Zwischen Elbe und Ems Die Siedlungen der Trichterbecherkultur in Nordwestdeutschland
| Main Author: | Mennenga, Moritz |
|---|---|
| Format: | Book |
| Bahasa: | deu |
| Terbitan: |
, 2017
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: |
https://zenodo.org/record/1101041 |
Daftar Isi:
- Download: https://www.schwerpunkt-monumente.de/schwerpunktprogramm/publikationen/fmsd-13-zwischen-elbe-und-ems-die-siedlungen-der-trichterbecherkultur-in-nordwestdeutschland/index.html This study investigates and analyses the settlements of the Funnel Beaker culture (Trichterbecherkultur TRB) in north-western Germany. The scope of the study was affected by the project “Requirements , structures and consequences of settlement and land use in north-western Germany at the time of the Funnel Beaker and Single Grave cultures” as part of the DFG Priority Programme 1400, “Early Monumentality and Social Differentiation”. Geographically, the study mainly covers north-western Germany and the Netherlands, i.e. the core settlement area of the Funnel Beaker West Group. In addition, several smaller regions are also described, where there were excellent opportunities for archaeological and palaeobotanical investigations. An analysis of the known sites and the state of research in the respective regions soon showed that the basic situation in each region varied greatly, depending on the researcher and individual definitions. The only record providing comparable data sets within one region is that for the small area around Flögeln, where a thorough surface inspection of the “islands” of Pleistocene sandy soil (Geest) was carried out. This revealed that, despite several hundred find spots, there were only a few where the surface finds indicated the presence of buried settlement remains with any certainty. The following therefore concentrates above all on the settlements with house ground plans and their immediate surrounding areas. In the wide-ranging study area in north-western Germany, more than 1200 megalithic and flat graves are known, but only very few house ground plans. When all the certain and probable houses dating to the Funnel Beaker period in north-western Germany and the Netherlands are taken into consideration, i.e. 13 sites, of which 11 belong to the West Group, only 18 houses have been identified with certainty; a few others must be classified as uncertain. These house ground plans have often only been presented in short articles, not always published, and an overall review has not yet been undertaken. SUMMARY Emphasis is first placed on the building features, i.e. the buildings with wall trenches that are a typical construction design of the Funnel Beaker culture. A further point, which has hardly been investigated so far, is the question of the inner structure of the settlements and comparisons between them. Also addressed is the question of why so few house ground plans are known compared with the number of graves and, consequently, whether and how the chances of finding more house ground plans can be increased. The typological models for stone artefacts and pottery are of great importance in the investigation of the buildings and their chronology as well as for the analysis of the inner structure of the settlements. In addition to several other typological models, that of Anna Brindley was mainly used for classification here. While working with this model, it became apparent that the absolute chronology is based on relatively few 14C dates, and these are mainly from the 1980s. More recent 14C dates were therefore obtained from material found in features with typologically dated vessels and these were included in an attempt to improve the overall chronological framework. First of all, it was noted that the relative chronology of the Brindley phases, which cover the whole of the Funnel Beaker culture, was confirmed. At the same time, it could be seen that the first horizon began about 50-110 years earlier than previously believed. Moreover, the durations of the individual horizons then change. It can be assumed that, thanks to the larger data base, the new time scale will be closer to the actual chronology of the changes in the material, and that Brindley’s chronology is basically correct. Nevertheless, methodological difficulties and the small quantity of data in the earlier horizons, make further research necessary to achieve greater accuracy in the absolute chronology. The buildings found in the study area can be divided into three major categories: buildings with or without wall trenches and special buildings, which include a possible storehouse, a pit house and a possible cult house. The Flögeln-type houses with wall trenches are the best-known of the structures unique to the Funnel Beaker West Group and, in this form, are only found here. They have been reported with either one or two rooms: the smaller ones always have only one aisle whereas the larger ones can have two aisles and usually have an ante area. These longhouses with several rooms are all very similar and, although of varying sizes, the ground plans are almost identical. On closer examination, the