From October 4th, archeology students will be digging for a village near Harzgerode that disappeared in the Middle Ages. A preliminary investigation revealed hundreds of finds.
Harzgerode (dpa/sa) - The remains of a village near Harzgerode (Harz district) that disappeared in the Middle Ages are to be uncovered from next Tuesday. "Typical traces of settlements from the Middle Ages were discovered during preliminary investigations in the spring," said archaeologist and excavation director Anna Swieder of the German Press Agency. "In total there were over 400 individual finds from the 13th and 14th centuries."
Among other things, so-called sword ort bands were found in the settlement area. These are metal fittings on the top of a sword scabbard. The chape prevented the sword tip from protruding and injuring the wearer. "There were also pottery shards, remains of knife blades, horse spurs, a large iron key, small appliqués and pendants, silver coins and many roof tile fragments," said Swieder.
The settlement area is quite damp, organic remains may have been preserved. "Our hope is that scientific methods such as dendrological determinations, C-14 analyzes or pollen analysis will be possible," said Swieder. "At that time there was a veritable wave of desertion in the Lower Harz and many smaller towns were abandoned." About 100 places disappeared in the Harz region. In general, scientists assume that diseases such as the plague, climate change or wars are the reasons for desertions.
The excavation runs until October 14 in cooperation with the State Office for the Preservation of Monuments and Archeology in Saxony-Anhalt and the University of Göttingen.
