Viereckschanze near Peterhof (Gersthofen)
The late Celtic Viereckschanze near Peterhof is located on a branch of the "Great Forest" in the Augsburg-Western Forests nature park ( Augsburg district , Swabia ). The earthwork is cut through by a driveway and disturbed by further punctures and a sand pit.
history
The more than three hundred proven Viereckschanzen in southern Germany were built in the late La Tène period and are interpreted by recent research as manors that were integrated into a larger settlement structure. Occasionally a cultic function can also be assumed. As a fortification, the ski jumps could only be used to a very limited extent due to their low wall heights and ditch depths as well as their fortification-wise unfavorable location in the area.
description
The earthwork (called "castle") is on the top of the terrain spur at about 515 m above sea level. NHN . The floor plan is almost rectangular. The northern rampart is about 107 m long, the south wall about 110 m. The side walls measure 77 m in the east and 64 m in the west. On the south side, a natural embankment limits the jump, the other sides are preceded by shallow trenches. In the north, the wall (measured from the bottom of the trench) is up to 2.50 m high.
The inside of the ski jumping hill (approx. 0.765 ha) arches over the hill tops. The driveway runs about 5 m above the bottom of the trench.
literature
- Wilhelm Neu, Frank Otten: District of Augsburg (Bavarian art monuments, brief inventory, XXX). Munich, 1970
- Otto Schneider, Hans Frei (among others): Archaeological walks around Augsburg (guide to archaeological monuments in Bavaria. Swabia, 1). Stuttgart, Aalen, 1973
- Otto Schneider: The Viereckschanzen in the Augsburg district (contributions to local history of the Augsburg district, Volume III). Augsburg, 1963
Coordinates: 48 ° 26 ′ 22.5 " N , 10 ° 46 ′ 20.8" E