Schiepziger Group

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Schiepziger Group
Age : Neolithic
Absolutely : 4200-3800 BC Chr.

expansion
middle and northern Saale area
Leitforms

Funnel-rim bowls, steep-rim beakers, hose jugs, pots with an S-shaped profile, amphorae

The Schiepziger Group is an archaeological culture of the Neolithic Age , which dates from 4200 to 3800 BC. Existed in Central Germany . The designation was introduced into the specialist literature in 2007 by Dieter Kaufmann . At the beginning of the 21st century, the State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology Saxony-Anhalt carried out extensive excavations in Halle (Saale) in the area of ​​a Neolithic earthworks located in the district of Schiepzig (OT of Salzmünde ), Saalekreis , Saxony-Anhaltby. The ceramic vessel shapes of this culture group were described by Torsten Schunke and Peter Viol in 2014 .

Research history

Since the 1920s, employees of the State Institute for Prehistory, today's State Museum for Prehistory in Halle (Saale), have examined waste pits and graves in a gravel pit in the district of Schiepzig and observed sections of the course of the trenches. In his monograph , Paul Grimm assigned the archaeological finds recovered to the so-called Salzmünder culture , including vessel shapes that Jonas Beran removed from the holdings of the Salzmünder culture in his dissertation . On the basis of matches with finds from two waste pits in the Schöningen opencast mine, Ldkr.Helmstedt, he also assigned the Schiepzig finds to the Schöningen group he had named. In 1995 Detlef W. Müller published an essay in which he described the typical form of the hose jugs typical of the Schiepzig group for the first time without being able to place them in a clear cultural or chronological context. On the basis of new finds and C14 data, Dieter Kaufmann recognized the independence of this archaeological cultural group at the end of the older Middle Neolithic in Central Germany in 2007 and introduced the name Schiepziger Group into the specialist literature. As reasons for the renaming of this cultural group he led u. a. indicates that the first complex of finds and also meaningful findings from the district of Schiepzig were available and that the Schöningen site is on the edge of the range of this archaeological cultural group. In the run-up to the planned construction work for a motorway route, the State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology of Saxony-Anhalt in Halle (Saale) carried out extensive excavations in the area of ​​the well-known site of Schiepzig. The first results were published in 2014. In this volume, Torsten Schunke and Peter Viol present vessel shapes as well as artifacts and jewelry from the Schiepzig group from the earthworks of Schiepzig. In the following years other sites were published.

chronology

According to Central German chronology, the Schiepziger Group is at the transition from the early to the Middle Neolithic ; according to Jens Lüning's chronology , it can be assigned to the Young Neolithic .

In terms of absolute chronology , the findings from Salzmünde-Schiepzig could be applied to a period from 4200 to 3800 BC using the radiocarbon method . To be dated. Similar values ​​were determined for the Libehna site. Schiepziger findings from the Hundisburg-Olbetal trench could be traced back to 4350 to 3850 BC. To be dated.

distribution

Schiepziger Group (Germany)
Freckleben
Gatersleben
Hundisburg-Olbetal
Karsdorf
Libehna
Salzmünde-Schiepzig
Leubnitz-Neuostra
Bernburg
Calbe
Löderburg
Burgliebenau
Radegast
Uichteritz
Weissenfels
Wahlitz
Zauschwitz
Schöningen
Locations of the Schiepziger Group
Red pog.svgsecure sites, Yellow pog.svgpossible sites

The Schiepziger group was widespread along the middle and lower Saale and the middle Elbe , in the northern Harz foreland as well as in the Dresden Elbe valley and possibly in eastern Lower Saxony . Well-known sites are, besides Salzmünde-Schiepzig, Freckleben and Gatersleben (both Salzlandkreis ), Libehna ( Anhalt-Bitterfeld district ), Karsdorf ( Burgenlandkreis ), Hundisburg ( Börde district ) and Leubnitz-Neuostra ( Dresden , Saxony ). It is possible that finds can also be found in Bernburg , Calbe and Löderburg (all Salzlandkreis), Burgliebenau (Saalekreis), Radegast (County Anhalt-Bitterfeld), Uichteritz and Weißenfels (both Burgenlandkreis), Wahlitz ( County Jerichower Land ), Zauschwitz ( County Leipzig , Saxony ) and Schöningen ( Helmstedt district , Lower Saxony) are assigned to the Schiepziger Group.

