Authors:Simone Nørgaard Mehlsen, Silja Arnfridardottir Christensen Pages: 19 - 42 Abstract: During the spring and summer of 2020, traces of a settlement dating to the Neolithic Period and Bronze Age were archaeologically excavated just north of present-day Vejen in the central part of Southern Jutland. The site was inhabited at a time of major societal changes at the end of the Neolithic Period. During the excavation traces from several houses were found, dating primarily between the Late Neolithic and the Late Bronze Age, with the majority of the houses around 2000 BC. The site contained both two- and three-aisled longhouses as well as a so-called »hybrid house«, which combines these two types of construction. It is far from the first time a hybrid house has been excavated in Jutland, but only few have so far been published. These houses can contribute to new information regarding the introduction of three-aisled houses in Southern Scandinavia. Furthermore, several pits containing large amounts of charred grains were excavated. An archaeobotanical analysis of these grains has provided information about what the inhabitants chose to cultivate and consume, as well as information about how crops etc. were stored. The results showed that the main crop at Revsinggård II was naked barley with a supplement of emmer/spelt wheat. These analyses have also given information about the activities within the wider area surrounding the houses and demonstrated how important a good sampling strategy is for further archeological research. PubDate: 2023-12-13 Issue No:Vol. 2022, No. 19 (2023)
Authors:Christoph Unglaub, Stefanie Klooss, Ruth Blankenfeldt Pages: 43 - 58 Abstract: The western part of the North Frisian island of Amrum is characterized by a wide area of sand dunes. Beneath the dunes the old geest landscape with prehistoric settlement sites and burial grounds is preserved. At the wind exposed site Nebel LA 431 near the duck decoy Meeram uncovered structures were documented and small exploratory excavations were carried out between 2020 and 2022. Using modern methods, a farmstead of the late pre-Roman Iron Age / early Roman Imperial Period is being investigated here. Several settlement sites had already been documented by Hans Hingst in the 1960s and 1970s in the nearby surroundings. The former occupation layer of the settlement is characterized by extensive stone pavements. These are partly covered by a massive cultural layer containing burnt clay, marine clay, charcoal, and numerous pottery sherds. In addition to a courtyard pavement preserved over an area of about 25 m², in which a large pit and a fireplace are embedded, it was possible to document at least two socalled manure gutters, carefully set out of stones and representing the longitudinal central passage in the livestock barn section of the longhouse. Several oval hearths, paved and partly covered with a clay mantle, indicate the living part of the house. Intensive traces of fire in the living quarters suggest that this part of the house had to be renewed at least once and that several settlement phases presumably overlap here. Furthermore, an old soil with Neolithic flint artifacts beneath the Iron Age settlement layer indicates older settlement phases. PubDate: 2023-12-13 Issue No:Vol. 2022, No. 19 (2023)
Authors:Ruth Blankenfeldt, Stefanie Klooss, Hanna Hadler, Bente Sven Majchczack, Dennis Wilken, Dirk Bienen-Scholt Pages: 59 - 74 Abstract: The North Frisian Wadden Sea is regarded as an important natural area and is now protected as a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At the same time, it is a relic of a submerged cultural landscape. Environmental influences, extreme weather conditions but also dyke construction and artificial land reclamation have constantly changed the region over the past millennia. While some areas could be regained after a devastating flood, other parts sank into the sea for ever. Remains of the lost terps and their agricultural land are preserved under the present-day surface of the Wadden Sea. An interdisciplinary, partly DFG-funded research project is addressing the systematic investigation of selected areas in the North Frisian Wadden Sea. Largescale non-invasive methods of geophysics together with analyses of aerial photographs and drone photography are combined with targeted geoarchaeological and archaeological investigations. A defined working area is located near the present-day Hallig Südfall, where the trading centre of Rungholt, which sank on 16 January 1362, is assumed to have been located. Here, for the first time, the path of a medieval dyke, terps, and drainage ditches could be reconstructed, and various locations of tide gates identified. Hallig Hooge and the surrounding tidal flats form another area of investigation. A large number of submerged settlement 60 areas as well as new insights into the extent and organisation of medieval salt peat quarrying are the focus of the current investigations here. PubDate: 2023-12-13 Issue No:Vol. 2022, No. 19 (2023)
