, numerous finds were found, including unambiguous militaria and imported ceramics, which could be dated to the late Augustan-early Iberian period. In 1929 the site was explored for the first time by archaeologists. From 1971 to 1973 and from 2006 to 2008 (under the direction of Erwin Strahl), the then Lower Saxony State Institute for Marsh and Waste Research Wilhelmshaven (now Lower Saxony Institute for Historical Coastal Research ) carried out extensive excavations. So far, the institute has examined around 20 percent of the built-up area. According to the results, the built-up area of ​​the Bentumersiel settlement covered over 190 meters in a north-south direction and at least 100 meters in an east-west direction.

The lady of Bentumersiel

The Lady von Bentumersiel is a grave find from the time around 300 AD that was recovered from the block in 2006. It has nothing to do with the early Roman finds from the settlement. The grave is considered evidence of the social differentiation of the Germanic peoples on the lower Ems.

The buried woman was a German woman, who - rather unusual for this area, but often further east - high-quality imported Roman pieces were placed in the grave. The rich additions included Roman imports such as three bronze vessels and one kilogram of molten glass, which is believed to be the remainder of a larger number of glass vessels.

literature

  • Karl-Ernst Behre: Fields, grassland and natural vegetation during the Roman Empire in the area of ​​the Bentumersiel / Unterems marsh settlement . In: Problems of coastal research in the southern North Sea region 12, 1977, pp. 67–84.
  • Klaus Brandt: Investigations into the imperial settlement at Jemgumkloster and Bentumersiel (Gem. Hltgaste, Kr. Leer) in 1970 . In: New excavations and research in Lower Saxony 7, 1970, pp. 145–163.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Erwin Strahl: Germanic settlers - Roman legionaries - The Bentumersiel settlement on the lower Ems . Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  2. ↑ Freerk van Lessen (local chronicle of the East Frisian landscape): Holtgaste, community Jemgum, district Leer (PDF; 50 kB), accessed on June 13, 2013.
  3. ↑ a b Erwin Strahl: The settlement Bentumersiel (Reiderland) - Holtgaste FStNr.1 (Bentumersiel), Gde. Jemgum, Ldkr. Leer - a flat settlement of the pre-Roman Iron Age and Roman Empire ( Memento of the original from December 3, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 1 MB). In: News of the Marschenrat to promote research in the coastal area of ​​the North Sea . Issue 47/2010. Retrieved June 13, 2013. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.nihk.de
  4. ↑ a b c d Erwin Strahl Strahl: Bentumersiel ( Memento of the original from February 1, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , ed. Lower Saxony Institute for Historical Coastal Research. Retrieved June 13, 2013.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.nihk.de
  5. ↑ a b K. Brandt: Settlement archeological investigations in the northern Rheiderland . In: Ostfriesische Landschaft: Ostfriesische Fundchronik 1970 . Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  6. ↑ a b c d Erwin Strahl: The Bentumersiel settlement in Reiderland (PDF; 3.3 MB). In: Varus courier. Newspaper for friends and supporters of the Kalkriese project . Issue 11/2009. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  7. ↑ K. Brandt: Settlement Archaeological Investigations in the Northern Reiderland during 1971 and 1972 . In: Wolfgang Schwarz and Hans Schwarz: Emder Jahrbuch Vol. 53, 1973. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  8. ↑ a b Erwin Strahl: Germanic settlers - Roman legionaries. The Bentumersiel settlement on the Ems , accessed on June 13, 2013.
  9. ↑ Erwin Strahl: From Peasants to Chiefs - New Archeological Results on the Settlement History of the Marshes ( Memento of the original from October 29, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 2.2 MB). In: News of the Marschenrat to promote research in the coastal area of ​​the North Sea . Issue 46/2009. Retrieved June 13, 2013. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.nihk.de
  10. ↑ K. Brandt: Archaeological Settlement Studies at Bentumersiel in 1973 . In: Wolfgang Schwarz and Hans Schwarz: Emder Jahrbuch Vol. 54, 1974. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  11. ^ East Frisian landscape : Romans in East Frisia? - The excavations in Bentumersiel . In land of discovery | The archeology of the Frisian coastal area . Internet offer for the exhibition of the same name. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  12. ↑ Klaus-Peter Johne: The Romans on the Elbe: The Elbe River Basin in the Geographical World View and in the Political Consciousness of Greco-Roman Antiquity , 2006, ISBN 3-05-003445-9 , p. 90
  13. ↑ a b Kai Mückenberger and Erwin Strahl: A cremation grave from the early 4th century AD with rich Roman imports from Bentumersiel, Lkr. Leer (Ostfriesland) ( Memento of the original from October 29, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was used automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . In: Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt 39, 2009 (issue 4). Retrieved June 13, 2013. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / web.rgzm.de
  14. ↑ Wilfried Haase: Romans between Ems and Elbe - lines of movement and points of presence ( memento of the original from January 29, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved June 13, 2013. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.fan-niedersachsen.de