relative proportions of the individual rooms are almost always the same, which is perhaps a reflection of their different functions. Starting from the closed side, there first appears to be a very small room containing a pit, in which several pots had been deposited. This was very probably a sacred area within the house. Evidence of a recess in House A in Pennigbüttel, which was interpreted as a grave, seems to confirm this. In some cases, there is then a second small room, followed by a large room that is divided in two by a wall. This large room will have been the communal living area. The adjacent ante area has parallels in the wetland settlement at Hunte, which suggest that is was used as a working area. Given the similar proportions of the buildings, it can be assumed that construction followed a modular design or, at least, that there was knowledge of a basic blueprint. The origin of the building design cannot be determined with certainty: it was probably not a local development but was influenced, rather, by the Irish/British area. Buildings of the 5th millennium BC found there are very similar, or even almost identical, to those found in north-western Germany, e.g. Flögeln 7617 and Ballyglass. Not only the structure of the buildings but also the type of settlement, consisting of individual farmsteads with a maximum of three buildings, depositions in the houses and a comparable position in the landscape all resemble the structures of the West Group. Even though a transfer of the building design cannot yet be traced seamlessly, strong similarities clearly point to such influence. In addition to these houses with wall trenches, ground plans indicating a traditional post-in-hole construction are also known at Engter and Lavenstedt: Engter can be classified as the Mossby type and Lavenstedt as the Dagstorp II type. Both these house ground plans have parallels in the Funnel Beaker North Group. Especially in the case of Lavenstedt, this is not surprising given the geographical location: past research has shown that the Elbe-Weser-Triangle has always been a variable border between the North, Altmark and West Groups. Nearby are Wittenwater and Rullstorf, where the only two other Funnel Beaker house ground plans to the west of the Elbe have been found so far. In connection with the houses, the special buildings should also be mentioned. In Lavenstedt there is a complex that has been interpreted as a storehouse, a small, almost rectangular building with just a few finds from the area in front of it. The cult house in Hainmühlen, found in the 1960s, must also be considered. The corner of the building that was excavated, and had not been destroyed by sand extraction, is very similar to the Funnel Beaker cult houses found in Scandinavia. Further investigation of this site is no longer possible so that an unequivocal attribution cannot be made. The final special building is pit house 5700 in Flögeln. Here, too, some publications refer to it as a cult house. A comparison with such features in Scandinavia, undertaken in the course of the analysis of the finds and features, did not reveal any great similarity. Contrary to statements made in certain publications, there was no trace of fire, other than on some pottery found inside the building. As already mentioned, the chronology of most of the houses can be determined not only by the pottery finds but also by 14C dates. However, very few finds are available for the settlements that have buildings with wall trenches, and there are absolutely no cultural layers. These have only been found on the sites at Lavenstedt and Rullstorf. Detailed analyses of the find material from Rullstorf are not yet available but analyses of the Lavenstedt material were carried out as part of this study. Several categories of finds can be summarized, which define the different areas within the settlements. First of all, it is noticeable that, in both cases, the finds were mainly located outside the buildings. At Lavenstedt, there is a concentration of finds along the long northern wall of the house, which suggests that waste was disposed of here. Furthermore, there are concentrations in the lithic material that can be interpreted as evidence of working areas or depositions. If only the significant concentrations are taken into consideration, and randomly distributed finds ignored, groups of tools become apparent at various places in the settlement. Although it is not possible to date these concentrations with certainty, it seems obvious that they date to similar periods as there is very little overlapping. On all the sites where material was found not only in the context of buildings, the range of finds indicates settlement activities. Scrapers are clearly the dominant flint tool. There is only a small portion of decorated vessels among the pottery material, which is all very fragmented. As on other Funnel Beaker sites, conical- rim vessels and baking pans are frequently found, whereas funnel-rim vessels are rather rare. Flögeln is the only exception: here the proportion of funnel-rim vessels is relatively high.
- German Science Foundation SPP 1400