Authors:Martin Egelund Poulsen Pages: 75 - 96 Abstract: In the central part of southern Jutland, two settlements with houses from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age have recently been excavated in Vejen. At Halvvejgård and Kongeengen, respectively excavated in 2020 and 2022, seven two-aisled houses from the Late Neolithic and the earliest Bronze Age (c. 2300 – 1500 BC) were found along with ten three-aisled longhouses from the middle of the Early Bronze Age (c. 1500 – 1200 BC). Four of the twoaisled houses had sunken-floors, while two houses had wall trenches and represent a rarely excavated two-aisled house-type that sometimes features three-aisled elements. Nine three-aisled houses from the younger settlement had bole-walls, and three of these were of monumental size, measuring 39 – 45 × 8 m. Observations in some of the postholes clearly support the interpretation as bole-walls. Two of these houses have remarkably early radiocarbon dates, which is relevant in the discussion of the transition between the two- and three-aisled building tradition. The settlements at Halvvejgård and Kongeengen represent new important additions to earlier excavated Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age settlements in the local area and the region of southern Jutland as well. PubDate: 2023-12-13 Issue No:Vol. 2022, No. 19 (2023)
Authors:Stefanie Schaefer-Di Maida Pages: 97 - 116 Abstract: The Mang de Bargen site near Bornhöved (district of Segeberg), once the target of gravel works, developed into one of the best-dated Bronze Age sites in Schleswig-Holstein. The burial ground was used from the Late Neolithic to the Pre-Roman Iron Age for burying the dead. For this long period of use, several cultural changes, including burial rites, furnishings and further activities can be traced. The consistent dating of almost all the graves allows in particular concretising the change from inhumation to cremation and the transition from burial mounds with tree coffins to the beginning of the use of urns in northern Germany. Anthropological analyses of the cremations from Mang de Bargen and other sites in the area also reveal the age-related placement and furnishings, which motivate new discussions. The aim of this contribution is to present and discuss the latest results from the site and the surrounding area. PubDate: 2023-12-13 Issue No:Vol. 2022, No. 19 (2023)
Authors:Ingo Lütjens Pages: 117 - 131 Abstract: The first developer funded excavations were carried out in Schleswig-Holstein in 2004. Since 2012, the so-called »Verursacherprinzip « has been included in the law (»Denkmalschutzgesetz«). These investigations showed that previously unknown Iron Age settlements were relatively often recorded. This led to a considerable gain of knowledge, especially for the eastern and central parts of the country. Prior to 2012, Iron Age settlements were rarely uncovered on a large scale but were mainly excavated as research projects in the West Coast regions. This article presents the changed level of knowledge and the resulting potential. PubDate: 2023-12-13 Issue No:Vol. 2022, No. 19 (2023)
Authors:Solveig Ketelsen Pages: 133 - 153 Abstract: Looking on a map, the island of Als has a very interesting location – close to the mainland, while still being surrounded by the sea. Due to its location close to the mainland of Sønderjylland, its political affiliation changed repeatedly in historical times, which is also being discussed for prehistoric times. Bearing this in mind, the development of the settlement structure on Als during the Early Iron Age (c. 500 BC – AD 350) was investigated as part of a Master’s thesis, especially regarding characteristic types of longhouses. The results are presented here. For the first time an attempt has been made to collect and analyse all the material available from Museum Sønderjylland – Arkæologi’s finding reports. It is demonstrated that the overall picture of the settlement structure on Als and its development during the Early Iron Age is quite consistent, even though there are few regional and chronological differing tendencies. Furthermore each period from the Early Pre-Roman Iron Age to the Late Roman Iron Age seems to be dominated by one specific longhouse type. The connection to mainland building traditions cannot be overlooked, but still the settlements on Als developed their own regional traits. PubDate: 2023-12-13 Issue No:Vol. 2022, No. 19 (2023)
