Wekenborg

The Wekenborg located south of Bokeloh in Meppen in Emsland in Lower Saxony on a ground spur to the east steeply to the rabbit drops. In terms of the type of fortification, the Wekenborg can be dated to the early to high Middle Ages , although the place also contained older finds. It was first mentioned in a document as "Konick Wedeken Borg" from 1444. The fortification is very well preserved.

In the west, south and east there are natural steep slopes surrounded by the hare. The almost flat plateau lies 9-10 m above the river and is secured from west to northeast by a wall with a berm and an outer ditch. The inner area has an east-west extension of 300 to 325 m and a north-south length of 260 to 320 m and a size of almost 10 hectares.

In 1891 and 1915, Carl Schuchhardt carried out excavations on the ramparts and the gate. The north and south walls consist of layered heathland plagues without any reinforcement. At the outer foot of the wall front, Schuchhardt observed a continuous swell, behind which the steep layer of plagues began. The preserved height of the ramparts reaches up to 1.8 m. The bottom width is an average of seven meters. In front of the wall are an eight-meter-wide berm and a pointed ditch about 4.5 m wide and 2.5 m deep. In the northern area of ​​the western wall was the old gate, which is apparently a pincer gate. In the excavation cut at the old gate, Schuchhardt discovered the remains of burned piles and planks.

Finds

The shards of native, black-brown, coarse "Curtis ceramics" probably dated to the early or high Middle Ages. Several Roman coins from the 2nd century AD are said to have been found in Wekenborg in the 19th century , but they have been lost. In 1973 anomalies were discovered in the plowed western castle area as part of the evaluation of aerial photographs, which suggest Iron Age Celtic Fields . In 1992, numerous ceramic fragments from the pre-Roman Iron Age and earlier Roman Imperial Era (some with finger-tip decoration ), a bronze fibula hanger , a spindle whorl and some late medieval ceramic shards were found as surface finds .

Carl Schuchhardt also examined some of the nearby burial mounds in 1891 , as he suspected a connection with the Wekenborg. The investigation revealed only corpse burn and charcoal. In 1915 an almost preserved bronze age cup came to light in one of the great mounds.

literature

• State Museum for Natural History and Prehistory (Ed.): Archaeological Monuments between Weser and Ems Oldenburg Research New Series Volume 13 Isensee Oldenburg 2000 p. 278

Coordinates: 52 ° 41 ′ 22.2 ″  N , 7 ° 20 ′ 27.5 ″  E