Goseck circle
The circular grave system of Goseck (also solar observatory of Goseck ) is a Neolithic grave circle system on the northwestern outskirts of Goseck ( castle district ) in Saxony- Anhalt. The annular base stains were discovered in 1991 during a reconnaissance flight by the aerial archaeologist Otto Braasch and reported as a new ground monument. The plant was fully excavated between 2002 and 2004 as part of an interdisciplinary research project. Built during the Middle Neolithic about 6900 years ago conditioning is associated with the culture of the Stroked Pottery. The circular grave system of Goseck been characterized by some archaeologists to be the oldest solar observatory in the world.
Excavations
After the discovery of aerial photographs of the area were re- made and made geomagnetic surveys, which allowed a complete mapping of the floor plan from 1999.
The complete excavation and excavation of the complex was part of the interdisciplinary research project "Circle grave system Goseck - Archaeology multimedia " instead. The financial resources of the excavation were asked as part of a multimedia Decree of the Ministry of Culture of Saxony -Anhalt available.
Under the leadership of François Bertemes by the Institute for Prehistoric Archaeology of the Martin- Luther -University Halle -Wittenberg, the Südosttor and part of the outer ring was first excavated in 2002, which consisted of a ditch, a rampart and two palisades. In the first excavation on an area of 10 m × 50 m away from the tracks of the ring system were shards of the Stroked Pottery found the one nave with mud-plastered wattle walls and a child's grave with two vessels from the time of the previous Linear Pottery.
2003, a large part of the first excavation area was again and south of this location, area of 30 m × 40 m for the first time investigated and exposed the entire Südosttor. It was found that the inner Palisadentor was narrower than the outer, and this again is narrower than the access path through the trench.
For further excavations were many cattle bones, especially skulls, and found in three earth pits human bones. They had been carefully prepared, scraped the flesh from the bones. That could speak for human sacrifice - or for special burial rituals.
From June to October 2005, the plant was reconstructed on the now fully exposed area. The opening took place on 21 December 2005, the day of the winter solstice.
Description
The circular grave complex is located on a plateau above the Saale valley and consists of a clearly recognizable, nearly circular moat diameter of about 71 m. It was a flat earthen wall around the moat are detected. The plant has three grave -lined access paths that are oriented to the north, southwest and southeast. Inside there are traces of two concentric palisades (about 56 and 49 m diameter) located with the same orientation, toward the center, narrowing gates. It was found on the inner surface, no further development.
According to studies of the Astro archaeologists Wolfhard Schlosser from the Astronomical Institute of the Ruhr - University Bochum, who had earlier interpreted the Sky Disc of Nebra, the two southern gates and access routes from the center of the plant from are seen with an accuracy of three to four days of the sunrise and Sunset BC aligned to the winter solstice to 4800, the northern gateway has approximately exactly to the astronomical meridian, ie, to the north. The fact that it is an observatory for determining the winter solstice, is therefore considered likely.
2004, a further sighting device was found in the picket fence that allowed the determination of the summer solstice. The evaluations Wolfhard Schlosser were supported by a satellite-based measurement system based on GPS. Unlike other, poorly preserved Middle Neolithic circular grave installations, the lines of sight in Goseck are extremely precise and allow the calculation and observation of the solstices over several days in all four positions.
After evaluation of 40 radiocarbon dates from the construction of the plant in the 49th century BC. Through the data and the typology of the sting, ribbons, ceramic findings may also be considered likely that the plant BC to the 47th century in use.
Located approximately one kilometer from this plant has been discovered a new Neolithic settlement. An exploration of group of the University of Halle is encountered in the village Goseck during excavation of an approximately 50 meter long and one meter deep trench to search the remains of a 7,000 -year-old village of the Linear Pottery Culture.
Documentation and evaluation of the excavations are in a public project to investigate the micro-region to Goseck, which is performed by the Halle institutions in collaboration with the University of California at Berkeley since 2002.
Importance
In Central Germany have more circular grave sites of the Middle Neolithic references to the sunrises and sunsets of summer ( Schalkenburg at Quenstedt, Quedlinburg northwest gate ): on or winter solstice ( Südosttor Goseck ). Remuneration of the Middle Neolithic roundels to the solstice points were noted since the 1980s been at several other plants of the Stroked Pottery or the East Central European Lengyel (eg Těšetice - Kyjovice in Moravia, Künzing sub- mountain in Bavaria or Svodín, Slovakia).
The phenomenon circle grave system came into central Germany downriver from the territory of the Western Lengyel. All previously dated grave circle plants were built in a quite short period of time in the early stage of the Lengyel culture and " culture with Moravian Painted Ceramics" (IA ) and at the start of Stage IV ( = stage II according to Dieter Kaufmann ) the Stroked Pottery. A stylization Gosecks in the press as " The oldest observatory in the world " is therefore irrelevant. As wooden henge monument, however, the system of Goseck is about 2000 years older than Stonehenge, what a highly effective representation of such hidden in the earth monuments justifies again.
There is no archaeological connection to the 3,000- years-younger Sky Disc of Nebra and aspects of archaeoastronomy in the Bronze Age.