Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-18T08:46:59.887Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

An Extended Prehistoric Well Field in the Opencast Mine Area of Zwenkau, Germany

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Harald Stäuble  and
Achim Hiller
Harald Stäuble
Affiliation:
Sächsisches Landesamt für Archäologie, Japanisches Palais, D-01097 Dresden, Germany
Achim Hiller
Affiliation:
Sächsisches Landesamt für Archäologie, Japanisches Palais, D-01097 Dresden, Germany
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

In the opencast mine area of Zwenkau, Germany, many prehistoric wells and pits have recently been excavated. In this region there is generally no bone preservation and charred seeds are rare, seldom encountered in a reliable archaeological context, whereas charcoal is frequently found. From an archaeological point of view, however, charcoal from wood is not as reliable for radiocarbon dating as short-lived materials. Fortunately, many deep features were found where wood has been preserved. Over a dozen structures turned out to be prehistoric wells, some of them typologically dated by ceramics to between Early Bronze Age and Early Middle Ages. For other features without archaeological finds, 14C dating was the only way to get an age. Analysis showed that different types of wells were constructed by the same culture. On the other hand, the same constructions are not characteristic for a defined cultural period and were applied over a time span of three millennia.

Type
Part 2: Applications
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 40 , Issue 2: 16th International Radiocarbon Conference June 16-20, 1997 Part 2: Applications, Conference Editors: Willem G. Mook Johannes van der Plicht , 1997 , pp. 721 - 733
Copyright
Copyright © The American Journal of Science 

References

Bronk Ramsey, C. 1994 OxCal – Radiocarbon Calibration and Statistical Analysis Program [computer program]. Version 2.13. Copyright C. B. Ramsey 1994, Research Lab for Archaeology, 6 Keble Rd., Oxford OX1 4JD, United Kingdom.Google Scholar
Campen, I., Heyd, V., Stäuble, H. and Tinapp, Ch. 1997 Siedlungswandel–Landschaftswandel. Neuere Ergebnisse der archäologischen Ausgrabungen im Vorfeld des Tagebaus Zwenkau. Archäologie aktuell im Freistaat Sachsen 4: 44–55.Google Scholar
Friederich, S., Meller, H. Stäuble, H. and Tinapp, Ch. 1997 Der längste Schnitt durch Sachsen. Archäologie und Landschaft entlang der Mitteldeutschen Produktenleitung. Archäologie aktuell im Freistaat Sachsen 4: 23–32.Google Scholar
Herklotz, and Stuchly, 1987 Frühslawischer Kastenbrunnen mit Holzfunden aus Eythra, Kr. Leipzig-Land. Arbeits- und Forschungsberichte zur sächsischen Bodendenkmalpflege 31: 219–241.Google Scholar
Kilian, M. R., van der Plicht, J. and van Geel, B. 1995 Dating raised bogs: New aspects of AMS 14C wiggle matching, a reservoir effect and climatic change. Quaternary Science Reviews 14: 959–966.Google Scholar
Stäuble, H. 1995 Radiocarbon dates of the Earliest Neolithic in Central Europe. In Cook, G. T., Harkness, D. D., Miller, B. F. and Scott, E. M., eds., Proceedings of the 15th International 14C Conference. Radiocarbon 37(2): 227–237.Google Scholar
Stäuble, H. 1997 Die frühbronzezeitliche Siedlung in Zwenkau, Lkr. Leipziger Land. In Assendorp, J. J., ed., Symposium zur bronzezeitlichen Besiedlung, in Hitzacker, Elbe 1996. Espelkamp, Leidorf Verlag: 129–147.Google Scholar
van Geel, B., Buurman, J. and Waterbolk, H. T. 1996 Archaeological and palaeoecological indications of an abrupt climate change in The Netherlands, and evidence for climatological teleconnections around 2650 bp. Journal of Quaternary Science 11(6): 451–460.Google Scholar
Zaitseva, G. I. 1995 Chemical composition and sample preparation of archaeological wood for radiocarbon dating. In Cook, G. T., Harkness, D. D., Miller, B. F. and Scott, E. M., eds., Proceedings of the 15th International 14C Conference. Radiocarbon 37(2): 311–317.Google Scholar