Walle Plough

As a plow plow Walle is called, which was discovered in 1927 in Walle (Aurich ) peat cutting. The plow is a minimum age of about 4000 years, the previously oldest known plow Germany and one of the few archaeological finds of this kind in Europe.

Location and discovery

The plow was found Hanßen and his son Heye of peat cutting in the East Frisian Walle at the lower edge of a 1.7 m deep layer of peat on 9 July 1927 by Jann. As a reward Jann Hanßen received 50 marks which he had to share with the land owner vine. Location: (53 ° 29 ' 25 "N, 7 ° 26' 33 " O53.4901666666677.4425555555556Koordinaten: 53 ° 29 ' 25 "N, 7 ° 26' 33" E )

Extent of recovery

The plow beam is made of an oak branch and about 3 m long, the ploughshare measured 60 cm in its original condition. In a square hole of the crowd of jammed with wedges inserted mush. The front part of the ploughshare is missing because the plow of peat cutting in many items had been cut. First pollen samples have already been taken in 1927 at the site and forwarded to pollen analysis. It was found that the plow can be dated no earlier than the beginning Bronze Age. Due to the relatively well-developed form of the hook plow but also a dating to the late Bronze or early Iron Age is conceivable.

Also in Papua was found in a fen a plow this type of oak with similar dimensions. The wooden plow is known from finds and images of the Neolithic, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age and from Hallstatt, Etruscan, Greek and Roman representations. In the Mediterranean region, this form can be found even today.

Why the plow has now been found in the bog, can not be said with certainty. Probably the plow was sunk during the winter months in the bog to preserve the wood, then a common method. In 1983, near the locality of the plow found a 3,000 year old stone ax.

Dating

After 1937 a strong process of disintegration set in, the plow was taken to the proper preservation into the National Museum in Hanover, where the original is today. A more precise age determination was achieved only after several investigations. First, the plow was in the 4th millennium BC, and later ( in the fifties ) in the outgoing Stone Age ( about 2000 BC ) dates. Recent measurements date the plow now in the early Bronze Age ( 1940-1510 BC).

A replica of the plow is in the History Museum in Aurich. In Walle, on the road towards Utlandshoerner Kolonat Georgsfeld, today a memorial stone to the Fund.