Döbeln/Dresden (dpa/sn) – On the future site of an adventure village near Döbeln (central Saxony), archaeologists are looking for remains of a settlement from the early Neolithic period (around 5500 to 4500 BC) until spring 2023. They reckon with more than 60 floor plans of buildings and several thousand historical testimonies in the ground on an area of ??ten hectares. “It is one of the first large settlements that we have in Central Saxony, and something special in this density and abundance,” said state archaeologist Regina Smolnik on Wednesday.
Since the 17-hectare development area is in a region that was inhabited for more than 7,000 years, it is “full” of evidence from all times, according to Smolnik. Things such as potsherds, stone tools or axes have already been recovered from pits and houses. “We are still at the beginning, the big pits are only just being opened.” Anything that cannot be recovered, such as the remains of posts, house floor plans or walls, remain in the ground. Sometimes houses can only be read from the discoloration of the earth and are destroyed during the investigation for documentation.
According to Smolnik, archaeological monuments are already known in the vicinity of the excavation site and there were clear indications of prehistoric settlement. However, she also counts on evidence of the Mesolithic Age, the Bronze Age “and perhaps the Middle Ages”. Two houses from the Stichbandkeramik culture (about 4900 to 4500 BC), which were originally eight to ten meters wide and at least 30 meters long, are currently being examined. Due to the very good preservation conditions, there were also rare finds such as a kiln site, which otherwise often fell into disrepair, was dismantled or later destroyed.
