DOI Kapitel:
Changing Worlds – The Spread of the Neolithic Way of Life in the North
DOI Kapitel:Knoche, Benedikt: Some remarks on the expansion of the Younger Neolithic causewayed enclosure phenomenon towards northern Germany
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.66745#0428
Benedikt Knoche
427
Fig. 8 Long-distance routes connected the Neckar
Valley and the Kraichgau region in southern central Eu-
rope with south Scandinavia and the British Isles in the
late 5th and early 4th millennia BC, as pointed out by L.
Klassen. An extension towards Bavaria (and further on
to the Black Sea) as well as the French Atlantic coast is
also likely. These connections may have played a deci-
sive role in the local development of causewayed en-
closure construction in the western Baltic region bet-
ween 3,750 and 3,500 BC (cf. Klassen 2014, fig. 140).
As mentioned before, this period is a phase of seri-
ous change also in the British Isles. It was not until the
38th/37th or the 35th-33th centuries calBC, respectively,
that Neolithic communities established themselves on
a broad basis there, after only sporadic and ephemeral
approaches had taken place in the previous centuries
(Sheridan 2010; Oswald 2011; Whittle et al. 2011).
In addition to the causewayed enclosures, the
construction of long barrows also began during this
phase (from c. the 38th century calBC) as another
aspect of monumental architecture in northern Ger-
many and Westphalia, followed a little later or even
simultaneously by the first gallery graves in east West-
phalia and possibly in the Hellweg zone (Knoche
2008a, 187 fig. 5.47).9 * * * * This close connection is vi-
sualised by the arrangement of a gallery grave in a
causewayed camp of Warburg-Rimbeck WeiBes Holz’
(dist. Hoxter), constructed around 3,700 calBC (cf.
Knoche 2003).
9 On the probable start of the gallery graves in the late Young-
er Neolithic see Knoche 2008a, 179. Meanwhile, in addition to
this typological derivation, there are 14C-data from Westphalian
gallery graves available which support this view (c.f. Schier-
holt et al. 2012).
Deductions
If the above-mentioned ‘model 4’ actually reflects
historical reality to some degree, this leads to vari-
ous inferences on the general socio-cultural condi-
tions and dynamics north of the traditional Neolithic
settlement areas during the Neolithic, especially for
the 38th/37th centuries calBC:
(1) North of the Miinsterland and southern Lower
Saxony, causewayed enclosures are only detect-
able from the 38th century calBC, possibly from
the 39th century calBC, onwards. Up to this time
the causewayed enclosure phenomenon came to
a halt in these (so to say) borderlands. Accord-
ing to the current state of research, causewayed
enclosures - as a western to central European
phenomenon - expand only in a limited way
from the northern foothills of the low moun-
tain ranges into the north German lowlands.
The phenomenon did not cover the entire north
German plain, but was apparently only selec-
tively taken up by the local populations. Some
causewayed enclosures in the north might even
be traced back to migrating colonists from the
south. Differences between the regions west and
east of the Weser river are recognisable, since
in the northwestern part of Lower Saxony no
427
Fig. 8 Long-distance routes connected the Neckar
Valley and the Kraichgau region in southern central Eu-
rope with south Scandinavia and the British Isles in the
late 5th and early 4th millennia BC, as pointed out by L.
Klassen. An extension towards Bavaria (and further on
to the Black Sea) as well as the French Atlantic coast is
also likely. These connections may have played a deci-
sive role in the local development of causewayed en-
closure construction in the western Baltic region bet-
ween 3,750 and 3,500 BC (cf. Klassen 2014, fig. 140).
As mentioned before, this period is a phase of seri-
ous change also in the British Isles. It was not until the
38th/37th or the 35th-33th centuries calBC, respectively,
that Neolithic communities established themselves on
a broad basis there, after only sporadic and ephemeral
approaches had taken place in the previous centuries
(Sheridan 2010; Oswald 2011; Whittle et al. 2011).
In addition to the causewayed enclosures, the
construction of long barrows also began during this
phase (from c. the 38th century calBC) as another
aspect of monumental architecture in northern Ger-
many and Westphalia, followed a little later or even
simultaneously by the first gallery graves in east West-
phalia and possibly in the Hellweg zone (Knoche
2008a, 187 fig. 5.47).9 * * * * This close connection is vi-
sualised by the arrangement of a gallery grave in a
causewayed camp of Warburg-Rimbeck WeiBes Holz’
(dist. Hoxter), constructed around 3,700 calBC (cf.
Knoche 2003).
9 On the probable start of the gallery graves in the late Young-
er Neolithic see Knoche 2008a, 179. Meanwhile, in addition to
this typological derivation, there are 14C-data from Westphalian
gallery graves available which support this view (c.f. Schier-
holt et al. 2012).
Deductions
If the above-mentioned ‘model 4’ actually reflects
historical reality to some degree, this leads to vari-
ous inferences on the general socio-cultural condi-
tions and dynamics north of the traditional Neolithic
settlement areas during the Neolithic, especially for
the 38th/37th centuries calBC:
(1) North of the Miinsterland and southern Lower
Saxony, causewayed enclosures are only detect-
able from the 38th century calBC, possibly from
the 39th century calBC, onwards. Up to this time
the causewayed enclosure phenomenon came to
a halt in these (so to say) borderlands. Accord-
ing to the current state of research, causewayed
enclosures - as a western to central European
phenomenon - expand only in a limited way
from the northern foothills of the low moun-
tain ranges into the north German lowlands.
The phenomenon did not cover the entire north
German plain, but was apparently only selec-
tively taken up by the local populations. Some
causewayed enclosures in the north might even
be traced back to migrating colonists from the
south. Differences between the regions west and
east of the Weser river are recognisable, since
in the northwestern part of Lower Saxony no