Material culture

Ceramics

The main types are funnel- rim bowls , steep- rim beakers, hose jugs , pots with an S-shaped profile and amphorae .

The funnel rim bowls usually have an S-shaped profile. The range of variation extends from vessels with a sharp abdominal fold and a strongly swinging rim to softly profiled vessels with only a weak rim. Most of the bowls are decorated. The decor consists of a circumferential band of one to three rows of notches or stitches above the belly fold. Occasionally, white incrustations have remained. The funnel-rim bowls are usually very carefully crafted and the decorated specimens in particular are mostly smoothed and polished.

The steep-sided beakers have a long, conical base and a short, stepped neck. Small lumps sometimes appear just below the base of the neck.

The hose jugs have a dome-shaped to hemispherical lower part and a slightly tapered hose-shaped upper part that ends in a short, swinging edge. The jugs have thick handles that always attach to the lower opening of the vessel. The jugs are rarely decorated, occasionally a notch decor appears on the fold and the handles sometimes have a knob at the top.

The s-shaped profiled pots have a steep, high base. The break is at about two thirds of the height, the edge then bends out again. There are usually three or four knobs on the fold, rarely handles. The edges can be undecorated or they can be decorated with finger dots around the edges. There are also marginal ridges with finger dots, some of which are also arcade bands .

Amphorae come in several varieties. In Salzmünde-Schiepzig smaller specimens appeared most frequently. They are double-conical and have a deep break. On or above the fold, the amphorae have two opposite handles or eyelets. Examples with four or more handles are rare. The edge swings out slightly to strong. Larger amphorae are often strongly rounded.

In addition to these key types, other, rarer vessel shapes have been identified, including a funnel-rim bowl with a base ring, strongly projecting funnel-rim bowls and bowls. Ceramic spoons have also been proven. These consist of a flat oval bowl and a handle.

Rock tools

Broad-nosed and pointed-nosed axes , as well as chisel-like devices or adzes , are used as stone tools . Axes found in Salzmünde-Schiepzig cannot be assigned with certainty to the Schiepzig group.

Slide mills, larger grinding plates and knocking stones were also found.

Flint tools

On flint tools , blades with a scratch cap, blades retouched on the long side and blades with angled distal end are covered. The latter were used as harvest knives or sickle inserts, which is evidenced by sickle shine . The arrowheads are usually lanceolate , more rarely heart-shaped. They are retouched all around and have a retracted base. Cross cutters were rarely used and so far only one copy is used.

Antlers

Blunt-ended antler tips were used to retouch flint.

Jewellery

Perforated dog teeth, deer grandles , mother-of-pearl disks as well as white and black, disk-shaped to cylindrical pearls made of marble , gagat or sapropelite are used as jewelry .

Settlements

Little is known about the settlements of the Schiepziger Group. They seem to have been attached quite often. From Salzmünde-Schiepzig, Hundisburg-Olbetal, Wahlitz and Schöningen are grave works testified. So far, only settlement pits have been found within these trenches . House floor plans are not known.

Economy

Archaeobotanical studies in Hundisburg-Olbetal and Leubnitz-Neuostra showed that the preferred type of grain was emmer and, to a lesser extent, einkorn . Common wheat and barley only played a subordinate role. The use of flax and pulses ( peas or lentils ) is also documented. Hazelnuts and water nuts played an important role as collecting plants.

Statements on animal husbandry are so far only possible on the basis of a few bone finds from Hundisburg-Olbetal. These document the keeping of cattle , sheep / goats and dogs . Roe deer and red deer were hunted .

