DOI chapter:
Grenzgänger, traders and the last hunter-gatherers of the North European Plain
DOI chapter:Heumüller, Marion; Briel, Mirjam; Klimscha, Florian; Kotula, Andreas; Leuschner, Hanns Hubert; Schoon, Reinhold; Zerl, Tanja: Wetlands settlements and a wooden trackway: Swifterbant sites in the Dümmer basin
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.66745#0028
Marion Heumuller, Mirjam Briel, Florian Klimscha, Andreas Kotula, Hanns Hubert Leuschner, Reinhold Schoon and Tanja Zerl
27
The early Neolithic site of Hude I
An extensive large-scale wetland excavation directed
by Jurgen Deichmiiller took place between 1961 and
1967 at the southern end of the lake. An area of some
1,100 m2 of the site, known as Hude I, was investigat-
ed. Although Deichmiiller at that time found numerous
timbers as well as a number of well-preserved organic
objects he was unable to discover evidence of house
features with wooden foundations or fireplaces, like
those documented in Hunte 1. Instead the excavation
yielded a wide range of finds from a variety of Stone
Age cultures. Interdisciplinary analyses were presented
in preliminary reports (e.g Deichmuller 1965a; 1968),
and some of the outstanding finds were published
(Deichmuller 1965b; 1974). Evaluation of the ani-
mal bones (Bossneck 1978; Deichmuller/Staesche
1974; Hubner et al. 1988; Huster 1983) showed a
clear predominance of wild animals, indicating a sub-
sistence based on hunting. Furthermore, antler finds
(Werning 1983) and man-made stone implements
(Stapel 1991) were investigated. A dissertation on the
ceramics (Kampffmeyer 1988) was not published, but
the extensive work was widely circulated in academic
circles. Various groups of finds, such as stone axes and
other stone artefacts, remained unprocessed. Unfor-
tunately, there was also no systematic evaluation of
these finds, which is most unsatisfactory especially
considering the range and, as far as Lower Saxony is
concerned, the unique ceramic sequence containing
elements of the Bischheim, Ertebolle and Swifterbant
as well as the early Funnel Beaker culture.
Dutch archaeologists today ascribe most of the
older components of the find collection to the Swif-
terbant culture and consider Hude I to represent the
most eastern extent of this culture which is mostly
concentrated in the wetlands of the Netherlands (Ten
Anscher 2015, 349-353; Raemakers 2013). The ori-
gins and development of the Swifterbant culture have
lately been traced back to a long-term influence of the
Danubian cultures of Rossen, GroRgartach and Bisch-
heim (Ten Anscher 2015, 346-353). At the same
time, the Swifterbant culture is considered to have
transmitted Neolithic innovations into the Ertebolle
culture or, at least, made their achievements accept-
able to a hunter-gather community. Hude I can thus be
seen as a key site for the neolithisation of northwest
Germany, as it is the only site in Lower Saxony in
which elements of the neighbouring archaeological
cultures from the south, west and north are apparent.
In order to get an impression of the absolute
chronological extent of Hude I, some of Kampff-
meyer’s (1988, fig. 249) compiled data was re-cali-
brated. For this purpose only data was selected that
fell within the Mesolithic to Neolithic periods, and
that furthermore came from a secure archaeological
context, and had a standard deviation of no more than
± 90 (Fig. 2). The new calibration of these 20 datings
indicated four separate settlement phases at the time
of the early to middle Swifterbant culture between
4,700 and 4,000 BC, followed by one or two settlement
phases during the early Funnel Beaker culture in the
first half of the 4th millennium.
Despite the excellent potential of the sites around
Lake Dummer new surveys only took place in 2004
at Hunte 2. The excavations have, up to now, yet to
be entirely published (Drafehn 2006).
Hunte 3 - A new site of the Swifterbant
culture
An earlier site known from Reinerth’s preliminary in-
vestigations was chosen to make an exemplary check
on the state of preservation of wetland sites in the
Dummer area. Reinerth himself had investigated three
other bog sites in addition to Hunte 1, with varying
degrees of intensity. The ‘Hunte 3’ site (Damme FStNr.
113; Gde. Damme, Ldkr. Vechta) is located on the now
waterlogged western side of the re-directed bed of the
river Hunte, almost 1.4 km from the embanked Diim-
mer and roughly 500 m north of Hunte 1. Reinerth
documented here settlement layers with Neolithic
finds. As the layers were relatively far from the surface
in those days this site was considered most likely to
offer the best chances for the preservation of organic
materials.
Discovery and investigation
The site was discovered in October 1934 during survey
work. In 1940, Reinerth had studied the sequencing
of the various layers from one single trial hole and
documented a 30 cm thick ‘cultural layer’ with ‘sherds,
bones, charred flint, wood and charcoal’, beginning
at a depth of 70 cm, which was embedded both in
the alder carr peat and the algal gyttja or ‘liverpeat’
beneath it. An accompanying list of the now lost finds
describes ceramic fragments, possibly from different
periods of time, and stone and flint artefacts (Kos-
sian 2007, 41). Below this find layer, Reinerth also
documented three wooden piles indicating some form
of prior building construction (cf. Heumuller et al.