Authors:Anna Egelund Poulsen, Helene Agerskov Rose Pages: 155 - 165 Abstract: Aarupgaard urnfield is situated in Southern Jutland, between Gram and Ribe, and visitors can still today catch a glimpse of the largest barrows in the tall grass. The urnfield was discovered in the late 19th century and although minor excavations were carried out over the years, it was excavated almost in its entirety by Erik Jørgensen from Museum Sønderjylland in 1970 – 1972. The excavations revealed c. 1300 well-preserved urnfield graves, making Aarupgaard the largest known urnfield in Denmark. Aarupgaard urnfield has the potential to become a cornerstone in our understanding of Early Iron Age societies, but although many years have passed since its excavation and the material has been included in more projects over the years, the site has never been fully published. A working group was therefore established in 2018, with the aim of preparing Aarupgaard urnfield for publication. Digital registration of the archival material alone is a considerable task, but this is hopefully not the last we hear of Aarupgaard urnfield. PubDate: 2023-12-13 Issue No:Vol. 2022, No. 19 (2023)
Authors:Almut Fichte Pages: 167 - 183 Abstract: In 2018, a trial trench near an offshoot of the Flensburg Fjord revealed a row of three partly parallel linear ditches. Adjoining one of those ditches was a much thinner palisade ditch, another few smaller ditches, as well as a settlement. The buildings of the settlement had the same direction as the parallel ditches and date mainly to the late Roman Iron Age, around the same time as the large depositions of weaponry in the nearby situated Nydam bog. The construction of the parallel ditches seems to date to the middle of the Bronze Age, around the same time as an extensive cultural shift happened throughout most of Europe. However, they also seem to have layers from the pre-Roman Iron Age and a top layer, and thus closure, which is contemporary with the settlement traces of the late Roman Iron Age. Until now, no other similar Bronze Age structures are known from the Danish area. There are no contemporary settlements nearby and the original function of the ditches is still unclear. Very similar structures are known from Germany and in great number from the United Kingdom. Here they are often accompanied by pit rows, which may be the case in Nübel too. The parallel ditches, however, are not the only fascinating aspect of this site. Some of the nearby situated smaller ditches, as well as a large depositional layer, seem to date to the mid Neolithic, just as a nearby circular structure may date to the Neolithic Period. A fortified manor and a church show that the site was also settled during the Medieval Period, though presumably unaware of the much older ditches. PubDate: 2023-12-13 Issue No:Vol. 2022, No. 19 (2023)
Authors:Ringo Klooss Pages: 185 - 191 Abstract: In Hörup a settlement of the late Imperial to Migration Period could be documented with houses and fence-parallel structures. Numerous slag pits as remains of bloomery furnaces probably also belong to this epoch. During the Migration Period there is a break-off of the settlement. The next building activities do not begin again until the late 8th and 9th centuries. A settlement continuity from the Migration Period to the Viking Age cannot be proven in Hörup. PubDate: 2023-12-13 Issue No:Vol. 2022, No. 19 (2023)
Authors:Tobias Torfing Pages: 193 - 206 Abstract: During the last few years, several new swords of the La Tène-type have been found in Southwestern Jutland. They are, like most of the earlier finds, found in urn graves or firepit graves from the first century BC. This article presents three new finds from two locations, Erisvænget and Tjæreborg Nord, and puts them into their military and social contexts. The new finds expand our numbers of La Tène-swords in the region. Furthermore, the new finds are part of large excavations, and thus it is possible to relate the finds to the cultural landscape around them. The production, distribution, and use of the swords will be discussed. Analyses of one of the swords, from Tjæreborg Nord, and the metal analysis hint at a possible local production of La Tèneswords, though using foreign resources. Further, the article discusses why La Tène-type swords spread to the Germanic area at the very end of the period when the La Tène-swords were used. It seems that the swords do not signify a certain social class, but rather a new military development which is incorporated into a social network of relationships between people. PubDate: 2023-12-13 Issue No:Vol. 2022, No. 19 (2023)
