Underwater archeology in the Arendsee

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The Arendsee

This article deals with the underwater archeology in the Arendsee , an inland body of water in the north of Saxony-Anhalt . Local scuba divers moved the Arendsee into the focus of archeology, and together with the State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology Saxony-Anhalt , important archaeological finds have been recovered in recent years.

Research history

So far only very few archaeological finds from the waters in Saxony-Anhalt have been known and most of them come from the Elbe or Elbe meadows. However, this situation changed after the report of a dugout canoe in the Arendsee. The dugout canoe was built in 2003 by a recreational diver from the diving club Arendsee e. V. (TCA) discovered. The State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology Saxony-Anhalt (LDA) also learned about the find through the article in a daily newspaper. Since then, the scuba divers have been working with the State Office and other important discoveries have followed.

Neolithic fish fence

discovery

The most important find from the Arendsee so far is the Neolithic fish fence . The fish fence was discovered by recreational divers from the TCA in October 2003. The mesh lay in the northeast of the Arendsee, at a depth of approx. 9-11 m. The first investigations were carried out by research divers from the State Office for Culture and Monument Preservation Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania . In winter 2005/06 the find was documented and partially recovered by the State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology Saxony-Anhalt in cooperation with research divers and the THW Salzwedel. In the following two years there were further underwater surveys, including with a remote-controlled survey boat, and an underwater excavation.

Find description

Scientific investigations

The sediments surrounding the fish fence were examined for plant and animal residues. The botanical analysis revealed a large number of plant remains. The occurrence of mermaid ( Najas ), pondweed ( Potamogeton ) and horn leaf ( Ceratophyllum ) in the area of ​​the fish fence suggests that it must have been near the shore.

The hazelnut rods that made up the fish fence were also analyzed in more detail. Their examination revealed that the rods are one to two years old. They had grown very evenly, which is why a kind of Schneitelwirtschaft is assumed.

High medieval cream

discovery

In 1990, the recreational divers of the TCA discovered a flat-bottomed wooden cargo ship, a so-called Prahm , in the Arendsee. It was north of the former Benedictine convent Arendsee at a depth of more than 30 m. The underwater investigations were carried out by diving archaeologists from the State Office for Culture and Monument Preservation in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

Find description

The pram is 12.30 m long. The width is 2.30 m in the middle and decreases to 1.90 m towards the ends. The chimney planks were attached to the sides of three floor planks, which form the transition to the ship's side walls. The kim planks extend over the entire length of the ship and have an arched cross section. L-shaped frames were used to strengthen the ship's hull. The upper planks of the side walls were no longer there. The two ends of the ship point upwards at an angle. Since the central part of the pram is covered by sediments, no further statements on the construction of the ship or any remains of the cargo are currently possible.

Dating

A board plank of the bridge was examined dendrochronologically . The analysis revealed that the tree was felled around / after 1265. This makes the prahm from the Arendsee one of the few finds of this type of ship from that time. Comparative finds from the 12th / 13th centuries Century date z. B. from Haithabu (Schleswig) or Egernsund ( Jutland ).

Prahme are mainly used as a ferry or barge. In the case of the Arendsee Prahms, both functions are conceivable, possibly even in direct connection with the Benedictine monastery founded in 1183.

Late medieval dugout canoe

Discovery and recovery

The dugout canoe was discovered on December 25, 2003. It was located in the north-west of the Arendsee, about 80 m from the shore, at a depth of about 3 m. The scientific documentation of the find (measurement, drawing, photo and video documentation in the location of the find) was carried out by research divers from the State Office for Culture and Monument Preservation Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Together with the THW Salzwedel, they also recovered the dugout canoe in October 2004. The dugout canoe was then brought to Schwerin for further examination and conservation .

Find description

The dugout canoe is quite well preserved as it was partly covered by the sediment. The boat is 4.18 m long and has a semicircular cross-section. The width at the ends is 0.52 m and 0.40 m (trunk and plait end of the tree). The hull is 0.33 m high in the middle. The bow and stern areas are flat towards the end and are rounded. The thickness of the boat wall varies between 3 and 5 cm. There are two closed partitions in the dugout. These transverse bulkheads create a 40 cm × 43 cm box with field stones inside. The traces of processing that were created by a flat hollow adze are still very clearly visible .

Dating

The analysis of the wood showed that the dugout canoe was made of ash wood, with a felling date of around / after 1389. This makes it an exception among the dugout finds, as most of them were made of oak. Furthermore, on the side of the dugout in the sediment, there was a spherical bottom vessel with a handle, which dates back to the 14th century.

The dugout canoe was probably used in fishing. This is indicated by the box in the stern area, which could have served as a fish box .

literature

  • Hans-Jürgen Döhle : Fish remains from the area of ​​the fish fence in the Arendsee. In: Nachrichtenblatt Arbeitskreis Unterwasserarchäologie. Volume 15, 2009, 25-27.
  • Monika Hellmund : Pollen analyzes on sediments of the late Neolithic fish fence from the Arendsee, Altmarkkreis Salzwedel. In: Nachrichtenblatt Arbeitskreis Unterwasserarchäologie. Volume 15, 2009, 28-36.
  • Rosemarie Leineweber , Harald Lübke : The dugout canoe from the Arendsee. In: Nachrichtenblatt Arbeitskreis Unterwasserarchäologie. Volume 3, 2006, 33-44.
  • Rosemarie Leineweber, Harald Lübke: Underwater archeology in the Altmark. In: Archeology in Saxony-Anhalt. New episode. Volume 4, Issue 1, 2006 (2007) 127-139.
  • Rosemarie Leineweber, Harald Lübke: Underwater archeology in the Arendsee. In: Nachrichtenblatt Arbeitskreis Unterwasserarchäologie. Volume 15, 2009, 13-24.
  • Rosemarie Leineweber: Discovered in magazines, files and waters. Dugouts in Saxony-Anhalt. In: Nachrichtenblatt Arbeitskreis Unterwasserarchäologie. Volume 15, 2009, 83-92.
  • Harald Meller , Rosemarie Leineweber (ed.): "... antiquum Arnesse ...". Interdisciplinary research on the history of the Arendsee (2003–2011) (= archeology in Saxony-Anhalt. Special volume 31). State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology Saxony-Anhalt, Halle (Saale) 2019, ISBN 978-3-948618-02-5 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Leineweber / Lübke: Underwater archeology in the Altmark. 2007, p. 127.
  2. ↑ Diving Club Arendsee e. V.