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Chapter Ten - Warfare or Sacrifice? Archaeological Research on the Bronze Age Site in the Tollense Valley, Northeast Germany

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2018

Christian Horn
Affiliation:
Christian-Albrechts Universität zu Kiel, Germany
Kristian Kristiansen
Affiliation:
Göteborgs Universitet, Sweden
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Summary

Find material from several archaeological sites over a stretch of 2.5 km along the valley of the River Tollense in northeast Germany, dating to about 1.250 BC, seem to indicate violent Bronze Age conflict on a so far unexpected scale. Skeletal remains of at least 110 mostly male individuals, partly with perimortal as well as healed lesions, have been excavated together with horse remains in the valley. Finds of two wooden clubs, numerous bronze and flint arrowheads as well as bone spearheads indicate the use of mostly simple but effective weapons. This is in some contrast to finds from mounds where bronze weapons such as swords and spearheads testify to prestigious burials. Recent findings indicate a Bronze Age wooden construction in the river valley, possibly a bridge, close to the beginning of the find concentration. Among the find material from the Tollense valley there are also various bronze objects dating to Period III, for instance two small tin ingots and gold spiral rings. They offer the possibility to discuss the relevance of these sites in the Tollense valley in view of the role of violent conflicts and of possible ritual acts connected to these events.
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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2018

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