Great stone graves near Diesdorf
| Great stone graves near Diesdorf | |||
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 Great stone grave Diesdorf 1 |
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| Coordinates | Diesdorf 1 , Diesdorf 2 , Diesdorf 3 | ||
| place | Diesdorf , Saxony-Anhalt , Germany | ||
| Emergence | 3700 to 3350 BC Chr. | ||
The megalithic graves near Diesdorf are a group of originally ten megalithic tombs from the Neolithic deep-engraving ceramic culture near Diesdorf in the Altmark district of Salzwedel , Saxony-Anhalt . Only three of these still exist today. The remaining graves were destroyed in the 19th century.
location
Grave 1 is located 900 m southwest of the center of Diesdorf, south of the road to Waddekath . Grave 2 is located 1.3 km south-southwest of Diesdorf and 900 m south-southeast of grave 1 in a field. Grave 3 is 1.6 km south-southwest of Diesdorf and 280 m south of grave 2 in a small wooded area.
The destroyed grave KS 62 was located near the border to Schadewohl , about 400 paces (approx. 300 m) from the destroyed large stone grave Schadewohl 5 . Grave KS 63 was 100 paces (approx. 75 m) east of it. Grave KS 64 was located south-southwest of Diesdorf at the foot of the Molmker mountain. Grave KS 65 was 100 paces (approx. 75 m) southeast of it. Both graves were therefore very close to the preserved grave 2. Grave KS 68 was 600 paces (approx. 450 m) south of grave 3 and grave KS 69 another 500 paces (approx. 375 m) south and approx. 1500 paces (approx. 1.1 km) north of Lindhof . The grave KS 71 was directly at grave 1.
There are several other large stone graves in the vicinity. 1.1 km northwest of grave 1 are the megalithic graves near Schadewohl (three preserved and two destroyed structures), 530 m southeast of grave 2 is the Molmke large stone grave (one of originally at least ten structures that have been preserved).
Research history
The graves were mentioned for the first time by Johann Christoph Bekmann in his Historical Description of the Chur and Mark Brandenburg published in 1751 and partially illustrated. In 1843, Johann Friedrich Danneil made the first systematic survey of all the large stone graves in the Altmark . He was able to find eight graves in Diesdorf. Eduard Krause and Otto Schoetensack performed a new recording in the early 1890s. They discovered that six of the facilities described by Danneil had been destroyed in the meantime. Krause and Schoetensack were able to identify another preserved and another destroyed grave. 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. For the graves that have been preserved, the site numbers are used in the following, for those that have been destroyed the number with which Krause and Schoetensack provided them.
| official no. | Danneil (1843) | Krause / Schoetensack (1893) |
Beier (1991) | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fpl. 1 | - | KS 70 | 9 | receive |
| Fpl. 2 | D 37 | KS 66 | 5 | receive |
| Fpl. 3 | D 38 | KS 67 | 6th | receive |
| - | D 33 | KS 62 | 1 | destroyed |
| - | D 34 | KS 63 | 2 | destroyed |
| - | D 35 | KS 64 | 3 | destroyed |
| - | D 36 | KS 65 | 4th | destroyed |
| - | D 39 | KS 68 | 7th | destroyed |
| - | D 40 | KS 69 | 8th | destroyed |
| - | - | KS 71 | 10 | destroyed |
description
The preserved graves
Grave 1
According to Hartmut Bock , Barbara Fritsch and Lothar Mittag, grave 1 belongs to the large dolmen type , while Hans-Jürgen Beier classifies it as a presumed passage grave . The burial mound is oval and reaches a height of 1.5 m. The grave border is oriented northwest-southeast and consists today of only seven stones. It measures 7.8 m and was probably originally oval. The burial chamber is oriented northwest-southeast. It still consists of nine wall stones and four cap stones. There may originally have been another capstone that is now missing. The largest capstone measures 3.1 mx 1.4 m and has a row of three bowls . Most of the wall stones fell over, and one broke. The capstones have sunk. The chamber is rectangular and has the internal dimensions 6.4 m × 1.4 m.
