Great stone graves near Bierstedt

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Great stone graves near Bierstedt
The Bierstedt large stone grave

The Bierstedt large stone grave
Great stone graves near Bierstedt (Saxony-Anhalt)
Red pog.svg
Coordinates 52 ° 44 '6.1 "  N , 11 ° 1' 6.9"  E
place Rohrberg (Altmark) , Saxony-Anhalt , Germany
Emergence 3700 to 3350 BC Chr.

The megalithic graves near Bierstedt were originally 13 megalithic graves of the Neolithic deep-engraving pottery culture near Groß Bierstedt and Klein Bierstedt , districts of the municipality of Rohrberg in the Altmarkkreis Salzwedel , Saxony-Anhalt . Only one of these still exists today. The remaining facilities were destroyed in the middle of the 19th century.

location

The preserved grave (KS 121) is located 750 m northwest of the Groß Bierstedt district. The destroyed grave KS 117 was located northwest of Groß Bierstedt on the parcel "on the sand" near the border to the deserted Uebbesitz . Grave KS 118 was only 60 paces (approx. 45 m) away, east of the way to Groß Bierstedt. Grave KS 119 was a few hundred meters west of KS 118 on the parcel "the cow drift". 300 paces (c. 225 m) southwest of this was grave KS 120. Grave KS 122 was 60 paces (approx. 45 m) west of the preserved grave KS 121. Another 50 paces (approx. 38 m) northeast was grave KS 123. The graves KS 124 and KS 125 were located immediately south of Klein Bierstedt on the way to Stöckheim . Grave KS 126 was 50 paces (approx. 38 m) south of this. Grave KS 127 was 200 paces (approx. 150 m) southwest of KS 126. Grave KS 128 was another 100 paces (approx. 75 m) southwest and KS 129 close to it.

There are several other large stone graves in the vicinity. 3.1 km north-northeast of the preserved grave are the large stone graves near Leetze , to the west the large stone graves near Mehmke and south the large stone grave Stöckheim .

Research history

During his research in 1843, Johann Friedrich Danneil was able to identify thirteen large stone graves in the vicinity of Bierstedt. Eduard Krause and Otto Schoetensack found only one grave in 1893, the others had been completely destroyed in the meantime. An early report by the pastor of Bombeck mentions the first "excavations" in the local graves by the governor of Altmark as early as 1728. Some ceramic shards and human bones were found. However, the pastor does not report which graves were examined. The whereabouts of the finds are also unknown. Since 1972 the preserved grave has been cleaned annually by the association “Young Archaeologists of the Altmark” and cleared of vegetation. In 2003-04, all remaining large stone graves in the Altmark were recorded and measured as a joint project of the State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology of Saxony-Anhalt , the Johann Friedrich Danneil Museum in Salzwedel and the association “Young Archaeologists of the Altmark”.

There are different numbers for the graves. In the following, the numbers that Krause and Schoetensack gave to the destroyed graves are used.

official no. Danneil (1843) Krause /
Schoetensack (1893) 		Beier (1991) Remarks
- D 80 KS 117 1 destroyed
- D 81 KS 118 2 destroyed
- D 82 KS 119 3 destroyed
- D 83 KS 120 4th destroyed
Fpl. 1 D 84 KS 121 5 receive
- D 85 KS 122 6th destroyed
- D 86 KS 123 7th destroyed
- D 87 KS 124 8th destroyed
- D 88 KS 125 9 destroyed
- D 89 KS 126 10 destroyed
- D 90 KS 127 11 destroyed
- D 91 KS 128 12 destroyed
- D 92 KS 129 13 destroyed

description

The preserved grave

Ground plan of the Bierstedt grave according to Krause / Schoetensack
Aerial view of the tomb

According to Hartmut Bock , Barbara Fritsch and Lothar Mittag, the preserved grave belongs to the large dolmen type , while Hans-Jürgen Beier classifies it as an extended dolmen . The oval burial mound is oriented west-east. In the meantime it has flowed heavily and is 19.0 m long, 18.3 m wide and 0.5 m high. In 1843 Johann Friedrich Danneil was able to identify a grave border (Hünenbett) with a length of 23.0 m and a width of 6.9 m. However, this has now completely disappeared. The burial chamber is oriented west-east and originally consisted of eight wall stones, six of which have survived, and three cap stones, one of which is still there. This is still on the supporting stones and measures 2.4 m × 2.3 m × 0.9 m. The chamber is rectangular and has internal dimensions 4.6 m × 1.6 m. Their height is 0.8 m.

The destroyed graves

Grave KS 117

The tomb had a chamber with a length of 7.2 m and a width of 3.5 m. When Danneil examined it, three capstones remained. No information is available on the alignment. Due to the size of the chamber, it must have been a large dolmen or a passage grave.

Grave KS 118

The burial chamber of this complex was no longer completely preserved when Danneil was examined. It was 5 m long and 3.1 m wide. There was still a capstone. No information is available on the alignment. It was probably a large dolmen or an enlarged dolmen.

Grave KS 119

Grave KS 119 had a chamber with a length of 6.9 m and a width of 2.8 m. Danneil could see five capstones. No information is available on the alignment. According to Beier, it was probably a passage grave.

Grave KS 120

The system had already been largely destroyed when Danneil was examined. There were only five stones left, which no longer allowed any conclusions to be drawn about the original appearance.

