idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Ahead of the construction of the SuedOstLink direct current link, archaeological investigations are currently being conducted by the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt in close coordination with the transmission system operator 50Hertz. At various locations along the route, archaeological research provides significant, sometimes surprising, new insights into the history of the prehistoric cultural landscapes between Wolmirstedt and the southern state border near Droyßig. Now, sensational sacrificial pits of the Salzmünde culture (3,400 to 3,050 BC) have been discovered near Gerstewitz.
Background: Salzmünde Culture
The Salzmünde Culture, distributed mostly along the middle and lower Saale River, is a regional group of Funnel Beaker Cultures. The eponymous site of the Salzmünde Culture, a fortified hilltop settlement, was discovered in 1921 near Schiepzig, a district of Salzmünde. The burial ritual of the Salzmünde Culture is particularly striking. In addition to inhumation graves with crouched burials, some dead were placed beneath thick layers of pottery sherds and the remains of burnt houses. Signs of violence are often found particularly in these graves. Reburials, also of skeletal parts and in particular skulls, are also frequently documented. Highly complex rituals evidently took place at these graves.
Mysterious sacrificial pits and a burial near Gerstewitz
In advance of the construction of the future SuedOstLink power line, twelve pits were uncovered within an area protected by ditches near Gerstewitz. They contained the remains of burnt houses and offerings. Dog bones and human skulls stand out among the deposits. The pits are 2-3 meters in diameter and 2 to 2.5 meters deep. One of the pits contained two complete ceramic vessels, which, based on their location and condition, were likely sacrificial offerings. Weathered dog bones were found in another pit, still in their anatomical position, but showing traces of fire. A human skull found next to them showed no signs of weathering. This suggests that the pits remained open during extended ritual ceremonies, or that the dog bones were kept in another place for a prolonged period of time. The pits were then filled with the rubble of burnt houses. Additionally, a burial was discovered in a converted oven pit. The bodies of two people who had apparently been laid out elsewhere for some time were laid to rest here. This case, too, suggests complex, multi-stage rituals.
Rituals in a time of transition
The question of why the people of the Salzmünde culture attached such great importance to their ancestors and rituals related to them, and why such rituals were performed in high frequency and with such intensity, can only be partially answered. In the late 4th millennium BC, various indicators hint at a deterioration of the climate for Central Europe. At the same time, the people of the Bernburg culture penetrated the Salzmünde culture's distribution area from the north. The rituals, by which people were apparently seeking the support of their ancestors, can be understood in the context of this period of crisis.
Gerstewitz, sacrificial pit of the Salzmünde Culture, containing dog bones, a human skull, burnt loa ...
Source: Oliver Dietrich
Copyright: State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt
Gerstewitz, double burial in an oven pit.
Source: Oliver Dietrich
Copyright: State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt
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Gerstewitz, sacrificial pit of the Salzmünde Culture, containing dog bones, a human skull, burnt loa ...
Source: Oliver Dietrich
Copyright: State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt
Gerstewitz, double burial in an oven pit.
Source: Oliver Dietrich
Copyright: State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt
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