Authors:Daniel Zwick Pages: 207 - 222 Abstract: Between 2016 and 2020, four new shipwrecks were discovered in Schleswig- Holstein‘s Wadden Sea as a result of coastal erosion. In 2022, two additional shipwrecks were exposed by hurricanes. All wrecksites are located in the intertidal zone, i. e. on Hörnum Odde (island of Sylt), as well as the outer shoals of Japsand and Süderoogsand, which form part of the North Frisian barrier islands and have been navigation hazards since time immemorial. The investigated wrecks date between the 17th and 20th centuries AD. Some remarkable constructional features could be observed, which allow inferences on the wrecks‘ origins and shipbuilding traditions. Two of the wrecks feature double- planking carried out in the characteristic Dutch-style shell-first technique that was – until recently – regarded as a fleeting phenomenon of the late 16th and early 17th centuries, but based on these new discoveries, this peculiar construction can now be traced to the mid-18th century. In general, the North Frisian Wadden Sea was a heavily Dutch-influenced area, which finds not only expression in the majority of shipwrecks, but also the maritime culture of the islands. Another aspect worth noting in the context of archaeological research in the intertidal zone is the involvement of local citizens, who facilitate the work of the archaeologists in these remote areas with vital logistical support and knowledge of the local environment. This highlights the public responsibility of 208 archaeologists to involve and share their knowledge with the local community. This paper will provide an overview of the investigated shipwrecks and an update on interim research results. PubDate: 2023-12-13 Issue No:Vol. 2022, No. 19 (2023)
Authors:Jutta Kneisel Pages: 223 - 239 Abstract: North of Bornhöved, district of Segeberg, remains of an unusual burial mound with a ditch and a post henge were found in summer 2018 in a new development area. The barrow belongs to a group of 5 mounds dating to the Older Bronze Age. In cooperation with the Archäologisches Landesamt Schleswig-Holstein and the municipality of Bornhöved, the tumulus was investigated over a large area in 2018 by the project D 3 within the CRC 1266, University of Kiel. The tumulus stands out due to its unusual construction. The central grave was surrounded by a repeatedly excavated ditch, stone circle, stone packing and post henge. Extensive botanical and geological investigations point to a mound that was repeatedly reshaped, enlarged and modified with new features. The highlight of the site was certainly a fire that enclosed the mound in a circle of flames. The burial mound was also later used as a burial place. Seven urn graves partly preserved under a colluvium (Younger Bronze Age) and three stratigraphically younger oval stone pavements bear witness to this. Settlement traces were found in the south-west of the mound with a waste pit below a cultural layer and postholes dating to the Bronze or Iron Age. The article will highlight the complex phases of use of the barrow over the centuries from the Late Neolithic to the Bronze Age and beyond. This type of complex burial construction is typical of the Late Neolithic / Older Bronze Age, but rarely attested in Schleswig-Holstein and Denmark. Rather, the unusual construction points to parallels in the West, the Netherlands and Belgium. PubDate: 2023-12-13 Issue No:Vol. 2022, No. 19 (2023)