Grave KS 122

Grave KS 122 had an east-west oriented barren bed with a length of 25.1 m and a width of 8.3 m. The surrounding stones were between 2.2 m and 2.8 m long, but only protruded 0.6 m from the earth. During Danneil's investigation, several surrounding stones had already been exposed through sand mining. The burial chamber was located in the eastern part of the complex. It had several capstones, of which only one was left when Danneil examined it. The exact type of chamber can no longer be determined on the basis of this information.

Grave KS 123

The plant had a giant bed with a length of 13.2 m and a width of 6.7 m. The enclosure was almost completely preserved when Danneil examined it, but the burial chamber had already been destroyed. No information is available on the alignment of the system.

Grave KS 124

Grave KS 124 had a chamber with a length of 6.3 m and a width of 2.5 m. No information is available on the alignment. Due to the size of the chamber, it must have been a large dolmen or a passage grave.

Grave KS 125

The facility had a giant bed with a length of 25.4 m and a width of 6.9 m. Danneil does not mention a stone enclosure. The burial chamber was still completely preserved and had five cap stones. No information is available on the alignment of the system or the dimensions of the chamber. According to Beier, it was probably a passage grave.

Grave KS 126

Grave KS 126 had a chamber with a length of 13.2 m and a width of 2.8 m. When Danneil examined it, six cap stones were still preserved. The wall stones had already overturned on one side due to sand mining. No information is available on the alignment. According to Beier, it was probably a passage grave.

Grave KS 127

According to Danneil, only the wall stones of the chamber remained from grave KS 127. There is no information about their number or the dimensions and orientation of the chamber. The exact type of grave can no longer be determined.

Grave KS 128

The plant had a chamber with a length of 10 m and a width of 4.1 m. When Danneil examined the chamber, it was still in good condition and had a particularly large capstone. No information is available on the alignment. According to Beier, it was probably a passage grave.

Grave KS 129

Grave KS 129 had a chamber with a length of 5.3 m and a width of 1.9 m. When Danneil's investigation, two capstones were still preserved, one of which was 2 m long, 1.6 m wide and 0.95 m thick. No information is available on the alignment. According to Beier, it was probably an enlarged dolmen or a large dolmen.

The Bierstedt large stone grave in regional legends

A regional legend indicates the large stone grave near Bierstedt as the grave of a maid named Ilse. She was seduced and made pregnant by the farmer's eldest son. When the farmer chased her away because of this, she hanged herself. She was then buried near a spring and three stones were rolled on her grave. The spirit of the maid is said to have haunted this spring for a long time.

See also

literature

  • Hans-Jürgen Beier : The megalithic, submegalithic and pseudomegalithic buildings and the menhirs between the Baltic Sea and the Thuringian Forest (= contributions to the prehistory and early history of Central Europe. Volume 1). Wilkau-Haßlau 1991, pp. 55-56.
  • Wilhelm Blasius : Guide to the megalithic grave monuments in the western part of the Salzwedel district. In: Thirty-first annual report of the Altmark Association for Patriotic History and Industry. Issue 2, 1904, p. 99 ( PDF; 8.1 MB ).
  • Hartmut Bock : On the prehistory and early history of the Altmark. In: Hartmut Bock, I. Fischer, P. Fischer, F. Rattey: The north-western Altmark - a cultural landscape. Gifhorn 1991, pp. 14-15.
  • Hartmut Bock, Barbara Fritsch, Lothar Mittag: Great stone graves of the Altmark . State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology Saxony-Anhalt and State Museum for Prehistory, Halle (Saale) 2006, ISBN 3-939414-03-4 , pp. 44–47.
  • Johann Friedrich Danneil : Special evidence of the barrows in the Altmark . In: Sixth annual report of the Altmark Association for Patriotic History and Industry . 1843, pp. 108-109 ( PDF; 5.5 MB ).
  • Eduard Krause , Otto Schoetensack : The megalithic graves (stone chamber graves) of Germany . I .: Altmark . In: Journal of Ethnology . Vol. 25, 1893, p. 151 / no. 121, Plates VI / 121, VII / 121 ( PDF; 39.0 MB ).
  • Alfred Pohlmann : Legends from the cradle of Prussia and the German Empire, the Altmark. Franzen & Große, Stendal 1901, p. 27.
  • Britta Schulze-Thulin : Large stone graves and menhirs. Saxony-Anhalt • Thuringia • Saxony . Mitteldeutscher Verlag, Halle (Saale) 2007, ISBN 978-3-89812-428-7 , p. 44.

Web links

Commons : Großsteingrab Bierstedt  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hartmut Bock, Barbara Fritsch, Lothar Mittag: Großsteingraves der Altmark. 2006, pp. 44, 46.
  2. ↑ Hartmut Bock: Student working groups and ground monument preservation in the north-western Altmark. In: Annual publication for Central German prehistory. Volume 69, 1986, p. 285 ( online ).
  3. ^ Young archaeologists of the Altmark eV - On the history of the association .
  4. ↑ Hartmut Bock, Barbara Fritsch, Lothar Mittag: Großsteingraves der Altmark. 2006, p. 11.
  5. ↑ Hartmut Bock, Barbara Fritsch, Lothar Mittag: Großsteingraves der Altmark. 2006, p. 44.
  6. ↑ Hartmut Bock, Barbara Fritsch, Lothar Mittag: Großsteingraves der Altmark. 2006, p. 46.