The cemetery of Sehringsberg
draft text for the book "Germany in the Bronze Age" (1996) by Ernst Probst old German spelling
In the eastern and northern Harz region of Saxony-Anhalt claimed from about 1300/1200 to around 600 BC, the helmet village groups. Its southern neighbor was in the Thuringian basin concentrated Unstrut group, its northern neighbors on both sides of the lower Saale Saale native estuarine group.
between these three cultures can make for smoother transitions are no clear demarcations. The ceramic had the helmet village groups much in common with the Saale estuarine group. Other hand, reflect their bronze objects in close contact with the Unstrut group. The
Helmsdorf group owes the cemetery on the Sehringsberg the village of the district helmet Heiligenthal1 (District Mansfeld) in Saxony-Anhalt her name. The term Helmsdorf group goes to the prehistoric Jörg Lechler (1894-1969) back, had dug in the 1913-1918 and 1925 from Sehringsberg Helmsdorf culture spoken. The name Helmsdorf group was introduced in 1967 by the the National Museum of Prehistory, Halle / Saale, make prehistorian Berthold Schmidt.
in particular, are in the eastern Harz Mountains was discovered a remarkable number of discoveries, settlements and cemeteries. Consequently, the affected population should focus on the reduction of copper ore in the Mansfeld region and its further processing, as well as for agriculture be due to favorable soil. The
prehistorian Berthold Schmidt has represented 1978, the view that it is possible the time period in which there was the helmet village groups in the Harz mountains, almost be described as a "golden age". He then wrote: "It is an era in which large settlements, fortifications, extensive cemeteries built with sophisticated grave monuments, organized elaborate religious ceremonies, most intense copper mined and bronze was used in number, in the livestock and agriculture flourished and the number the people living here must have been relatively high. "
The helmet villages people lived in dirt and paved Settlements. In Polleben2 (District Mansfeld) the villages at that time were in a gentle slope. A dirt hill settlement with an area of about two to three hectares had been on a high plateau north of applied Timmenrode (District Wernigerode).
fortified by excavations proved higher settlements of the helmet village groups are far from the acropolis at evil castle (District Mansfeld), on the Schalkenburg at Quenstedt (District Mansfeld) and on the little counter-Stone in Ballenstedt / Harz (district Quedlinburg) known. Probably the acropolis of Quedlinburg was developed as a bulwark. The
about 600 meters long and 250 meters wide, Castle Hill (also called Kirchberg) east of evil castle a district of Rottelsdorf is from the adjacent plateau separated by a ravine. On the mountain spur, an area of approximately twelve acres was protected all around by a mighty wall, which consisted of loess and tree trunks.
evidence of the former dwellings in the sandstone rocks sunken storage pits and post holes. The inhabitants of ancient farmers have buried their dead on the nearby Gold Mountain. This attachment to evil castle was about four centuries. It was in the early Iron Age about 600 BC, during a raid set on fire and destroyed.
The walls of former houses are not only several newly plastered, but also sometimes been painted. The corresponding Proof of this was achieved in a settlement between evil castle and Rottelsdorf (District Mansfeld). There, they found Lehmbrock that were plastered up to three times with white paint. Some pieces are even traces of red paint observed. It was a decoration with parallel straight lines, curved stripes and dots. The white color contains mainly clay, the red, a mixture of kaolin and iron oxide.
As safeguards for the attachment to the castle at Schalke Quenstedt served one constructed of wood and earth wall, and two in front of excavated trenches. On the wooden interior wall of wood and earth rampart like blockhouses longhouses were grown. These Wallburg fell by 600 BC, destroyed by fire.
Wall castle on the little stone counter at Ballenstedt took an area of about 400 meters long and 225 meters wide, so about nine acres one. In contrast to the evil castle and fortifications at the Schalkenburg that "castle" was not destroyed. It is unclear whether the settlement amount was fixed on the adjacent Great against stone. There were just close together, round storage pits are detected.
The inhabitants of the castle wall at Castle evil sowed and reaped Spelt (Triticum spelta), winter barley (Hordeum vulgare), (Triticum dicoccon) Emmer, einkorn (Triticum monococcum) and millet (Panicum miliaceum). This Cereals were grown separately. Moreover, in that attachment and field bean (Vicia faba) and flax are (Linum usitatissimum) demonstrated by finds. In
evil castle has been discovered in a large tub-like timber vessel, the largest amount of hoarded grain in central Germany. It consisted of four quintals grains and Unkrautsämereien. A total of 26 plant species have been identified. The cereals Fund comes from the early Iron Age around 600 BC In
Burgdorf (district Mansfeld) have been buried in a cemetery in shallow pits victims skull and lower parts of horses' legs. It was probably dwarf females with a withers of 1.27 Meters.
were in a pit of the aforementioned settlement between evil castle and Rottelsdorf except daub and wall plaster and the remains of weaving weights, and bone from cattle, roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), a tooth from the red deer (Cervus elaphus) and the fragment of a painter's mussel (Unio pictorum). The pottery of the
Helmsdorf group often consists of dark brown, chocolate brown and dark gray, rarely blackish tone. Typical alternating vertical ridges and scoring groups as decoration on the vessel belly. There were pots, trays, bowls, pitchers and cups with helical grooves. The Saale estuarine group had the Helmsdorf group clay hopper shells Cylinder neck and the tureens in the interior of the vessel-mounted four-spoke Radkreuzmuster together.
