Artek
08-04-2015, 01:35 PM
THE BRONZE AGE BATTLEFIELD IN THE TOLLENSE VALLEY, MECKLENBURG-WESTERN POMERANIA, NORTHEAST GERMANY – CONFLICT SCENARIO RESEARCH
Gundula Lidke , Detlef Jantzen , Thomas Terberger , Sebastian Lorenz
NIEDERSÄCHSISCHES LANDESAMT FÜR DENKMALPFLEGE, LANDESAMT FÜR KULTUR UND DENKMALPFLEGE, MECKLENBURG-VORPOMMERN, INSTITUT FÜR GEOGRAPHIE UND GEOLOGIE, UNIVERSITÄT GREIFSWALD
Introduction: The Tollense Valley has come into the focus of interdisciplinary research following the discoveries of human skeletal remains of up to now more than 120 individuals, mostly young males, often with traumatic lesions, as well as horse remains and various weapons as well as other metal finds, dating to about 1.300-1.250 calBC. The remarkable material is interpreted as the remains of a Bronze Age group conflict on a so far unexpected scale.
Material and Methods: Find material comes from a stretch of river more than 2.5 km long. It is detected in situ under water in riverbanks as well as on land. Besides the human remains weapon finds, partly found in close relation to the bones, play an important role. Analyses of ancient DNA as well as of various isotopes are conducted to understand the population group(s) involved. Archaeological experiments are carried out to investigate possible fighting techniques; geo-scientific analyses aim at reconstructing the palaeo-landscape.
Results: Dating results place skeletal remains and weapons in a narrow time span at about 1300-1250 calBC. Weaponry includes long range, but also close-combat weapons. Find material as well as skeletal remains point to a heterogeneous group of at least hundreds of combatants.
Conclusions: The find assemblage from the Tollense Valley indicates violent conflict in the Bronze Age on an exceptionally high level. A possible conflict scenario, involving hundreds of participants in a greater stretch of the river valley, is put forward.
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Gundula Lidke , Detlef Jantzen , Thomas Terberger , Sebastian Lorenz
NIEDERSÄCHSISCHES LANDESAMT FÜR DENKMALPFLEGE, LANDESAMT FÜR KULTUR UND DENKMALPFLEGE, MECKLENBURG-VORPOMMERN, INSTITUT FÜR GEOGRAPHIE UND GEOLOGIE, UNIVERSITÄT GREIFSWALD
Introduction: The Tollense Valley has come into the focus of interdisciplinary research following the discoveries of human skeletal remains of up to now more than 120 individuals, mostly young males, often with traumatic lesions, as well as horse remains and various weapons as well as other metal finds, dating to about 1.300-1.250 calBC. The remarkable material is interpreted as the remains of a Bronze Age group conflict on a so far unexpected scale.
Material and Methods: Find material comes from a stretch of river more than 2.5 km long. It is detected in situ under water in riverbanks as well as on land. Besides the human remains weapon finds, partly found in close relation to the bones, play an important role. Analyses of ancient DNA as well as of various isotopes are conducted to understand the population group(s) involved. Archaeological experiments are carried out to investigate possible fighting techniques; geo-scientific analyses aim at reconstructing the palaeo-landscape.
Results: Dating results place skeletal remains and weapons in a narrow time span at about 1300-1250 calBC. Weaponry includes long range, but also close-combat weapons. Find material as well as skeletal remains point to a heterogeneous group of at least hundreds of combatants.
Conclusions: The find assemblage from the Tollense Valley indicates violent conflict in the Bronze Age on an exceptionally high level. A possible conflict scenario, involving hundreds of participants in a greater stretch of the river valley, is put forward.
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