- La première colonie agricole découverte dans l'Altmark
Des excavations menées avant la construction de l'autoroute ont conduit des archéologues à découvrir un village de l'Âge de la Pierre datant de 7 000 ans près de Belkau, près de Stendal. "Jusqu'à présent, les contours typiques des maisons des premiers farmers n'étaient pas connus dans l'Altmark, au nord de la frontière de loess", a déclaré l'archéologue et coordinatrice de projet Johanna Schüler. "Il s'agit d'une sensation scientifique et cela remet en question nos connaissances actuelles sur la culture des poteries linéaires - nous pensions jusqu'à présent que les premiers farmers préféraient les sols de loess", a expliqué l'archéologue et cheffe de département Susanne Friederich.
Le loess s'est principalement formé pendant l'âge de glace jusqu'à environ 13 000 ans. Le vent a réparti ce matériau dans toute l'Allemagne. En tant que substrat parent, le loess forme la base des sols agricoles les plus favorables.
Installés sur une petite zone de terre noire
Les premiers farmers de l'Altmark ont choisi, selon les archéologues, un site de peuplement sur la terre noire plutôt que sur le sol de loess. Dans l'Altmark orientale, surtout entre Belkau et Osterburg, il y a encore aujourd'hui de petites zones couvertes de terre noire. La terre noire est un sol superficiel coloré par l'humus. exactly such an island was chosen by the early farmers for their settlement at Belkau. So far, the outlines of four houses have been exposed.
It would have been a small hamlet of only 5,000 square meters of land area. The associated pottery shards were recovered from the characteristic accompanying longitudinal pits. The people at that time decorated their pottery with linear bands. Archaeologists therefore speak of the Linear Pottery culture.
Les bâtiments étaient isolés
The house outlines found now are 6 to 7 meters wide and about 30 meters long. Along the outer walls, loamy soil was taken for wall insulation. "The settlers took clay from the subsoil to plaster the house walls", said excavation leader Mariola Raczkowska-Jones.
According to the archaeologists, these farmers settled permanently in the area and practiced agriculture as they were accustomed to from the Magdeburg Börde and other regions with excellent soils.
The excavations took place in advance of the new construction of the federal highway 14 between Stendal-Mitte and Osterburg. "In the course of the highway construction, we are dealing with landscapes that we previously did not know in detail", said Friederich. While there are occasional findings of early farmers' remains along major river courses, the evidence of a permanent settlement with large residential buildings was lacking - and was considered unlikely.
The discovery of the Stone Age settlement near Belkau challenges the previous assumptions about the Linear Pottery culture, as it suggests that the first farmers favored black earth areas over loess soils for settlement. This ancient settlement appeared to be a small hamlet, covering approximately 5,000 square meters of land.
The excavations led to the exposure of house outlines, with four houses identified so far, indicating a permanent settlement by the first farmers in the area.