From the above-mentioned attachment to the castle at Schalke Quenstedt is an earthen Sauggefäß in front of bull. This 12.5 cm high object has a capacity of 575 cubic centimeters. Thus, it is more than twice as large as the usual for children-made Sauggefäße whose volume is usually less than 270 cubic centimeters. This could turn a sick or old person has been fed. Unknown is the function of Tonhorns from Polleben (District Mansfeld). As with the
Unstrut group were also in the circulation area of the village groups helmet bronze hooks and spirals twisted neck rings usual. The hook spirals are interpreted as objects for holding a garment.
for fire funeral of a six-to eight-year-old child at Westerhausen (District Quedlinburg) are a number of pottery vessels and bronze ornaments (two trailers, five small bronze spirals, bronze wire and a summarized superseded bronze band at 2.5 centimeters in diameter and 1.8 centimeters wide). Of these, a 3.9 cm long and 3.4 centimeters wide trailer with animal head and ring-like conductor is particularly worthy of mention-he. In the paper, it could have been a part of the head and front legs of a goat, but also a human-like representation as to a Scandinavian Rock art.
in Quedlinburg have been found more than 100 green to dark blue glass beads that are treated as import goods. A glass bead with a diameter of 1.2 cm and a central hole was also in a cairn grave of Beesenstedt (Saalkreis). Glass beads were then rare.
on the cemeteries of the village groups were made helmet body and cremations. The stone box graves are usually aligned from north to south. The body or the cremated remains stored in a clay pot was placed with their gifts (ceramics jewelry, weapons) on a rectangular stone pavement. In a stone box in the form of a "false arch" was piled up. Multiple graves were marked with a circle pit. In the northern Harz mountains there were burial mounds.
In the earlier period (period IV) of the deceased group Helmsdorf mostly buried individually in Steingrä-bern. Such tombs were three-to five groups. In contrast, buried in the recent period (Period V) the cremated remains of the dead, each in a clay pot (double cone, terrine), in stone boxes or shorter stone box-like containers. These sometimes contain up to five cremations.
The cemetery on said Goldberg on evil castle is considered the largest cemetery in the helmet Dorfer Group. There you have studied a part of the cemetery and systematically exposed the previous 120 square stone box graves and two circular ditches. The excavator Berthold Schmidt, Halle / Saale is believed that the burial ground for at least the same number of graves or multiples thereof. They originate mainly from the period IV, the dead were either burned or unburned buried.
The Goldberg is usually only one person, two people rarely buried. The graves were laid out as a three-to five groups. Several times the graves marked by stone pillars, which were once visible, but after the collapse of the graves or their wooden fittings in the ground sank. The
about a kilometer south of Heiligenthal helmet village on the crest of the cemetery located Sehringsberges includes 62 cairn tombs and five circular ditches. On the mountain offers a panoramic view of the Mansfeld region. Again, the dead were buried unburned both burned only with sparse offerings.
The cairn graves in the Sehringsberg consist of 20 to 50 centimeters wide and rubble are fitted with a plaster floor, standing on edge and side stones are provided with inwardly tapered cover stones. In most cases, there was only a skeleton, rarely two skeletons, or the cremated remains of a man in a Grave. In three of the aforementioned circular ditches each was a central cairn grave (central grave) erected. In two other circular ditches, there were other than central grave nor ever simultaneous addition or further burials took place. On the western slopes of remind
Sehringsberges now a small, by the National Museum of Prehistory, Halle / Saale, soil conservationists and volunteers decorated open-air museum with some stone box graves at the 280-meter and 180 meter wide cemetery.
About 20 to 25 hills once expected - reports from the 19th have counted the hilly burial ground near Westerhausen circulated Quedlinburg - century, according to. In the 1950s there were only eight of them hill with diameters 12:00 to 23:00 m and a height of 0.35 to obtained 1.70 meters. During the excavation of a mound of the aforementioned prehistorian Berthold Schmidt has found five graves. The group took
Helmsdorf probably in the early Iron Age about 600 BC, a violent end. Your last relics found in the so-called disaster horizon that was found on the occasion among others, studies of the aforementioned Wall evil castle, and castles in the castle at Schalke Quenstedt.
0 comments:
Post a Comment