Eduard Krause and Otto Schoetensack found a flint chisel near the grave during investigations around 1890 . Later two axes, a stone hoe and two flint axes were discovered.
Grave 2
Grave 2 probably belongs to the type of passage graves. The burial mound is elongated. The grave border is oriented north-south and still consists of eight stones. Originally it was probably rectangular or trapezoidal. At the time of Johann Friedrich Danneil's research in 1843, it was much better preserved. This could determine their dimensions to 24.5 m × 10.0 m. The middle stone on the east side of the enclosure was broken into eight parts using wooden wedges . Another stone has several wedge holes. Another blasted stone lies northeast of the burial chamber. It consists of at least 15 fragments and may originally have formed a guardian stone .
The burial chamber is oriented north-south. It still consists of 13 of the former 16 wall stones. Danneil counted four cap stones, now none are left. The chamber is rectangular, it has a length of 9.3 m and a width of 1.8 to 2.0 m. On the west side, two parallel wall stones may mark the former access to the burial chamber.
Grave 3
According to Hartmut Bock, Barbara Fritsch and Lothar Mittag, grave 3 belongs to the large dolmen type, while Hans-Jürgen Beier classifies it as a passage grave. The burial mound is elongated and has now clearly flowed out beyond the enclosure. It still reaches a height of 1.5 m. The grave border is oriented north-north-west-south-south-east and consists of only three stones. It was probably originally rectangular or trapezoidal.
The burial chamber is oriented north-north-west-south-south-east. It still consists of ten wall stones and three of what was probably once six cap stones. The wall stones have a very flat inside. The largest capstone measures 2.6 m × 1.8 m × 1.2 m. Two capstones have bowls, the north-western gable wall stone has a groove on the inside that is 60 cm long, 2 cm wide and 2 cm deep. The chamber is trapezoidal, it has a length of at least 8.7 m and a width of 1.5 to 1.7 m. Their height is 1.0 m. A gap between two wall stones in the northwest corner may mark the entrance to the burial chamber.
A flint ax was found in the grave during cleaning work in the 1980s, but it can no longer be found today.
The destroyed graves
Grave KS 62
Grab KS 62 had a chamber with a length of 7.5 m and a width of 3.5 m. During Danneil's investigation there were still two cap stones, each 2.5 m long. Information on the alignment of the chamber is not available. The exact type of grave can no longer be determined.
Grave KS 63
The facility had a giant bed with a length of 12 m and a width of 8.2 m. During Danneil's investigation, the stone enclosure was still preserved on one long side, but on the other, apart from one stone, had already been removed. Danneil did not give any details about the chamber, only that it was almost completely covered by two capstones, one of which was 2.8 m long and the other 2 m long.
Grave KS 64
Grave KS 64 had a barren bed with a length of 11.3 m and a width of 7.8 m. The enclosure was still partially preserved when Danneil examined it. More detailed information about the burial chamber is missing, Danneil only mentions a capstone with a length of 2.8 m and a width of 1.25 m.
Grave KS 65
Grave KS 65 had a probably east-west oriented barren bed with a length of 8.2 m and a width of 5.3 m. The burial chamber had three cap stones with a length of 2.2 m each. It should have been a large dolmen or a passage grave.
Grave KS 68
Grave KS 68 had a large, north-south orientated barren bed with a length of 42 m and a width of 7 m. The enclosure was still well preserved when Danneil examined it, only a few stones were missing on the eastern long side. The surrounding stones protruded up to 2.2 m from the earth, and there were two guard stones at the corners of the northern narrow side with a height of 3.8 m and 3.1 m respectively. The chamber had six cap stones. The three largest were 2.7 m × 1.7 m × 1.25 m, 2.7 m × 1 m × 0.5 m and 2.8 m × 1.7 m × 0.9 m. According to Beier, it was probably a passage grave.
