Steinalkenheide

Heathland with low burial mounds

The Steinalkenheide is the largest preserved barrows in the Rotenburg / Wümme district in Lower Saxony . It lies between the two villages of Oldendorf and Badenstedt, which belong to the city of Zeven .

location

The Steinalkenheide monument and landscape protection area leased by the Rotenburg / Wümme district can be reached by driving in Oldendorf in the direction of Badenstedt. About 600 meters after the last houses turn left into the farm road and right past the sand pit. Turn right at the next intersection and follow the path for around 1.4 km. The Steinalkenheide monument and landscape protection area is signposted.

Further south, on the other side of the Bade , are the Hemelsmoor and Bullensee nature reserves .

Description of the burial ground

Reconstructed large stone grave

Of around 100 detectable burial mounds , over 70 are still present. This makes it the largest surviving hill cemetery in the Rotenburg district. Presumably it is only the small remainder of what used to be a larger number of burial mounds. The cemetery stretches over a width of 50 to 100 m over a length of 400 m. A chain of individually lying large burial mounds followed in the north-east. The oldest grave complex in the barrow field was probably the large stone grave reconstructed on the site . The megalithic grave , which was already damaged at that time, was called "Hünenkeller" or "Steinhaus" in 1841. In 1871 the romantic name was "Princely Crypt". Around 3000 BC the stone monument was used as a family burial place. The burial chamber was hidden under a mound of earth.

There are burial mounds of various shapes and sizes on the site. Based on finds, it can be assumed that this place was occupied from the younger Stone Age (approx. 3000 BC) to the older Iron Age (up to 500 BC). Two from the district archeology of the Rotenburg / W district. Explanation boards set up on the site give visitors more information.

Name declaration

In several places in Lower Saxony, alkenes are sometimes called dwarf spirits or natural beings who live in pits or hills. Most of the time there are prehistoric graves in the immediate vicinity of such traditions. The name Alken could possibly have originally referred to the deceased ancestors or souls of the dead.

Earlier, at least the Iron Age humpback graves were probably covered with stones. These probably came upright Markiersteine and steles and stone circles and stone walls around the large grave mound, which is why the Flurname Steinalkenheide can possibly explained by the fact, especially since the area today some still with Heath is covered.

literature

Stefan Hesse, Wolf-Dieter Tempel : Traces of history between Wümme and Oste. 95 archaeological excursions into the central Elbe-Weser triangle. Oldenburg: Isensee 2014, pp. 68 f., 204.
Wolf-Dieter Tempel: On traces of prehistory and early history through the Rotenburg district. (Guide to the prehistory and early history of Lower Saxony, page 22). Oldenburg: Isensee 1999, p. 35 ff.
Landschaftsverband Stade (Ed.), Leaflet No. 19 from the series Paths into the cultural landscape between the Elbe and Weser. o. O., o. J. ( http://www.landschaftsverband-stade.de/faltblatt19.html )

Web links

53.262887 9.214662Coordinates: 53 ° 15 ′ 46.4 " N , 9 ° 12 ′ 52.8" E