Press release: Ancient monumental structure discovered in Lower Saxony

Nr. 264/2015 - 05.11.2015

Göttingen archaeologists unearth henge-like structure from the early 5th millennium B.C.

(pug) Until recently, there were only fragments of tangible evidence pointing to the stroke-ornamented ware culture that practiced early farming and raised livestock between 4,900 and 4,300 B.C. in a settlement in the country surrounding Braunschweig in the German Federal State of Lower Saxony. At the beginning of the Neolithic period, the gatherer and hunter tribes of people living just a few kilometres further to the north were still occupied with finding food. A new site discovered during excavation work by the University of Göttingen is now changing views on how the northernmost Neolithic farming and livestock-raising cultures were distributed at the beginning of the 5th millennium B.C. The most recent findings have revealed the oldest monumental structure in Lower Saxony, which, at the same time, proves to be the northernmost building of the early Neolithic period.

The henge measuring over 50 meters in diameter is situated on a hilltop in the Lower Saxony village of Watenstedt, belonging to the Helmstedt District, nestled in foothills of the northern Harz Mountains. This finding now leads us to believe that the knowledge the humans living there possessed extended far beyond that applied to the simple tending of livestock and farming of fields. The Göttingen archaeologists analysed aerial photographs before they began geomagnetically exploring selected excavation sites. “During the digs, a ring ditch emerged that was over one meter deep and nearly two metres in width. Behind this, to our surprise, we found proof of two palisade ditches,” says Dr. Immo Heske of the Department of Prehistory and Early History. "Interruptions in the construction make it evident that the fortification erected here did not constitute a structure that would been easy to defend. Instead, it contains openings and passages in the palisades pointing in various directions. We also identified several entrance ways.”

Findings from research projects conducted years ago in Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony on Neolithic-era enclosures around 4,700 B.C. have suggested that observation of the heavens was already highly advanced during this period and that this practice was quite significant for the seasonal organisation of an agricultural society. The henge at Watenstedt exhibits many similarities to the circles at Goseck in the Burgenlandkreis District of Saxony-Anhalt and those near Dresden-Nickern in Saxony as well. “It became clear that its planning, implementation and erection took place in a closely networked society and that their religious beliefs were identical,“ Dr. Heske adds.

The end of the Neolithic henge emotes mystery: “The findings derive from the upper fill of the ring ditch and suggest that the place served a special purpose.” Dr. Heske asks, “Why was this site abandoned in one of the most fertile agricultural regions of Germany?“ Further investigation and excavations will hopefully provide the answers to these questions.

Contact address:
Dr. Immo Heske
Georg-August-University Göttingen
Faculty of Humanities – Department of Prehistory and Early History
Nikolausberger Weg 15, 37073 Göttingen
Phone (0551) 39-5080; mobile (0176) 67266580
E-mail: iheske@gwdg.de
Website: www.uni-goettingen.de/en/220536.html