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In advance of the construction of the SuedOstLink high-voltage direct current transmission line, archaeological investigations were carried out in the Salzland district by the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology (LDA) Saxony-Anhalt, in close coordination with the transmission system operator 50Hertz. A pit dating back to the early Neolithic period, already unearthed in 2024 near Alsleben, is now revealing its secrets: The find contains the remains of at least 12 beavers, which were likely hunted for their fur.
Background: Archaeology along the SuedOstLink
The SuedOstLink power line runs through Saxony-Anhalt from Wolmirstedt to Droyßig, largely following the A14 and A9 motorways. Along its 170-kilometer length through Saxony-Anhalt, the line passes through ancient settlement areas with exceptionally fertile soils. Consequently, a large number of archaeological sites are being investigated and scientifically documented in close coordination with the transmission system operator 50Hertz prior to construction of the power line.
Extraordinary animal bone finds from a pit of the Stroke-Ornamented Ware Culture
The Saale River near Alsleben, Salzlandkreis, is to be crossed using a trenchless method for the SüdOstLink high-voltage direct current transmission line. In the area of the launch pit, the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt investigated a plot located above the Saale. The area had been in use as a settlement site in the Neolithic period and was also settled during the Bronze and Iron Ages.
Among a multitude of postholes, storage pits, slotted pits, and burial sites, one find stood out in particular. An initially inconspicuous-looking pit, approximately 80 centimeters in diameter, was densely filled with animal bones, among which the typically orange to reddish-brown teeth of beavers were immediately noticeable. A flint artifact was discovered in the top five centimeters of the fill of the pit, indicating an early date. Due to its complexity, the feature was recovered as a single block to allow for further examination under laboratory conditions. Radiocarbon dating confirmed the great age of the pit. It dates to the period between 4935 and 4787 BC, belonging to the Stroke-Ornamented Ware Culture, named for its pottery.
The bone packing in the pit consists exclusively of beaver remains. The bones are exceptionally well preserved and mostly unfragmented. Based on the skulls already uncovered, it can be assumed that the remains of at least twelve individuals were disposed of in the pit. The absence of some bones and the lack of anatomical coherence among the existing remains indicate that the animals were already skeletonized at the time of deposition. Various age classes, from quite young (1 year old) to old animals (over eight years old), can be identified based on the bones.
Hunting beavers along the Saale River in Alsleben was likely possible during the Neolithic. The concentration of bones in a single find suggests a unique event. Presumably, the animals were hunted for their fur, skinned, and the carcasses left until they decomposed, possibly on a garbage heap. The individual bones were later disposed of in the pit. The Alsleben find thus not only points to specialized hunting strategies in the early Neolithic period, but also allows us to draw conclusions about clothing at that time, which we can imagine to have been quite elaborate.
Alsleben, view of the pit with beaver remains.
Quelle: Klaus Bentele
Copyright: State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt
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