DOI Kapitel:
Grenzgänger, traders and the last hunter-gatherers of the North European Plain
DOI Kapitel:Stapel, Bernhard: Swifterbant and the Late Mesolithic in Westphalia
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.66745#0184
Bernhard Stapel
183
with the also documented settlements of the Rossen,
Bischheim, and Michelsberg cultures of the 5th and
4th millennia calBC, a picture emerges that suggests
a close coexistence of the different groups (Stapel /
Schlosser 2014, 48 Abb. 5). For example, the sand
pit in Greven-Sandgrube Schencking is barely 30 km
away from the settlement site of Neolithic farmers in
Nottuln-Uphoven. However, evidence is very limited.
In this respect, a second possibility may be conceiv-
able. If the chronology of the Nottuln-Uphoven site
based on 19 14C-dates is examined in detail, a hiatus
can be observed between the Rossen-Bischheim and
the Michelberg III phases (Groer 2013,145 Abb. 21).
The dated Swifterbant finds of Greven-Sandgrube
Schencking fall into this period.
It is also possible that the frontier between the
descendants of the Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and
the Neolithic farmers might have shifted again and
again. So, at one time representatives of the Rossen
and later the Michelsberg culture moved into the
Muenster Embayment, but after the abandonment of
these settlements, descendants of Mesolithic hunters
returned to this area.
Concerning Mesolithic/Neolithic parallel soci-
eties in Westphalia, recently the Blatterhohle near
Hagen has been brought to the fore. During the Late
Neolithic the cave was used for funerals. Based on
isotope and palaeogenetic analyses, it was possible
to differentiate two groups within this population,
which buried their dead there together: one group
that used agricultural products and can be geneti-
cally assigned to Neolithic farmers, and a second
group that lived mainly by fishing and can be ad-
dressed as descendants of Mesolithic hunter-gather-
ers (Orschiedt et al. 2014,44). The latter population
is so far archaeologically completely invisible. Cur-
rently it cannot be clarified whether these people are
the descendants of local hunter-gatherers, or whether
this group had immigrated from the north European
plain (Orschiedt et al. in prep., 206). Maybe they
were the descendants of the hunter-gatherers who
left their bone artefacts on the river Ems.
Conclusions
There is so far no excavated site of the Swifterbant
culture in Westphalia. However, there are indications
for contacts with the north European plain, even for
the presence of descendants of Mesolithic hunter-
gatherers in the northern part of this region. Northern
Westphalia might have been a contact zone for the
exchange of information between the descendants of
hunter-gatherers of the north European plain and the
Neolithic farmers established in the loess belt.
REFERENCES
Andersen 1994/1995: S. H. Andersen, Ringkloster. Ertebolle
trappers and wild boar hunters in eastern Jutland. A
survey. Journal of Danish Archaeology 12, 1994/1995,
13-59.
Ten Anscher 2012: T. J. Ten Anscher, Leven met de
Vecht. Schokland-P14 en de Noordoostpolder in het
Neolithicum en de Bronstijd (Zutphen 2012).
Banghard / Gehlen 2013: K. Banghard / B. Gehlen, Das
Mesolithikum in Ostwestfalen-Lippe. In: M. Baales /
H.-O. Pollmann / B. Stapel, Westfalen in der Alt- und
Mittelsteinzeit (Munster 2013) 207-213.
Crombe et al. 1999: P. Crombe /M. Van Strydonck / V. Hen-
dirx, AMS-Datings of Antler Mattocks from the Schelde
River in Northern Belgium. Notae Praehistoricae 19,
1999, 111-119.
David 2019: E. David, Inquiry into Mesolithic Hafting-Techno-
logy - An Exceptional Miniature “T-shaped” Axe from
Friesack, Brandenburg. In: M. Baales / C. Pasda (eds.),
“All der holden Hiigel ist keiner mir fremd..Festschrift
zum 65. Geburtstag von Claus-Joachim Kind. Universi-
tatsforschungen zur prahistorischen Archaologie 327
(Bonn 2019) 479-484.
Deichmuller 1969: J. Deichmuller, Die neolithische Moor-
siedlung Hude I am Dummer, Kr. Grafschaft Diepholz.
Vorlaufiger Abschlukbericht. Neue Ausgrabungen und
Forschungen in Niedersachsen 4, 1969, 28-36.
De Roever 2004: J.P. De Roever, Swifterbant-aardewerk. Een
analyse van de neolithische nederzettingen bij Swifter-
bant, 5e millenium voor Christus. Groningen Archeolo-
gische Studies 2 (Groningen 2004).
Gehlen et al. 2017: B. Gehlen / W. Schon / K. Banghard /
H.-D. Zutz, Ein endmesolithisch-neolithischer Fundplatz
auf dem Heisterbrink in der Senne im ehemaligen Amt
Brackwede. Archaologie in Ostwestfalen 13, 2017,16-29.
Groer 2010: C. Groer, Neolithisierung im Miinsterland: Neu-
es zum Siedlungsplatz von Nottuln- Uphoven. Archaolo-
gie in Westfalen-Lippe 2009 (2010), 169-172.
Groer 2013: C. Groer, Neolithisierungsprozesse in Nord-
westdeutschland. Tradition, Innovation und Adaptati-
on zwischen 6000 und 3500 v. Chr. PhD thesis, Univ.
Munster (Munster 2013): http://miami.uni-muenster.de/
Record/5d5878d3-8e74-4c92-b319-69b69ed23f82 (last
accessed: 16.08.2019).
