aktuelles

Grabungen des Lehrstuhls

Excavations on stone age sites on Rügen island and at Dabki in 2004

In the last years the University of Greifswald conducted some excavations on stone age sites at the southern Baltic coast. We are participating in the research unit SINCOS (Sinking Coasts), where several institutions in Northern Germany like the “Institut für Ostseeforschung Warnemünde”, the “Landesamt für Bodendenkmalpflege M/V” and the Universities of Hamburg, Kiel and Greifswald are cooperating. The project is financed by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (unit speakers: Prof. J. Harff, Warnemünde, and F. Lüth, Schwerin). The project is investigating the Holocene sea level development and its influence on the environment and land use at the southern  Baltic coast (see www.sincos.org).

When the Linear Band Pottery culture extended far North to the lower Oder area about 5000 cal. B.C., the Ertebølle culture at the same time was established in the western Baltic (Fig. 1). In Pomerania the late Mesolithic people and the early farming communities lived rather close together and this makes research on this time period interesting here. Two important sites of the final Mesolithic in Pomerania are Augustenhof on Rügen island and Dąbki in the eastern part (Poland).

In August of 2004 a team of archaeology students from Greifswald, Poznań and Tokyo under the direction of Thomas Terberger (Greifswald) started test excavations at the well known site of Ralswiek-Augustenhof close to Lietzow (Augustenhof Fp. 8) in cooperation with the Landesamt für Bodendenkmalpflege Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Like other final Mesolithic settlement sites, Augustenhof was situated at a lake close to the fjord Großer Jasmunder Bodden (Fig. 2). First excavations at Augustenhof took place in the 1920ies and  finds such as a T-shaped antler axe, a harpoon and Ulna-daggers are held in the University collections. The aim of the recent excavations was to document a reliable stratigraphy and get samples for 14C-datings. Our preliminary results suggest a sequence of a final Mesolithjic and a Neolithic layer (Fig. 3). A typical Mesolithic roe deer harpoon with decoration was the most exciting find (Fig. 4).

Close connections of the final Mesolithic sites on Rügen and the early farming communities in the lower Oder area are reflected by imported finds like “Schuhleistenkeile” an amphibolite adze for example from the nearby  site Lietzow-Buddelin.

The new excavations on Rügen together with new research  in Schleswig-Holstein and in the Wismar Bay contribute to a better understanding of the relationship of the sea level development and the cultural processes at the time of the last hunter gatherer fishers and the earliest farmers at the southern Baltic coast. As a general result it becomes clear that the Neolithic subsistence strategy was established around 4100 cal. B.C.

The other important Mesolithic site where we participated  in excavations is located close to the village of Dąbki, 30 km northeast of Koszalin (Fig. 1; 5). The site Dabki 9 is well known by extensive research headed by J. Ilkiewicz from the Museum Koszalin. She excavated some trenches on the settlement site and in the refuse layers from 1979 to 1985. New excavations at the stone age site initiated by Jacek Kabacinski (Polish Academy of Science Poznań) and Thomas Terberger (University of Greifswald) started in September 2004. Field was kindly supported by the Polish Academy of Science, the Deutsche Akademische Auslandsamt, the Historische Kommission für Pommern and the University of Greifswald.

Dąbki 9 is a bog site at a former lake close to Bukowo lake. The  well preserved find  material  is of  Ertebølle  character and the excavator  proposed find layers covering the time period of ca. 5000 to 4000 cal. B.C. A team of students from Poznań, Koszalin, Elbląg, Tokyo and Greifswald (Fig. 10) re-opened the bog trenches to obtain new information on the  development  of the sea level, to get new material for a more detailed  characterization of the cultural layers and reliable samples for absolute dating (Fig. 6). We hope to shed new light on the question  of possible earliest pottery, early evidence of domesticated animals and the process of neolithiszation in Pomerania.

The preservation conditions in the bog area were excellent and so animal remains of pike, beaver, wild boar and roe deer were found (Fig. 7-8). Evidence of worked antler was also detected what is in accordance with several T-shaped antler axes from the earlier excavations. Of more interest was a tree stump at the basis of the stratigraphy in the deeper bog trench, that shows potential for dendro-chronological dating at the site. At the same time some highly interesting decorated pottery and  pointed bottom vessel of clear Ertebølle character were found.

We would like to thank all participating students, J. Ilkiewicz and the Sincos team for their support of the  interdisciplinary research at the site. The analyses of the excavated material has started and we are planning to continue the research activities at Dąbki 9  in 2005/06

text: andreas kieseler/ thomas terberger. photos: excavation team Dabki 2004.

Fig. 1. Situation at ca. 5000 cal.B.C. with extension of the Linear Band Pottery and the Ertebølle culture. Augustenhof and Dabki 9 are marked by red dots.

Fig. 2. View on the Große Jasmunder Bodden close to Ralswiek-Augsustenhof.

Fig. 3. Ralswiek-Augustenhof. Stratigraphy of the final Mesolithic and Neolithic (dark layers bottom) and an overlying beach ridge.

Fig. 4.  Decorated roe deer harpoon.

Fig. 5. View on site  Dąbki 9
(photo: R. Lampe).

Fig. 6. Dąbki 2004. Work at bog trench in progress.

Fig. 7. Dąbki 2004. Excellent preservation conditions: Bogumil Stawniak and Anne Schürmann found a red deer antler.

Fig. 8. Dąbki 2004. Excellent preservation conditions: Find layer with antler and pottery.

Fig. 9. Dąbki excavation team 2004: Andreas Kieseler, Michael Rejchert, Bogumil Stawniak, Jolanta Ilkiewicz, Jacek Kabacinski, Yuichiro Kudo, David, Freya Tröger, Anne Schürmann.