Ovelgönne bread roll

The pointed Awakening of Ovelgönne obtained is half one was from the Pre-Roman Iron Age bun, which was found in 1952 during an archaeological excavation in Buxtehude's district Ovelgönne. This bread rest is the oldest surviving biscuits and Gebildbrot Europe. The Fund is shown in the permanent archaeological exhibition of the Archaeological Museum Hamburg in Hamburg- Harburg.

Discovery

In a hallway committed in Gemeindelehmkuhle of Ovelgönne in May 1952, the staff of the Helms- Museum Willi Rühland observed in a tapped wall on the north side of the hollow a dark discoloration in the upcoming clay, which indicated a Lehmabbaugrube. The irregular pit had a depth of 150 cm and a width of 150 cm. The backfilling of the pit was irregular mixed with shards, charcoal, Lehmbrocken and stones, suggesting an Iron Age garbage pit. At half the depth of the pit was found the remains of a charred bread. Location: 53 ° 26 ' 50 "N, 9 ° 44' 20" O53.4471611111119.7390055555556Koordinaten: 53 ° 26 ' 50 "N, 9 ° 44' 20" E

Findings

In the bread rest is half of a pointed Awakening, a bread roll, run with both ends in tips. Due to its regular shape, it becomes the Gebildbroten, baked goods with a predefined shape counted. The Brötchenlaib is heavily charred and broken off about half the length. The resulting part has now a length of 35.0 mm, a width of 22.94 mm and a height of 11.44 mm, with a weight of only 2.5 g From the top of the last end is terminated. The color of the surface is perl and slate gray, the underside gray black to black. On top of the rolls has a half extending in the longitudinal direction, slightly curved fine incision which is to prevent tearing of the loaf bread in the baking process. Approximately in the center of the surface obtained is a two millimeters deep and 3.56 × 2.80 mm wide Einstupfloch that was pushed at an angle of about 45 ° with a round object. A second Einstippung was most likely also on the missing half of the bun. The rolls had no pronounced crust was baked from a very finely ground and well sifted flour. The microscopic examination of the surface showed that the dough conspicuous contained small traces of fine stone abrasion of the grinding stones. The dough itself was kneaded well and had only very small-scale pores, suggesting that neither a yeast dough were used by wild yeast fermentation still a leaven to loosen the bread loaf. May protein or fat has been added to the relaxation of the dough. The baking process must have taken place in an oven on a good, but not completely cleaned coal stone surface, as small charcoal remains have been reflected in the pores of the bottom. Overall, the bread was baked at but too much top heat. Fine sand deposits in the inner parts of the fracture surface indicate that the bread was already broken before the discovery apart. A study conducted in Bern, Switzerland radiological examination showed that the superficial incision widened slightly inward. Two closely spaced, enigmatic metal particles were embedded in the dough isolated from 2.92 × 3.16 mm and 1.7 × 2.92 mm in size.

The original size of the full bun reconstructed During Max, due to its findings from numerous historic Nachbackversuchen bread finds strength by taking into account a 15 % shrinkage of the Fund piece by charring an estimated 70 × 45.88 × 22.48 mm.

The dating of the bread rest was about the typological determination of mitgefundenen fragments of pottery, all of which the level of that for the early Iron Age, around 800-500 BC typical vessel forms.

Interpretation and Meaning

The background of the resignation of the bun in the pit is the subject of debate. Some authors suggest a cultic context. This is attributed to the halving of the bun before the stoppage, and the baked- metal pieces. Whether the metal pieces but deliberately or accidentally fell into the dough is unclear. Max During the question arises as to whether " the Awakening of Ovelgönne was a technical creation or a replica of a profane or ritual object. " (Max During: Prehistoric crumbs from the northern Lüneburg heath ). It summarizes the importance of the pointed awakening as follows: " When detecting piece of Ovelgönne is the oldest Gebildgebäck Europe in kind, in the form of a wake -like fine pastry probably with ritual - religious significance, perhaps because of that produced in a previously unimaginable delicacy and refinement was "(Max During: Prehistoric crumbs from the northern Lüneburg heath ). . This it is founded on the remarkable fineness of wheat flour used that comes close in its grain size modern flours, as well as the incision and the Einstippungen. Einstupflöcher are known for example from an ancient Egyptian treasure dating from around 2000-1778 BC and from mosaics of the Church of Saint Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna in the 6th century, however, the European Einstippung is on the Ovelgönner buns rest of the earliest prehistoric Fund.