Open AccessTHE MESOLITHIC CEMETERY OF GROß FREDENWALDE (NORTH-EASTERN GERMANY) AND ITS CULTURAL AFFILIATIONS
Author(s) -
Andreas Kotula,
Henny Piezonka,
Thomas Terberger
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
lietuvos archeologija
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2538-6514
pISSN - 0207-8694
DOI - 10.33918/25386514-046002
Subject(s) - mesolithic , archaeology , excavation , context (archaeology) , geography , grave goods , ancient history , history
The site of Groß Fredenwalde was discovered in 1962 and has been known as a Mesolithic multiple burial since 14C-dates verified an early Atlantic age in the early 1990s. New research since 2012 reconstructed the situation of the poorly documented rescue excavation in 1962 and identified six individuals from at least two separate burials. The new excavations uncovered more burials and Groß Fredenwalde standsout as the largest Mesolithic cemetery in North Central Europe and the oldest cemetery in Germany. In this paper the known burial evidence from this site is presented and the location of the cemetery, mortuary practices, and grave goods are discussed in a broader European context. Northern and Eastern connections appear especially tangible in Groß Fredenwalde and it is suggested that the community associated with the Groß Fredenwalde Mesolithic cemetery was integrated into wider cultural networksconnected to the North and East.Keywords: Mesolithic burials, Mesolithic networks, East-West contacts, mortuary practices, grave goods.