Kamen-Westick settlement area

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The Kamen- Westick settlement is an important archaeological site on the Westphalian Hellweg . It is a place where there was probably continuous settlement from the Neolithic to the Roman period and the Carolingian Middle Ages . The abundance and quality of the local and Roman finds are unique.

In 1910 the local researcher Otto Prein and a colleague discovered the first finds of Roman ceramics in the hallway at the tower . At Prein's request, the site was kept secret until 1918. From 1920, large numbers of other finds were made that led Prein to believe that another Roman military camp had been here. In doing so, however, he was primarily guided by modern military-technical-strategic perspectives, which were unsuitable for the interpretation of the finds. The first scientific exploratory excavations were carried out in December 1926 by archaeologists from the Gustav Lübcke Museum in Hamm . Head of the excavations was Ludwig Bänfer , later August Stieren . Large-scale excavations were carried out between 1927 and 1930 and 1935. In 1935 alone an area of ​​4000 m² was exposed. In 1930 Prein published a first study, and in 1936 a plan was published. The focus of attention was on two large post structures . Most of the finds ended up in the museums of Kamen and Hamm.

The problem for research is that the Germanic and medieval finds have not yet been published, and the Roman finds were also only described by Helmut Schoppa in 1970 . Since the rich socialization of finds from different cultures would make it easier to generally date the Kamen-Westick site as well, processing of the finds is particularly lacking. So far, the published finds have only allowed the establishment of a reluctant Roman settlement from the second century, which reached its peak in the fourth century. After a long time, new excavations were carried out in the Seseke-Körne-Winkel in 1998 because of the construction of a sewage treatment plant . In the course of the construction, findings were also destroyed unobserved , but various, including high-quality, finds were recovered from the excavated material. During the excavation, which was carried out until 2001 under the direction of Philipp R. Hömberg , in addition to pits and post holes, various other finds from the late Roman Empire and the Carolingian period were recovered. In addition, a third large post structure was discovered. In 2001, during excavations on the Körnebach, remains of the bank reinforcement made of wood were found that had been preserved in the digested sludge . The pits, also found here in large numbers, were probably related to the smelting of non-ferrous metals . An emergency salvage due to the renaturation of the Körnebach in 2004 yielded further finds.

The Roman pottery reaches a maximum value of around 30% in the Germania magna . Terra Sigillata and Terra Nigra are almost non-existent, saucepans and jugs determine the findings. There are also numerous fragments of hollow glasses , fibulae and late antique belt fittings . Helmut Schoppa interpreted the finds to mean that they are not traces of a Roman settlement, but rather merchandise or goods returned from forays into Roman Germania. This view is now highly controversial. During the excavations between 1998 and 2004, around 2000 remains of ceramic vessels from the younger imperial period and from the early Middle Ages were found. So far, metal finds have been examined better than ceramics, although only a few pieces have been restored so far. A total of around 1,500 metal artifacts were recovered, around 1,000 of which were coins spanning a period from the late first to the sixth centuries. While the early imperial coins in particular were hardly usable for post-quem dating due to the long circulation period , the relatively large number of Merovingian coins for Westphalia in particular provides an increase in knowledge. There is much to suggest that the settlement area in the Hellweg area was of particular importance at this time. The remaining metal artifacts include fibulae. Some lead finds and a Franziska (kind of throwing ax) stand out . The few finds from the fifth and sixth centuries are of particular importance for the assumption of continuous settlement of the site. These are some coins as well as a bird fibula and a gold-plated fitting in the Nydam style . The fitting is dated around the year 400, but two later perforations suggest a longer secondary use. Rectangular and enamel fittings speak for a settlement up to the ninth century. The settlement was abandoned by the year 900 at the latest. Until the 20th century, the area was only used for agriculture.

The settlement area Kamen-Westick in Seseke-Körne-Winkel is one of the ground monuments of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Kamen .

literature

  • Wolfgang Ebel-Zepezauer: The settlement area Kamen-Westick . In: Walter Melzer, Torsten Capelle : Lead mining and lead processing during the Roman Empire in Barbaricum on the right bank of the Rhine. (= Soest contributions to archeology , volume 8), Westfälische Verlagsbuchhandlung Mocker & Jahn, Soest 2008, ISBN 978-3-87902-307-3 , pp. 141-146.