Burials

A special feature of the Schiepziger Group is the lack of regular burials. All burials of this group found so far are so-called settlement burials. This means that the dead were not buried in separate cemeteries in grave pits, but within the settlements in converted storage pits. A cone-shaped embankment of loess or other soil material can often be found in the middle of these pits . The dead were then laid on the edge of the pit. The skeletons found showed very different degrees of preservation. This can be explained by the fact that the deceased were not buried immediately after their death, but that multi-stage burial rituals were practiced, in which the dead were reburied several times (according to Damrau) or (according to Schunke) initially stored in houses of the dead or in trees. Grave goods appear only in the better preserved skeletons, which suggests that they were added to the dead at the beginning of the burial ceremonies and thus were mostly only preserved in those individuals who reached their final resting place relatively shortly after their death.

literature

  • Hans Joachim Behnke: Settlement favor in the Unstruttal near Karsdorf, Burgenlandkreis: Results of the excavations 2006 and 2007. In: Archeology in Saxony-Anhalt. NF Volume 6, 2012, pp. 35-70.
  • Claudia Damrau, Andreas Egold, Peter Viol: Burials of the Schiepziger group. In: Harald Meller, Susanne Friederich (Ed.): Salzmünde-Schiepzig - one place, two cultures. Excavations at the western bypass in Halle (A 143). Part I (= Archeology in Saxony-Anhalt. Special Volume 21 / I). State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology Saxony-Anhalt, Halle (Saale) 2014, ISBN 978-3-944507-02-6 , pp. 122–162.
  • Dieter Kaufmann : "Schöninger", "Schiepziger" or "Salzmünder Group"? New 14C data on the transition from the older to the younger Middle Neolithic in Central Germany. In: Archaeological correspondence sheet. Volume 37, 2007, pp. 365-378.
  • Andrea Moser: Post pits - House floor plans: Rössener or Schiepziger houses ?. In: Harald Meller, Susanne Friederich (Ed.): Salzmünde-Schiepzig - one place, two cultures. Excavations at the western bypass in Halle (A 143). Part I (= Archeology in Saxony-Anhalt. Special Volume 21 / I). State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology Saxony-Anhalt, Halle (Saale) 2014, ISBN 978-3-944507-02-6 , pp. 175–181 ( online ).
  • Detlef W. Müller : The Central German hose jugs - a puzzling group of shapes. In: Annual publication for Central German prehistory. Volume 77, 1995, pp. 159-175.
  • Johannes Müller , Kay Schmütz , Christoph Rinne : Schiepzig enclosures. Gaps in the archaeological record at the end of the fifth millennium BC in northern central Germany? In: Ralf Gleser, Daniela Hofmann (Eds.): Contacts, Boundaries and Innovation in the fifth millennium. Exploring developed Neolithic societies in central Europe and beyond. Sidestone press, Leiden 2019, ISBN 978-90-8890-715-9 , pp. 267-288 ( online ).
  • Sandra Pichler: Skeleton finds of the Schiepziger group and the Salzmünder culture from the earthworks of Salzmünde - first paleopathological results. In: Harald Meller, Susanne Friederich (Ed.): Salzmünde-Schiepzig - one place, two cultures. Excavations at the western bypass in Halle (A 143). Part I (= Archeology in Saxony-Anhalt. Special Volume 21 / I). State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology Saxony-Anhalt, Halle (Saale) 2014, ISBN 978-3-944507-02-6 , pp. 441–449 ( online ).
  • Ralph von Rauchhaupt: A special group of graves from Schiepzig. In: Harald Meller, Susanne Friederich (Ed.): Salzmünde-Schiepzig - one place, two cultures. Excavations at the western bypass in Halle (A 143). Part I (= Archeology in Saxony-Anhalt. Special Volume 21 / I). State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology Saxony-Anhalt, Halle (Saale) 2014, ISBN 978-3-944507-02-6 , pp. 167–174.
  • Torsten Schunke: A settlement of the Schiepziger group with settlement burial. In: Harald Meller, Susanne Friederich, Thomas Weber (eds.): Archeology in Gatersleben. Agriculture over thousands of years (= archeology in Saxony-Anhalt. Special volume 30). State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology Saxony-Anhalt, Halle (Saale) 2018, ISBN 978-3-944507-77-4 , pp. 115–120 ( online ).