2017, 16-17).
In 2016 and 2017 an area of 24 m2 was examined
as part of a research project. During this programme
27
The early Neolithic site of Hude I
An extensive large-scale wetland excavation directed
by Jurgen Deichmiiller took place between 1961 and
1967 at the southern end of the lake. An area of some
1,100 m2 of the site, known as Hude I, was investigat-
ed. Although Deichmiiller at that time found numerous
timbers as well as a number of well-preserved organic
objects he was unable to discover evidence of house
features with wooden foundations or fireplaces, like
those documented in Hunte 1. Instead the excavation
yielded a wide range of finds from a variety of Stone
Age cultures. Interdisciplinary analyses were presented
in preliminary reports (e.g Deichmuller 1965a; 1968),
and some of the outstanding finds were published
(Deichmuller 1965b; 1974). Evaluation of the ani-
mal bones (Bossneck 1978; Deichmuller/Staesche
1974; Hubner et al. 1988; Huster 1983) showed a
clear predominance of wild animals, indicating a sub-
sistence based on hunting. Furthermore, antler finds
(Werning 1983) and man-made stone implements
(Stapel 1991) were investigated. A dissertation on the
ceramics (Kampffmeyer 1988) was not published, but
the extensive work was widely circulated in academic
circles. Various groups of finds, such as stone axes and
other stone artefacts, remained unprocessed. Unfor-
tunately, there was also no systematic evaluation of
these finds, which is most unsatisfactory especially
considering the range and, as far as Lower Saxony is
concerned, the unique ceramic sequence containing
elements of the Bischheim, Ertebolle and Swifterbant
as well as the early Funnel Beaker culture.
Dutch archaeologists today ascribe most of the
older components of the find collection to the Swif-
terbant culture and consider Hude I to represent the
most eastern extent of this culture which is mostly
concentrated in the wetlands of the Netherlands (Ten
Anscher 2015, 349-353; Raemakers 2013). The ori-
gins and development of the Swifterbant culture have
lately been traced back to a long-term influence of the
Danubian cultures of Rossen, GroRgartach and Bisch-
heim (Ten Anscher 2015, 346-353). At the same
time, the Swifterbant culture is considered to have
transmitted Neolithic innovations into the Ertebolle
culture or, at least, made their achievements accept-
able to a hunter-gather community. Hude I can thus be
seen as a key site for the neolithisation of northwest
Germany, as it is the only site in Lower Saxony in
which elements of the neighbouring archaeological
cultures from the south, west and north are apparent.
In order to get an impression of the absolute
chronological extent of Hude I, some of Kampff-
meyer’s (1988, fig. 249) compiled data was re-cali-
brated. For this purpose only data was selected that
fell within the Mesolithic to Neolithic periods, and
that furthermore came from a secure archaeological
context, and had a standard deviation of no more than
± 90 (Fig. 2). The new calibration of these 20 datings
indicated four separate settlement phases at the time
of the early to middle Swifterbant culture between
4,700 and 4,000 BC, followed by one or two settlement
phases during the early Funnel Beaker culture in the
first half of the 4th millennium.
Despite the excellent potential of the sites around
Lake Dummer new surveys only took place in 2004
at Hunte 2. The excavations have, up to now, yet to
be entirely published (Drafehn 2006).
Hunte 3 - A new site of the Swifterbant
culture
An earlier site known from Reinerth’s preliminary in-
vestigations was chosen to make an exemplary check
on the state of preservation of wetland sites in the
Dummer area. Reinerth himself had investigated three
other bog sites in addition to Hunte 1, with varying
degrees of intensity. The ‘Hunte 3’ site (Damme FStNr.
113; Gde. Damme, Ldkr. Vechta) is located on the now
waterlogged western side of the re-directed bed of the
river Hunte, almost 1.4 km from the embanked Diim-
mer and roughly 500 m north of Hunte 1. Reinerth
documented here settlement layers with Neolithic
finds. As the layers were relatively far from the surface
in those days this site was considered most likely to
offer the best chances for the preservation of organic
materials.
Discovery and investigation
The site was discovered in October 1934 during survey
work. In 1940, Reinerth had studied the sequencing
of the various layers from one single trial hole and
documented a 30 cm thick ‘cultural layer’ with ‘sherds,
bones, charred flint, wood and charcoal’, beginning
at a depth of 70 cm, which was embedded both in
the alder carr peat and the algal gyttja or ‘liverpeat’
beneath it. An accompanying list of the now lost finds
describes ceramic fragments, possibly from different
periods of time, and stone and flint artefacts (Kos-
sian 2007, 41). Below this find layer, Reinerth also
documented three wooden piles indicating some form
of prior building construction (cf. Heumuller et al.
2017, 16-17).
In 2016 and 2017 an area of 24 m2 was examined
as part of a research project. During this programme