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

Bibliographic Data

ID9243992
AuthorsHarald Stäuble (0000-0002-1118-383X), Achim Hiller
Year1997
Volume40
Issue2
Pages721-733
Publication date1997-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueRadiocarbon (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0033-8222 • E-ISSN: 1945-5755
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0033822200018671
OpenAlexW2209978330
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited5

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, 14 C 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

Archaeology · Beaker · Bronze Age · Charcoal · Context (archaeology · Geography · Period (music · Prehistory · Radiocarbon dating · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies · Metallurgy and Cultural Artifacts · Geology

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