Authors:Anders Hartvig Pages: 241 - 254 Abstract: The use of metal detectors and the developer funded archaeological excavations have long been separated – only rarely was the use of metal detectors incorporated as a tool on typical developer funded excavations. One example of this are the excavations at Petersborg during the period 2014 –2021 where Museum Sønderjylland used metal detectors systematically. The excavations revealed settlement evidence from the Neolithic period and Late Bronze Age, as well as a village in two phases dating to the Early and High Middle Ages. Amateur archaeologists organised rallies there in advance of the excavation campaigns, and systematic searches were carried out during the excavations. The many small finds were registered using a hand-held GPS device, and the data was subsequently plotted in MapInfo. By comparing the metal finds with other types of evidence, knowledge about the local rubbish policy as well as information about which types of metal objects the people of the village used during the Early and High Middle Ages can be gained. The incorporation of metal detectors on excavations will not only add other types of objects to the excavation results, but also improve our understanding of sites which have been identified but not yet excavated. PubDate: 2023-12-13 Issue No:Vol. 2022, No. 19 (2023)
Authors:Eric Müller Pages: 255 - 271 Abstract: The area around Flintbek in the Rendsburg- Eckernförde district was previously known primarily for the numerous grave fi nds from the Stone and Bronze Ages. Settlements were hardly detectable. Archaeological sites from the late Roman and Migration Periods have so far been completely absent. During 2020 and 2021, three excavations took place as part of the development of new building areas in the periphery of Flintbek. The sites are settlements from the late Roman Iron Age and Migration Period with numerous structures and homesteads. These sites are special, not just because they are the first evidence of sites of this date in the Flintbek area, but above all because of the very well-preserved settlement structures. Noteworthy are the types of houses that are rare and unusual for the area. Socalled corridor houses appear at the Flintbek sites LA 186 and LA 192, which were previously only known from two other sites in Schleswig-Holstein. Outstanding, however, are the strong influences in house construction from the north or the area of northern Schleswig-Holstein and southern Jutland that can be observed on all three settlement areas, which were previously rarely seen in this form for the Holstein area. The Jutlandic influence manifests itself more clearly in the form of ship-shaped house plans and houses that have their best parallels on Danish sites such as Vorbasse. There are also mixed forms that point to both northern and eastern traditions. Paved paths and squares also point to connections to the north, which until now were virtually unknown to settlements of this time on the Schleswig-Holstein mainland. PubDate: 2023-12-13 Issue No:Vol. 2022, No. 19 (2023)
Authors:Silke Eisenschmidt Pages: 273 - 294 Abstract: In August 2020, a metal detectorist found fragments from a copper-alloy basin and a wooden lid above a ploughed over burial mound, about 7 km south of Haderslev. A trial excavation carried out a few days later could demonstrate that the artifacts came from a 2.0 m wide and minimum 2.6 m long chamber grave aligned southwest-northeast. Only 5 – 10 cm of the fill was preserved. During this trial excavation more fragments of the copper-alloy basin were found, two tongue-shaped Jellinge style brooches, dating to c. 900 – 970 AD, iron fragments of a wooden bucket and other iron fragments. Without doubt, the burial was severely endangered by further ploughing. During the rescue excavation in autumn 2021, it was possible to excavate the grave, financed by The Agency of Culture and Palaces and Museum Sønderjylland. Although the base of the grave was only few centimetres below the topsoil, skeletal remains were preserved, and the artifacts were still in situ. The deceased woman lay in the middle of the 5.4 m² large wooden chamber. In addition to the objects already mentioned, the grave also contained a wooden casket, a key, a game board, a knife, a pair of shears, glass beads, silver fragments, and a third brooch. The chamber grave from Højhave is one of the most well-equipped women’s graves from Viking age Denmark. PubDate: 2023-12-13 Issue No:Vol. 2022, No. 19 (2023)