  • Torsten Schunke, Peter Viol: The »Schiepziger Group« - A gap in the find is filled. In: Harald Meller, Susanne Friederich (Ed.): Salzmünde-Schiepzig - one place, two cultures. Excavations at the western bypass in Halle (A 143). Part I (= Archeology in Saxony-Anhalt. Special Volume 21 / I). State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology Saxony-Anhalt, Halle (Saale) 2014, ISBN 978-3-944507-02-6 , pp. 113–121 ( online ).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Paul Grimm: The Salzmünder culture in Central Germany. In: Annual publication for the prehistory of the Saxon-Thuringian countries. Volume 29, 1938, pp. 1-104.
  2. ^ Jonas Beran: Studies on the position of the Salzmünder culture in the early Neolithic of the Saale region (= contributions to the prehistory and early history of Central Europe. Volume 2). Beier & Beran, Wilkau-Hasslau 1993.
  3. ↑ Detlef W. Müller: The Central German hose jugs - a puzzling group of shapes. 1995.
  4. ↑ Dieter Kaufmann: "Schöninger", "Schiepziger" or "Salzmünder Group"? 2007.
  5. ↑ a b Torsten Schunke, Peter Viol: The »Schiepziger Group« - A gap in the find is filled. 2014, p. 113.
  6. ^ A b Andrea Moser: April: Amphora Wine from Libehna - A giant amphora of the Middle Neolithic Schiepziger Group. State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology Saxony-Anhalt.
  7. ^ A b Johannes Müller, Kay Schmütz, Christoph Rinne: Schiepzig enclosures. Gaps in the archaeological record at the end of the fifth millennium BC in northern central Germany? 2019, pp. 281–282.
  8. ↑ Jonas Beran: Studies on the position of the Salzmünder culture in the early Neolithic of the Saale region (= contributions to the prehistory and early history of Europe. Volume 2). Beier & Beran, Wilkau-Hasslau 1993, ISBN 3-930036-01-0 , p. 49.
  9. ↑ Torsten Schunke: A settlement of the Schiepziger group with settlement burial. 2018, pp. 115–120.
  10. ^ Hans Joachim Behnke: Settlement favor in Unstruttal near Karsdorf, Burgenlandkreis. 2012, p. 58.
  11. ↑ Johannes Müller, Kay Schmütz, Christoph Rinne: Schiepzig enclosures. Gaps in the archaeological record at the end of the fifth millennium BC in northern central Germany? 2019, pp. 271–282.
  12. ↑ Wolfgang smeared: The excavation on the "Pfaffenberg" in Dresden Leubnitz-Neuostra. A preliminary report and contribution to the Spätlengyel horizon in the upper Elbe valley of Saxony. In: Work and research reports on Saxon soil monument preservation. Volume 53/54 2011/2012 (2013), pp. 9-63.
  13. ↑ Detlef W. Müller: The Central German hose jugs - a puzzling group of shapes. 1995, pp. 159-165.
  14. ↑ Johannes Müller, Kay Schmütz, Christoph Rinne: Schiepzig enclosures. Gaps in the archaeological record at the end of the fifth millennium BC in northern central Germany? 2019, p. 286.
  15. ↑ a b c Torsten Schunke, Peter Viol: The »Schiepziger Group« - A gap in the find is filled. 2014, p. 114.
  16. ↑ Torsten Schunke, Peter Viol: The »Schiepziger Group« - A gap in the find is filled. 2014, pp. 114–117.
  17. ↑ a b Torsten Schunke, Peter Viol: The »Schiepziger Group« - A gap in the find is filled. 2014, p. 117.
  18. ↑ Torsten Schunke, Peter Viol: The »Schiepziger Group« - A gap in the find is filled. 2014, pp. 117–121.
  19. ↑ a b c d Torsten Schunke, Peter Viol: The »Schiepziger Group« - A gap in the find is filled. 2014, p. 121.
  20. ↑ Torsten Schunke: A settlement of the Schiepziger group with settlement burial. 2018, pp. 115–117.
  21. ↑ Christoph Herbig: Hazelnuts and water nuts. Archaeobotanical studies on the "Pfaffenberg" in Dresden, Leubnitz-Neuostra (DD-80). In: Work and research reports on Saxon soil monument preservation. Volume 53/54 2011/2012 (2013), pp. 66-67 ( online ).
  22. ↑ Johannes Müller, Kay Schmütz, Christoph Rinne: Schiepzig enclosures. Gaps in the archaeological record at the end of the fifth millennium BC in northern central Germany? 2019, p. 281.
  23. ↑ Torsten Schunke: A settlement of the Schiepziger group with settlement burial. 2018, pp. 117–120.