Wall of Rössen

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The Wall of Rössen is a fortification that probably dates from the Neolithic in Rössen , a district of Leuna in the Saalekreis , Saxony-Anhalt . In 1915, prior to the construction of the railway line between Leipzig and Merseburg, an archaeological excavation took place under the direction of the archaeologist P. Berger, which was published by Nils Niklasson (1890–1966). In this on the south side of the wall, settlement pits of Stroked Pottery (4900-4600 v. Chr.) And the early Iron Age (800-450 v. Chr.) And several burials of Baalberge group (4200-3100 v. Chr.), The salt mouths Culture (3400–3100 BC), the Corded Ceramic Culture (2800–2200 BC) and the Bell Beaker Culture (2600–2200 BC) discovered. The finds from this excavation are now in the depot of the State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology Saxony-Anhalt in Halle (Saale) .

location

The wall is located in the southeast of Rössen, directly on the Merseburg – Leipzig-Leutzsch railway line . A little to the north lies the Rössen burial mound in the middle of a green area , which was also examined by Niklasson in 1918 and 1925. Further south, in the area of ​​today's villa settlement Neu Rössen , the Rössen grave field was uncovered in the 1880s, 1890s and 1918 , which became the eponymous site for the Rössen culture .

description

The wall

The wall is oriented northeast-southwest and has a length of 200 m. A moat was found on the outside of the ramparts . There were several post holes between the wall and the moat . No finds suitable for dating could be recovered from the wall itself, nor was a complete investigation possible. The southern apron of the wall was more productive, where several settlement finds and graves were discovered.

The settlement findings

The settlement pits found contained both Stone Age and Early Iron Age material. To the Stone Age finds were sting, ribbons, decorated pottery shards, flint - cores and discounts as well as animal bones.

Another settlement finding was a hearth or cooking pit with a diameter of 1.25 m. It contained burnt clay, which was the remains of a brick wall, and numerous animal bones. Pottery was not found. A chronological classification was difficult, but Niklasson suspected a connection with the Iron Age settlement pits.

A third settlement finding was a square trench with a length of 20 m and a width of 15 m. Its function is unclear, a house floor plan was ruled out by Niklasson.

The graves

In addition to the settlement findings, six graves were uncovered south of the wall. The first was 2.8 m long and 1.9 m wide. It had a pavement made of ceramic shards and was implemented with individual stones. The skeleton was badly damaged and was crouched with its head facing south. The only burial object found was a bulging vessel that was decorated with a row of cross stitches on the neck-shoulder fold and fringed ladder ribbons on the shoulder and stomach. Typologically it belongs to the Salzmünder culture.

The second grave had no stone implementation. Here the skeleton lay on its right side with its knees bent. The head was to the west. An amphora was found as a burial object . Under the two handles it had an ornament, each of which consisted of two curved, parallel strips, between which five vertical strips ran. This vessel also dates from the Baalberg culture.

The third grave contained a stool burial. The skeleton lay on the left and was oriented north-south with a view to the east. Grave goods were a small, undecorated mug and a rectangular ceramic arm protection plate with perforations at the corners . The finds allow the burial to be assigned to the bell-cup culture.

The fourth grave was a small stone box only 1 m long and 0.75 m wide. It was oriented northwest-southeast and consisted of thin stone slabs. The box contained the remains of a child's skeleton. The head was in the northwest. No additions were found, which makes a temporal and cultural classification difficult. Perhaps the grave belongs to the Corded Pottery culture.

A fifth grave had no stone protection. The skeleton lay in a right crouched position with its head to the west and arms crossed on its chest. Additions were not found, so that a temporal and cultural assignment is not possible.

The sixth grave was again a stone box. It was oriented north-northeast-south-southwest and also contained the remains of a child's skeleton. Also included were a beaker decorated with string, the lower part of another vessel (possibly a small amphora) and round, perforated shell discs. The grave can be safely assigned to the cord ceramic culture based on the additions.

literature

  • Ulrich Fischer : The Stone Age graves in the Saale region. Studies on Neolithic and Early Bronze Age grave and burial forms in Saxony-Saxony-Anhalt (= prehistoric research. Volume 15). De Gruyter, Berlin 1956.
  • Dieter Kaufmann : Neolithic trenches. In: J. Jankofsky, D. Kaufmann, R. Schade (eds.): On the archaeological roots of the city of Leuna. The archaeological hiking trail in Leuna, taking into account recent cultural-historical features of the city with a brief outline of the recent history since the construction of the Leuna works. Halle (Saale) 1998, pp. 27-34.
  • Nils Niklasson : Recent excavations in Rössen. In: Mannus , Volume 11/12, 1920/21, pp. 309-337.
  • Joachim Preuss : The Baalberger Group in Central Germany (= publications of the State Museum for Prehistory in Halle. Volume 21). Deutscher Verlag der Wissenschaften, Berlin 1966, p. 182.

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