Gardelshausen
Gardelshausen is a deserted medieval settlement near Hedemünden in southern Lower Saxony that existed between the 9th and 12th centuries. It was laid out on a previous settlement from the Latène period , which dates from around the 3rd to 5th century BC. Existed.
Location and description
The desert site is located north of the Werra around one kilometer west of Hedemünden. It was on a flood-free terrace on the northern edge of the Werra valley. The castle hill rises to the northwest with the remains of the Hedemünden Roman camp . The water supply was secured by the Rischenbach, which carries water all year round and flowed through the village. In the vicinity of the settlement there was fertile arable soil made of loess loam . The soil is of such a high quality as can only be proven in a few places in the former Münden district .
The oval-shaped settlement expanded in north-south direction to 300 meters and in east-west direction to about 150 meters. The buildings were laid out with no recognizable order. This species is often found in the early Middle Ages , as there were no fixed settlement concepts yet. In addition to agriculture, textile and metal processing are to be assumed as the economic basis of the settlement. This is based on the weaving weights and iron slag found during the excavations . Indications of pottery are found in ceramics that have failed fires .
Within the settlement there were two prehistoric burial mounds about 40 meters in diameter. A hill was removed when the railroad was built in 1873.
History and exploration
Gardelshausen was first mentioned in a document in 1442 in a deed of donation to the church in Münden . From a written tradition from 1893 it is known that up to this time there was a chapel inside the desert on a prehistoric burial mound. The place name Gardelshausen has not found any expression in the field names . Only one area near the desert is called Haaghöfe.
In the winter of 1977/1978, the then archeology student Friedrich-Wilhelm Wulf proved the desertification through surface finds on arable land. The finds included early to high medieval ceramics, burnt clay, burnt stones, bones and charcoal. The scattering of the finds suggested a four-hectare settlement area.
Due to the planned expansion of the B 80 from 1978 onwards, the deserted area was threatened with destruction. Before and during the construction work, a rescue excavation was carried out in 1978 and 1979, which was carried out in four excavation campaigns, some of which lasted several weeks. The excavations were carried out by students from the Department of Prehistory and Protohistory at the University of Göttingen under the direction of the discoverer of the desert, Friedrich-Wilhelm Wulf. The finds included items of daily use such as knives, nails, belt buckles, scissors and bone combs. An outstanding find was a medieval bronze disc brooch that was gold-plated. The medieval archaeologist Hans-Georg Stephan dated the fragments of spherical pots found in the 9th to 12th centuries.
On findings that residues of seven were pit houses of 10-15 m² area and a 18 meter long and 2.5 meter wide section of a determined stone-paved road.
The archaeologists suspect that the settlement was abandoned as the residents moved to Hedemünden. There are no indications of violent or military destruction.
literature
- Friedhelm Wulf : Preliminary report on the emergency excavations on the medieval urban desert Gardelshausen near Hedemünden, Göttingen district, in 1978 and 1979 in: Göttinger Jahrbuch, 1986
- Friedhelm Wulf: The medieval deserted Gardelshausen near Hedemünden, Göttingen district . In: New excavations and research in Lower Saxony, Vol. 18 (1988) pp. 315–403 ( Master's thesis )
Web links
- Gunnar Müller: Submerged villages in: Göttinger Tageblatt from December 26, 2016
Individual evidence
- ↑ Listing with Regesta Imperii
Coordinates: 51 ° 23 ′ 37 " N , 9 ° 44 ′ 57" E