Gallery graves in Lower Saxony
The gallery graves in Lower Saxony clearly stand out in their appearance from the megalithic systems of the same type in Hesse and Westphalia . Because of the consistency in construction and floor plan with the Allée couvertes, in France they are referred to as gallery graves and because of their main distribution area also as "Westphalian-Hessian stone boxes". In Lower Saxony there are only six more or less damaged galleries ( Bredelem , Evessen, Heyersum, Rohden, Seinstedt and Sorsum ).
Based on the work of Waldtraut Schrickel (1920–2009), there are just over 40 known galleries in Germany. The Central German chambers that are not sunk into the ground and are represented in Lower Saxony with the Liebenburg facility are not taken into account . In Germany, galleries can be found in a broad zone from the Middle Rhine to Central Germany , with Lower Saxony occupying the northern peripheral location.
description
The galleries are buildings for Neolithic collective burials . With the exception of the Sorsum complex, the galleries in Lower Saxony are built from flat stone, broken nearby. Three characteristic features can be cited. In some cases, however, as well as in regional groups, deviations can be observed:
- the always rectangular floor plan
- the deepening in the ground
- the building material - flat stones.
Some systems are partially made of dry masonry .
The chambers often reach considerable lengths, in Westphalia sometimes 30 m. For a large part, no access can be proven. If it is present, it is usually on one of the narrow sides of the chamber (axial access). In four cases an access on the long side of the chamber (lateral access) is proven; Two of them have a short, stone-lined corridor, similar to that of corridor graves of the funnel cup culture (TBK). The access can be closed by a rolling stone packing or by a (one or two-part) door stone which has a soul hole . In some galleries with axial access, primarily in Hesse, the chamber is divided into a small open anteroom on one of the narrow sides and the larger main room. Many chambers have a floor paving which often carefully smaller platy rocks or boulders was laid.
The cover of the chambers has survived in a few cases. Where there are findings, the galleries were covered with large flat cap stones. This will be allowed to apply to the majority of the galleries. The findings from Sorsum show a wooden beam ceiling, in which abutments for a beam ceiling were found in the chamber sunk into the rock. We are not informed about the superstructure of galleries. One can assume, however, that the majority was covered by a flat, usually elongated hill. Remnants of mounds of earth have been preserved in some cases or handed down in old excavation reports; a few reports of stone packings above the chamber are also reported. The systems do not have a uniform orientation of their longitudinal axis. However, the east-west orientation predominates (with deviations), there is only rarely a north-south orientation.
Finds
In comparison with the megalithic systems, the inventories of the galleries are poor or incomplete. The relatively high number of people buried is striking. There are 250 skeletons in a chamber. As far as can be seen, the burial took place in a stretched position, less often than a stool. The skeletons are often confused on top of each other. Sometimes a subdivision of the chamber by transverse stones into quarters or different pavements is observed, which the position of the skeletons took into account. Occasionally the skulls were stored in a special place. Traces of fire and the remains of burned or burnt bones were found in some galleries. A cremation is known from a facility in Hessen. Compared to the number of burials, the number of grave goods is usually small. In addition to the chipped vessels especially small knife blades and find arrowheads , occasionally Axes, hatchets from flint and bone arrowheads. In plants outside of Lower Saxony, there are simple copper jewelry (spirals, sheets), and sometimes amber beads . Perforated predator teeth, as a pendant or chain jewelry, and half animal lower jaws are characteristic. These gifts have an amulet-like character.
Dating
Only some of the finds can be dated or assigned to a particular Neolithic culture . No finds at all are known of a quarter of the plants. Many findings allow the conclusion that it is usually not one, and not always one burial that took place in quick succession. Rather, the often recorded disturbances or cover layers above the lower burials show that one is even dealing with subsequent burials that took place after the erection, which is confirmed by the grave goods. In gallery graves in the north of the distribution area deep-engraved ceramics of the TBK were found, as they are typical for the lowlands. In some chambers in the east of the distribution area, among other things, ceramics from the Central German Walternienburg-Bernburg culture were detected. In many facilities in Hesse, pottery was found that is largely influenced by the Wartberg culture, but also has features of the Walternienburg-Bernburg culture. Based on the classification scheme of the Neolithic period established by U. Fischer (1976) for the German low mountain range, all finds belong to the Neolithic Age. From this stand out finds that belong to the late Neolithic corded ceramics , the spherical amphora or the bell beaker culture . It follows that the construction and the first burials took place in the early Neolithic, while subsequent burials still occurred in the late Neolithic.