Grave KS 69
The complex had a probably north-south oriented burial chamber with a length of 5.4 m and a width of 2.2 m. Danneil could still make out a capstone in the south. The exact type of grave can no longer be determined.
Grave KS 71
Grave KS 71 was destroyed in 1867. No further details are available on the dimensions and appearance of the system. After the destruction, several flint axes were discovered while plowing at its location, but they were not kept.
The megalithic graves near Diesdorf in regional sagas
A regional legend reports that a giant king was buried in one of the megalithic graves near Diesdorf . Immeasurable treasures were laid in his grave. It is said to have been dug often afterwards, but always without success. Another legend deals with a walled pit, the "Rüverkule" (robber's pit), in which robbers hid and attacked travelers. Possibly a large stone grave is meant with the robber's hole and the legend comes from a time when it was still covered with earth.
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, p. 56.
- Johann Christoph Bekmann , Bernhard Ludwig Bekmann : Historical description of the Chur and Mark Brandenburg according to their origin, inhabitants, natural characteristics, waters, landscapes, towns, clerical donors, etc. [...]. Vol. 1, Berlin 1751, pp. 353-354 ( online version ).
- 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, pp. 100-101 ( PDF; 8.1 MB ).
- 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. 66–76.
- 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, p. 101 ( PDF; 5.5 MB ).
- Hermann Dietrichs , Ludolf Parisius : Pictures from the Altmark. First and second volume. Hamburg 1883, p. 276 ( online ).
- F. von Erxleben: Excerpts from letters from a deceased Altmarker to his wife about Altmark peculiarities (written in 1808.) In: Altmärkisches Intelligence- und Leseblatt. January 1824, pp. 30-31.
- Hans-Ulrich Kelch: Mysterious pans. In: Hartmut Bock (Ed.): Cities - Villages - Friedhöfe. Archeology in the Altmark 2: From the High Middle Ages to the modern age (= contributions to the cultural history of the Altmark and its peripheral areas, Volume 8). Oschersleben 2002, ISBN 3-935358-36-9 , pp. 458-469.
- Eduard Krause , Otto Schoetensack : The megalithic graves (stone chamber graves) of Germany . I .: Altmark . In: Journal of Ethnology . Vol. 25, 1893, pp. 144-146 / no. 66-67 u. 70, Plate VI / 66-67 and 70, VII / 67 and 70, IX / 70 ( PDF; 39.0 MB ).
- Teachers' Association of the Altmark (ed.): Altmärkischer Sagenschatz. Leipzig / Berlin 1908, p. 250.
- Britta Schulze-Thulin : Large stone graves and menhirs. Saxony-Anhalt • Thuringia • Saxony . Mitteldeutscher Verlag, Halle (Saale) 2007, ISBN 978-3-89812-428-7 , pp. 41–43.
- H. Sturm: Märkische sagas. Leipzig undated, p. 28.
Web links
- The Megalithic Portal: Grave 1 , Grave 2 , Grave 3
- KLEKS Online: Grave 1 , Grave 2 , Grave 3
- grosssteingraeber.de: grave 1 , grave 2 , grave 3
- tw.strahl.org: grave 1 , grave 2 , grave 3
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hartmut Bock, Barbara Fritsch, Lothar Mittag: Großsteingraves der Altmark. 2006, p. 11.
- ↑ Hartmut Bock, Barbara Fritsch, Lothar Mittag: Großsteingraves der Altmark. 2006, pp. 66-67.
- ↑ Hartmut Bock, Barbara Fritsch, Lothar Mittag: Großsteingraves der Altmark. 2006, p. 69.
- ↑ a b Hartmut Bock, Barbara Fritsch, Lothar Mittag: Großsteingräber der Altmark. 2006, p. 72.
- ↑ Hartmut Bock, Barbara Fritsch, Lothar Mittag: Großsteingraves der Altmark. 2006, p. 67.
Map with all coordinates: