Belleben II district moat

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Plan of the Belleben II circular moat and the neighboring trapezoidal moat

The Belleben II district ditch is a district ditch of the early Neolithic Baalberg culture near Belleben , a district of Könnern in the Salzland district , Saxony-Anhalt . Immediately outside the circular moat, a single burial was discovered, which was surrounded by a trapezoidal moat.

location

The circular moat is located west of the country road 151 halfway between Belleben and Gerbstedt . The Belleben I district ditch is located about 500 m south-southeast and the Lodderstedt district ditch about 2 km southwest .

Research history

The facility was discovered during an aerial survey by the State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology of Saxony-Anhalt . In 2005 a test excavation was carried out by the Institute for Art History and Archeology of Europe at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg under the direction of André Spatzier . In 2010 the entire system was examined geomagnetically , in places also geoseismically and using georadar . In 2014, another excavation took place under the direction of Oliver Rück , which included one of the two trench heads and several meters of the adjoining trench, a large pit located inside the facility and the trapezoidal trench system located outside.

Findings

The circular moat

The circular trench was dug in 2005 in the northeast area over a length of 18 m. The maximum diameter of the system is 90 m, the minimum 83 m. The facility was laid out as a pointed ditch and was between 0.80 m and 1.00 m deep and between 1.60 m and 2.00 m wide. The backfill consisted of humus , in the lower area there was flooding of clay and dark humus soil. In the southwest the ditch is interrupted by a 5.80 m wide passage. The 2014 excavation in the southern area of ​​the facility revealed that the trench had two construction phases. In addition, the trench head was relocated and rebuilt.

In addition to the circular ditch, a small pit and a few posts were uncovered in 2005. In contrast to the three large pits of the Belleben I district ditch, the large pit uncovered in 2014 was completely empty.

The grave with trapezoidal moat

On the south-western outside of the circular moat there is a grave with a trapezoidal, roughly east-west oriented moat as a boundary. It is a typical grave form of the Baalberg culture. Measurements using geomagnetics and geoseismics did not reveal any indications of built-in stones, but instead two findings clearly emerged, which are an east-west oriented burial in a right stool position and probably a larger ceramic vessel as a grave object.

During the 2014 excavation it was found that the burial was in a small grave pit surrounded by an unusual structure 3 m long and 1.5 m wide. The skeletal posture was very bad. At the feet of the deceased was a completely preserved amphora , the filling of which could be examined in detail.

Finds

Finds were only found in the circular moat and were not very numerous. These were animal bones, flint chips and ceramic shards, the latter being too poorly preserved to allow a more precise cultural classification.

Dating

Using the radiocarbon method, some of the boils could be dated to 3640–3370 cal. BC. As a result of this, as well as the neighboring characteristic burial, the circular moat can be assigned to the late phase of the Baalberg culture.

literature

  • François Bertemes , Oliver Rück: Monuments of the gathering: The Belleben I and II district ditches - cult sites, competition and mediation centers. In: Harald Meller (ed.): 3300 BC. Mysterious stone age dead and their world. Special exhibition from November 14, 2013 to May 18, 2014 in the State Museum for Prehistory in Halle. State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology Saxony-Anhalt / State Museum for Prehistory, Nünnerich-Asmus, Mainz 2013, ISBN 978-3-943904-33-8 , pp. 135-138 ( online ).
  • Ulrich Fischer : The Stone Age graves in the Saale region. Studies on Neolithic and Early Bronze Age grave and burial forms in Saxony-Thuringia (= prehistoric research. Volume 15). De Gruyter, Berlin 1956, pp. 48-54.
  • Ralf Schwarz: Pilot studies - Twelve years of aerial archeology in Saxony-Anhalt. State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology Saxony-Anhalt, Halle (Saale) 2003, ISBN 3-910010-72-5 .
  • André Spatzier: Circular moats of the 4th – 1st centuries Millennium BC In Central Germany. Preliminary report on the 2005 excavations in Saxony-Anhalt. In: Archeology in Saxony-Anhalt. NF Volume 6, 2012, pp. 71-89 ( online ).
  • André Spatzier: After Bandkeramik and Lengyel - circular moats in Saxony-Anhalt and Central Europe from the early Neolithic to the early Iron Age. In: François Bertemes , Harald Meller (ed.): Neolithic circular moats in Europe. International workshop in Goseck (Saxony-Anhalt) 7. – 9. May 2004 (= conferences of the State Museum for Prehistory Halle. Volume 8) State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology Saxony-Anhalt - State Museum for Prehistory, Halle (Saale) 2012, ISBN 978-3-939414-33-9 , pp. 363–388 ( Online ).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Oliver Rück: Three Baalbergian Monuments near Belleben, Salzlandkreis: Finds, Features and Explanations. ( Memento from November 25, 2015 in the web archive archive.today )
  2. ^ André Walks: Circular moats of the 4th – 1st centuries Millennium BC In Central Germany. 2012, pp. 72, 74.
  3. ^ François Bertemes, Oliver Rück: Monuments of the gathering: The Belleben I and II district ditches - cult place, competition and mediation centers. 2013, p. 23.
  4. ↑ a b c André Walks: Circular ditches of the 4th – 1st centuries Millennium BC In Central Germany. 2012, p. 74.
  5. ↑ The Central German circular ditch systems of the funnel beaker period - genesis, function and social significance: ongoing work - geophysical prospecting and field inspections carried out

Coordinates: 51 ° 39 ′ 43 "  N , 11 ° 37 ′ 17.7"  E