idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
In close coordination with the town of Wolmirstedt (Börde district), the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology (LDA) Saxony-Anhalt is currently conducting archaeological investigations in advance of the construction of the new sports stadium. The findings documented so far demonstrate that an extensive settlement existed at the construction site in the Late Bronze Age. The favorable location directly on the Ohre River and near its then confluence with the Elbe was already appreciated 3,000 years ago. An unusual find is the shell of a European pond turtle in an oven pit – further investigations will reveal whether the animal was prepared as food.
Since the beginning of June 2025, archaeological investigations by the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt have been conducted in close coordination with the town of Wolmirstedt in advance of the construction of the new sports stadium. The archaeological work on an area of approximately 21,000 square meters on the western outskirts of Wolmirstedt is being carried out in parallel with the land leveling required for the construction of the sports facility. The results documented so far demonstrate that an extensive settlement existed here in the Late Bronze Age. The numerous finds and findings indicate that the site's favorable location directly on the Ohre River and near its then confluence with the Elbe was already appreciated 3,000 years ago. The conveniently located region on the lower Ohre River was characterized by the encounter between two major cultural groups during the Late Bronze Age (approximately 1300 to 750 BC). These are the Nordic Circle of the Bronze Age and the Lusatian culture, whose influences are manifested in local groups such as the so-called Elbe-Havel Group and the Saalemündungsgruppe (“Saale Estuary Group”).
A Late Bronze Age Settlement
On the gently sloping northern edge of the Ohre lowlands, 322 archaeological features have already been documented and over a thousand finds recovered from the 5,000 square meter area examined so far. The features are predominantly settlement pits and waste pits. Some of the round, originally wickerwork lined food storage pits, typical of the period, were also used secondarily disposal of refuse. Three pits can be identified as oven installations based on their side walls lined with burnt clay and fragments of fired clay and charcoal in the backfill. In two of the oven pits, fired clay fragments with imprints of round logs allow insights into the structure of the oven. The third oven pit presented a unique finding: At the edge of the pit, the shell of a pond turtle was uncovered alongside a concentration of pottery sherds; laboratory tests will reveal whether was prepared as food. Several larger features can be interpreted as material extraction pits for clay extraction.
Postholes allow us to identify a larger residential building, as well as smaller farm buildings and storage structures. The two-aisled main building, which has not been fully recorded, was 4 meters wide and over 6 meters long. The six-post storage structures measured approximately 2 by 3 meters. Of particular note is a sunken building measuring 4 by 3.3 meters. A row of pyramid-shaped loom weights indicates that this was once a weaving house. Fabric lengths approximately 60 centimeters wide were produced on a standing loom.
Among the extensive finds from the Wolmirstedt excavation, pottery vessels dominate: rough-walled storage pots and cooking pots typical of the Late Bronze Age, as well as partially decorated jugs and cups. In addition, a few bronze rings and awls made of bronze and bone were recovered. However, the animal bones found—including those of cattle, pig, sheep/goat—are predominantly food remains.
A mysterious Burial
The discovery of a human skeleton points beyond mere settlement activity. While the dead in the Late Bronze Age were usually burned on pyres and buried in urn burial grounds outside of settlements, inhumations occasionally occur within settlement areas. This was also the case in Wolmirstedt: In a settlement pit, a skeleton was found in a crouching position with its head twisted. The deceased was a strong adult man, approximately 1.7 meters tall. Initial examination of the bones revealed no signs of trauma or deficiencies. The motivation for such "irregular" burials remains unclear. Are they evidence of ritual acts? Were there multi-stage burial processes? Do they reflect social differentiation?
Further work
The excavations in Wolmirstedt provide a multifaceted insight into the world of the Late Bronze Age. After the completion of the field work and the evaluation of excavation documentation and finds, a complex picture of a settlement or rather a group of farmsteads in a cultural border region will emerge. The excavations by the eight-person team from the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt will continue until October 15, 2025.
The construction of the stadium, a multifunctional sports facility with a large playing field, a Type B arena, and a functional building, represents the largest investment project undertaken by the city of Wolmirstedt since 1990. According to current estimates, the construction project will cost approximately €10.5 million. Of this, approximately €4.3 million will be financed through funding from the state of Saxony-Anhalt. Construction of the sports field will begin in March 2026. According to current planning, the functional building is scheduled to be built starting in July 2026. Construction is expected to be completed in August 2027. According to current plans, the stadium will be inaugurated on September 4, 2027.
Shell of a pond turtle from an oven pit in Wolmirstedt.
Source: Juliane Huthmann
Copyright: State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt
›Irregular‹ settlement burial of the Late Bronze Age, Wolmirstedt.
Source: Juliane Huthmann
Copyright: State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt
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Shell of a pond turtle from an oven pit in Wolmirstedt.
Source: Juliane Huthmann
Copyright: State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt
›Irregular‹ settlement burial of the Late Bronze Age, Wolmirstedt.
Source: Juliane Huthmann
Copyright: State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt
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