DOI chapter:
Changing Worlds – The Spread of the Neolithic Way of Life in the North
DOI chapter:Behrens, Anja; Mennenga, Moritz; Wolters, Steffen; Karle, Martina: Neolithic landscape under the bog – new investigations in the Ahlen-Falkenberger Moor, dist. Cuxhaven, Germany
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.66745#0461
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A Neolithic landscape under the bog - new investigations in the Ahlen-Falkenberger Moor, dist. Cuxhaven, Germany
Fig. 3 The completely overgrown
megalithic tomb Wanna 1000 after
intervention through cultivation
measures. From left to right:
Dr. Peter Schmid, Prof. Dr. Haio
Zimmermann (both NlhK), and
H. Nast (Archaeological Heritage
Agency, district of Cuxhaven;
photo Dr. H. Aust, Archaeological
Heritage Agency, district of Cux-
haven).
Saxony Institute for Clay District and Terp Research
(today: NlhK; cf. Schmid 1963; Sprockhoff 1975,
no. 641). Since the monument was already severely
disturbed at that time, the structures could not be ex-
actly clarified and documented. It was reconstructed
as a passage grave with four capstones. Around the
tomb, remains of a ring-shaped stone packing, which
probably covered the grave, were detected. During the
investigation of ‘Hoher Kopf’ about 400 ‘Tiefstich’-
decorated sherds were excavated, some of them with
‘Tvaerstik’ ornamentation (Lorenz 2018, 74; for the
definition of ‘Tvaerstik’ see Mennenga 2017, 41),
which is characteristic of the TRB West Group ce-
ramics. Moreover, a rudimentary assessment of the
architecture of Wanna 1000 was undertaken by the
Heritage Agency of the district of Cuxhaven and the
NlhK in the 1970s. The monument was already dis-
turbed by agricultural activities, which had uncovered
the upper constructions (Fig. 3). Fortunately, the four
capstones remained in situ, and no intrusions into the
chamber were reported. The excavation photograph
shows a massive stone packing, slightly perturbed due
to the disturbance, but still, it seems, covering the top
of the capstones, with the exception of the highest of
them. None of the other megaliths located within the
bog have been studied in detail so far; in most cases
only the capstones of the graves are visible.
New research on a buried landscape
Due to the high research potential in this area the
project ‘Preserved in the Bog - Relics of Prehistoric
Settlement Landscapes in the Elbe-Weser Triangle’,
funded by the Ministry of Science and Culture of Low-
er Saxony within the program ‘Pro*Niedersachsen’,
started in 2019. The project is running for four years
and is affiliated with the NlhK. Its archaeological focus
is on the remains of the TRB and younger Neolithic
cultures. Within the project a number of methods are
applied, and several fieldwork campaigns will be car-
ried out. Results from the first year of research are
presented below.
Geophysical prospection
The majority of the megalithic graves known from the
study area were discovered only after they had become
visible above ground again due to peat decay. In the
course of the preliminary work, however, it has been
possible to identify and map further sites in the bog
with the use of geomagnetic measurements. For this
reason, a large-scale geophysical survey of the study
area is part of the project schedule. A total of about
1,300 ha needs to be prospected in the Ahlen-Falken-
berger Moor with an 11-probe geomagnetic device
available at the NlhK. Until summer 2020 approx. 800
ha have been measured already. Extensive structures,
which were investigated through core drilling and
smaller exploratory excavations, are recognisable in the
measurement images. In this way, characteristic anoma-
lies were examined, supporting the interpretation of the
magnetograms. It became apparent that the megalithic
graves - and in part also modem structures - can be de-
rived well from the measured values. Megalithic tombs
and other aggregations of stones appear prominently in
the images - due to the use of very large igneous rocks
for building them (Fig. 4). In contrast, the search for
A Neolithic landscape under the bog - new investigations in the Ahlen-Falkenberger Moor, dist. Cuxhaven, Germany
Fig. 3 The completely overgrown
megalithic tomb Wanna 1000 after
intervention through cultivation
measures. From left to right:
Dr. Peter Schmid, Prof. Dr. Haio
Zimmermann (both NlhK), and
H. Nast (Archaeological Heritage
Agency, district of Cuxhaven;
photo Dr. H. Aust, Archaeological
Heritage Agency, district of Cux-
haven).
Saxony Institute for Clay District and Terp Research
(today: NlhK; cf. Schmid 1963; Sprockhoff 1975,
no. 641). Since the monument was already severely
disturbed at that time, the structures could not be ex-
actly clarified and documented. It was reconstructed
as a passage grave with four capstones. Around the
tomb, remains of a ring-shaped stone packing, which
probably covered the grave, were detected. During the
investigation of ‘Hoher Kopf’ about 400 ‘Tiefstich’-
decorated sherds were excavated, some of them with
‘Tvaerstik’ ornamentation (Lorenz 2018, 74; for the
definition of ‘Tvaerstik’ see Mennenga 2017, 41),
which is characteristic of the TRB West Group ce-
ramics. Moreover, a rudimentary assessment of the
architecture of Wanna 1000 was undertaken by the
Heritage Agency of the district of Cuxhaven and the
NlhK in the 1970s. The monument was already dis-
turbed by agricultural activities, which had uncovered
the upper constructions (Fig. 3). Fortunately, the four
capstones remained in situ, and no intrusions into the
chamber were reported. The excavation photograph
shows a massive stone packing, slightly perturbed due
to the disturbance, but still, it seems, covering the top
of the capstones, with the exception of the highest of
them. None of the other megaliths located within the
bog have been studied in detail so far; in most cases
only the capstones of the graves are visible.
New research on a buried landscape
Due to the high research potential in this area the
project ‘Preserved in the Bog - Relics of Prehistoric
Settlement Landscapes in the Elbe-Weser Triangle’,
funded by the Ministry of Science and Culture of Low-
er Saxony within the program ‘Pro*Niedersachsen’,
started in 2019. The project is running for four years
and is affiliated with the NlhK. Its archaeological focus
is on the remains of the TRB and younger Neolithic
cultures. Within the project a number of methods are
applied, and several fieldwork campaigns will be car-
ried out. Results from the first year of research are
presented below.
Geophysical prospection
The majority of the megalithic graves known from the
study area were discovered only after they had become
visible above ground again due to peat decay. In the
course of the preliminary work, however, it has been
possible to identify and map further sites in the bog
with the use of geomagnetic measurements. For this
reason, a large-scale geophysical survey of the study
area is part of the project schedule. A total of about
1,300 ha needs to be prospected in the Ahlen-Falken-
berger Moor with an 11-probe geomagnetic device
available at the NlhK. Until summer 2020 approx. 800
ha have been measured already. Extensive structures,
which were investigated through core drilling and
smaller exploratory excavations, are recognisable in the
measurement images. In this way, characteristic anoma-
lies were examined, supporting the interpretation of the
magnetograms. It became apparent that the megalithic
graves - and in part also modem structures - can be de-
rived well from the measured values. Megalithic tombs
and other aggregations of stones appear prominently in
the images - due to the use of very large igneous rocks
for building them (Fig. 4). In contrast, the search for