The beginning of the construction of the gallery graves is judged differently. Essentially, the views of W. Schrickel and U. Fischer are opposed. Schrickel parallels the first gallery grave horizon with Neolithic groups of the older early Neolithic (the level Cl according to Fischer). This horizon is characterized, among other things, by collar flasks and elements of the Chassey-Lagozza-Cortaillod culture (4600-2400 BC in France. U. Fischer (1968 p. 13 ff) rightly asserts that in the earlier Neolithic Collective burials were neither common in Central Germany nor in the area of the TBK. The chronological evaluation of the Chasseen elements and the flask shows possible interpretations that make the construction of the megalithic graves in the older Neolithic period unlikely.
State of research
Of the six sites in Lower Saxony, two have been examined by modern excavations (Bredelem and Sorsum), while the rest were badly damaged or destroyed or gave incomplete results due to insufficient investigations (Evessen, Heyersum, Rohden, Seinstedt). There are observations from four other locations that indicate the presence of galleries at these locations (Algesdorf, Deckbergen, Watenstedt, Welsede), but there is no evidence for this.
Bredelem
Evessen
In Evessen , Wolfenbüttel district , the approximately northwest-southeast oriented chamber was located in a flat hill thirty meters long and nine meters wide. It was discovered and cleared out in the early 1870s. The almost rectangular chamber, which today has no cap stones, is made of limestone slabs. The clear dimensions are about six by two meters. It is said that about eleven skeletons lay side by side in different directions. A flint ax, a flint chisel and six small flint artefacts were found next to a few indeterminable shards.
Heyersum
In Heyersum , municipality of Nordstemmen , district of Hildesheim , parts of a chamber were excavated by H. Gummel in 1927 (Schrickel 1966, p. 463). Only remnants of the paving could be found about five meters long, consisting of large limestone slabs, and four vertical stone blocks from the south-eastern chamber wall. Human bones and animal bone remnants were found irregularly on the pavement. There were around 60 shards, including those belonging to the north-west German deep-engraving ceramics, as well as around 30 flint artifacts, including two trapezoids and three broken blades. A rock ax was found nearby, which may have been part of the grave inventory.
Rohden
The remains of the plant Rohden , district of Hamelin-Pyrmont , were excavated in 1929 by the teacher Wilhelm Bode. He found stone paving that was 4.5 m long and 1.9 to 2.0 m wide. The chamber was sunk into the floor and framed on the long sides by stone slabs. A capstone was still there.
According to the information, the remains of at least 16 skeletons were lying on the pavement and were buried in a crouched position with their hands above their heads. Three clay pots were found among the accessories, of which only a conical bowl with an eyelet has survived, as well as some remains of animal bones. The ends of the exposed remains of the chamber were destroyed. During subsequent excavations, H. Schroller found a stool grave on the long side of the remains of the chamber. Later P. Erdniß also found a small two-handled vessel outside the chamber. The existence of such systems was suspected for three places in the vicinity: Welsede ( Hessisch Oldendorf , district of Hameln-Pyrmont), Algesdorf ( Rodenberg ) and Deckbergen ( Rinteln ) (both district of Schaumburg ). In all cases, reports of the presence of several large blocks of stone suggest it, but there is no evidence from excavations.
Seinstedt
The system of Seinstedt , municipality of Achim , district of Wolfenbüttel , was discovered in 1911 while plowing and excavated by L. Knoop. Of the east-west oriented chamber, the dimensions of which are given as four to five meters long and about three meters wide, only part of the north wall of rye sandstone slabs was preserved over a length of 2.0 to 2.5 m. The burial chamber was immersed in the pending clay. According to Knoop, there were no human bones in this depression, which were "completely sealed off" from the skeletal remains found above. A pavement is not mentioned. Five other burials were also found. Knoop states that three different times of burial can be determined from the deposits. When the gallery grave was being created, it was evidently not known that it was being placed on a person who had already been buried, but who could also represent a construction victim . The remaining four skeletons lay in pairs to the west and east of the gallery. In addition to the human bones, a few broken vessels were found in the immediate vicinity of the front wall. Some belong to the Walternienburg-Bernburger and the bulb amphora culture.
Sorsum
See also
literature
- Reinhard Meier: The early Neolithic stone boxes or gallery graves in southern Lower Saxony . In: H. Schirnig (Ed.): Großsteingräber in Niedersachsen 1979 . Pp. 91-110 ISBN 3-7848-1224-4
- Waldtraut Schrickel: Catalog of the Central German graves with Western European elements and the gallery graves of Western Germany (1966)