Gunther 1976: K. Gunther, Die jungsteinzeitliche Siedlung
Deiringsen/Ruploh in der Soester Borde. Bodenaltertii-
mer Westfalen 16 (Munster 1976).
183
with the also documented settlements of the Rossen,
Bischheim, and Michelsberg cultures of the 5th and
4th millennia calBC, a picture emerges that suggests
a close coexistence of the different groups (Stapel /
Schlosser 2014, 48 Abb. 5). For example, the sand
pit in Greven-Sandgrube Schencking is barely 30 km
away from the settlement site of Neolithic farmers in
Nottuln-Uphoven. However, evidence is very limited.
In this respect, a second possibility may be conceiv-
able. If the chronology of the Nottuln-Uphoven site
based on 19 14C-dates is examined in detail, a hiatus
can be observed between the Rossen-Bischheim and
the Michelberg III phases (Groer 2013,145 Abb. 21).
The dated Swifterbant finds of Greven-Sandgrube
Schencking fall into this period.
It is also possible that the frontier between the
descendants of the Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and
the Neolithic farmers might have shifted again and
again. So, at one time representatives of the Rossen
and later the Michelsberg culture moved into the
Muenster Embayment, but after the abandonment of
these settlements, descendants of Mesolithic hunters
returned to this area.
Concerning Mesolithic/Neolithic parallel soci-
eties in Westphalia, recently the Blatterhohle near
Hagen has been brought to the fore. During the Late
Neolithic the cave was used for funerals. Based on
isotope and palaeogenetic analyses, it was possible
to differentiate two groups within this population,
which buried their dead there together: one group
that used agricultural products and can be geneti-
cally assigned to Neolithic farmers, and a second
group that lived mainly by fishing and can be ad-
dressed as descendants of Mesolithic hunter-gather-
ers (Orschiedt et al. 2014,44). The latter population
is so far archaeologically completely invisible. Cur-
rently it cannot be clarified whether these people are
the descendants of local hunter-gatherers, or whether
this group had immigrated from the north European
plain (Orschiedt et al. in prep., 206). Maybe they
were the descendants of the hunter-gatherers who
left their bone artefacts on the river Ems.
Conclusions
There is so far no excavated site of the Swifterbant
culture in Westphalia. However, there are indications
for contacts with the north European plain, even for
the presence of descendants of Mesolithic hunter-
gatherers in the northern part of this region. Northern
Westphalia might have been a contact zone for the
exchange of information between the descendants of
hunter-gatherers of the north European plain and the
Neolithic farmers established in the loess belt.
REFERENCES
Andersen 1994/1995: S. H. Andersen, Ringkloster. Ertebolle
trappers and wild boar hunters in eastern Jutland. A
survey. Journal of Danish Archaeology 12, 1994/1995,
13-59.
Ten Anscher 2012: T. J. Ten Anscher, Leven met de
Vecht. Schokland-P14 en de Noordoostpolder in het
Neolithicum en de Bronstijd (Zutphen 2012).
Banghard / Gehlen 2013: K. Banghard / B. Gehlen, Das
Mesolithikum in Ostwestfalen-Lippe. In: M. Baales /
H.-O. Pollmann / B. Stapel, Westfalen in der Alt- und
Mittelsteinzeit (Munster 2013) 207-213.
Crombe et al. 1999: P. Crombe /M. Van Strydonck / V. Hen-
dirx, AMS-Datings of Antler Mattocks from the Schelde
River in Northern Belgium. Notae Praehistoricae 19,
1999, 111-119.
David 2019: E. David, Inquiry into Mesolithic Hafting-Techno-
logy - An Exceptional Miniature “T-shaped” Axe from
Friesack, Brandenburg. In: M. Baales / C. Pasda (eds.),
“All der holden Hiigel ist keiner mir fremd..Festschrift
zum 65. Geburtstag von Claus-Joachim Kind. Universi-
tatsforschungen zur prahistorischen Archaologie 327
(Bonn 2019) 479-484.
Deichmuller 1969: J. Deichmuller, Die neolithische Moor-
siedlung Hude I am Dummer, Kr. Grafschaft Diepholz.
Vorlaufiger Abschlukbericht. Neue Ausgrabungen und
Forschungen in Niedersachsen 4, 1969, 28-36.
De Roever 2004: J.P. De Roever, Swifterbant-aardewerk. Een
analyse van de neolithische nederzettingen bij Swifter-
bant, 5e millenium voor Christus. Groningen Archeolo-
gische Studies 2 (Groningen 2004).
Gehlen et al. 2017: B. Gehlen / W. Schon / K. Banghard /
H.-D. Zutz, Ein endmesolithisch-neolithischer Fundplatz
auf dem Heisterbrink in der Senne im ehemaligen Amt
Brackwede. Archaologie in Ostwestfalen 13, 2017,16-29.
Groer 2010: C. Groer, Neolithisierung im Miinsterland: Neu-
es zum Siedlungsplatz von Nottuln- Uphoven. Archaolo-
gie in Westfalen-Lippe 2009 (2010), 169-172.
Groer 2013: C. Groer, Neolithisierungsprozesse in Nord-
westdeutschland. Tradition, Innovation und Adaptati-
on zwischen 6000 und 3500 v. Chr. PhD thesis, Univ.
Munster (Munster 2013): http://miami.uni-muenster.de/
Record/5d5878d3-8e74-4c92-b319-69b69ed23f82 (last
accessed: 16.08.2019).
Gunther 1976: K. Gunther, Die jungsteinzeitliche Siedlung
Deiringsen/Ruploh in der Soester Borde. Bodenaltertii-
mer Westfalen 16 (Munster 1976).