Authors:Valerie Palmowski, Tobias Schade, Moritz Mennenga Pages: 295 - 312 Abstract: Metal detector surveys by a member of the ›Detektorgruppe Schleswig-Holstein‹ have recently revealed a new archaeological site (LA 89) near Bohnert, in the municipality of Kosel, district of Rendsburg- Eckernförde. Due to the detector finds, which among other objects yielded an equal-armed brooch, dirhams, and oblate spheroid weights, early medieval activities became evident but cannot be specified further. The topographical situation of the site, at a hilltop and close to the shore of the Schlei inlet, as well as the proximity to other prominent Viking Age sites near Kosel, made an investigation promising. Subsequently, geoarchaeological prospection surveys on the farmlands revealed a prominent geological structure and a concentration of presumably anthropogenic structures, which in combination with the metal detector finds and the topographical as well as archaeological context clearly suggest Viking Age occupation activities. Even if an exact interpretation of the site must remain open for the time being, the identification of a new site of the Early Middle Ages can provide new impulses for the archaeology of the Viking Age Schlei. PubDate: 2023-12-13 Issue No:Vol. 2022, No. 19 (2023)
Authors:Lars Grundvad Pages: 313 - 329 Abstract: The Viking Age gold hoard from Fæsted was discovered by amateur archaeologists and excavated by Sønderskov Museum in 2016 and has since grown by several additional artefacts. The hoard has been studied in several articles, some with more scholarly value than others. Three articles should be highlighted, which shed light on the hoard in different ways; an initial in-depth presentation of the find (Grundvad/Poulsen 2020), a typological analysis of the Jelling style‘s relationship to Gorm the Old and the Jelling dynasty‘s use of the Nordic styles, where the hoard and the artifacts are used as a case (Grundvad/ Knudsen 2017) and then an attempt to interpret the hoard as a religious deposition (Grundvad 2022; Grundvad in press). This article is the fourth in a planned series of analyses, each of which aims to illuminate the Fæsted hoard from different perspectives. Thus, the goal here is to ascertain the origin of the jewellry and artifacts from the treasure. It is clear though, that this is far from feasible to do with all objects. For some artifacts, unambiguous relationships are clear to see. For some of the other objects, a slightly bold interpretation of origin will be presented, where both distinctions are made to the Roman imperial jewellery seen in the iconographic sources and to the loot which the Vikings are known to have brought home from raids. Finally, the aim is to present what the different origins reveal and how the hoard of gold artifacts seems intentionally put together. PubDate: 2023-12-13 Issue No:Vol. 2022, No. 19 (2023)
Authors:Christina Berg Pages: 331 - 344 Abstract: In 2020, two houses burned down on Perlegade 21 in Sønderborg, Denmark. They were soon thereafter demolished. One of the houses was timber build and from the late 16th century, while the other house was from around 1800. In advance of a new construction project on the address Museum Sønderjylland – Arkæologi excavated a 236 m² area at the site in 2021. The excavation resulted in the findings of five older phases of buildings: the oldest phase from the 14th century and the last phase from the 16th century. The oldest building was built with earth fast posts. From around 1400 it changed to a timber-framed construction on a stone foundation wall. The different phases had approximately the same placement, and orientation throughout the period. Moreover, some of the internal organisation in each house could be identified. Perlegade has been the main thoroughfare throughout Sønderborg’s history from around 1300 to modern time. The results not only contributed to the knowledge of the oldest house types in Sønderborg, but it also provided evidence that Perlegade and therefore also Sønderborg city extended north all the way to Perlegade 21 in the 14th century. This paper is a preliminary presentation of the results of the excavation. PubDate: 2023-12-13 Issue No:Vol. 2022, No. 19 (2023)
Authors:Mads Leen Jensen Pages: 345 - 363 Abstract: This article presents the last of the graves excavated in 2018 at the Tombølgård cemetery site on Als. The cemetery site dates to the Early Roman Iron Age, B 1 and B 2. The site is known from a small excavation of a single urn in 1932, and from metal detector finds found between 2016 and 2018, and finally from the excavation in 2018. The grave goods from this last cremation grave from 2018 include a silver hair pin, shears, knives, and the remains of a lock for a wooden box. The box had probably contained some odd and old objects, which were found in the urn. These objects suggest that the deceased may have had a significant role in the society at the time. PubDate: 2023-12-13 Issue No:Vol. 2022, No. 19 (2023)
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