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Antique ceramics in DPZ building pit

Archaeologists have discovered potsherds within the building pit for the future multipurpose building. The findings date to the Bronze or Iron Age and such are rare in the Göttingen area.
[Translate to English:] Michael Lankeit, Geschäftsführer des DPZ (links) sieht sich mit dem Archäologen Frank Wedekind die Funde auf der Baustelle an. Foto: Karin Tilch.
Das Foto zeigt eine Hand die eine der gerundenen Tonscherben hält. Die andere deutet auf auf die Scherbe.
[Translate to English:] Anhand von Form und Art der Herstellung datieren die Archäologen die Scherben auf die Bronze- oder Eisenzeit. Foto: Karin Tilch

The archaeologists Frank Wedekind and Olaf Oliefka have discovered potsherds and remains of grinding stones from the Bronze or Iron Age within the building pit for the future multipurpose building. Originally the archaeologists were searching for remains of a medieval mill, which the archaeology department of the city of Göttingen believes to be located somewhere near the DPZ. But the grinding stone and pottery fragments found in the building pit were clearly older. "The findings date back to a 1000 to 300 years b.c.," says Frank Wedekind, "they are an indirect proof for a settlement from that period." It's only an indirect proof because the potsherds originally come from a location that's a bit higher on a hill above Kellnerweg and they were washed down the hill. It's only the second known settlement from the Bronze Age within the Göttingen area. The other is located at the Walkemühle near the open-air bath. "With this job the German Primate Center supports research very different from its own," laughs Frank Wedekind.

The potsherds have a diameter of only five centimeters at maximum "and because these are remains of everyday vessels they are hardly decorated," explains Wedekind. The few, simple decorations on the fragments tell the archaeologists about the epoch the pots were made in. There are lines made by fingermarks and regular patterns that the Göttingen people from the Bronze Age probably made with a bone or wooden ridge. Die potsherds are tiny; most of them are just unshaped fragments with a red or beige front side and a black inner face. Still, the archaeologists are able to determine the shape (biconical) and fabrication (open fire) of the pots from these pieces for some of the findings.

Besides potsherds also flint fragments and a broken grinding stone made of sandstone were recovered. "Flint naturally occurs only north of Hildesheim and here we have chalk deposits," states site technician Olaf Oliefka. The Bronze Age people therefore must have transported the recovered stones to Göttingen. How is it possible to discover such small, muddy fragments within a giant building site? "Experience and visual judgment for mud," says Oliefka unexcitedly.

And there's also no need for the construction managers of the DPZ to get excited because of the findings. The work of the archaeologists is already completed and there will be no delay in the ongoing building work. The potsherds are for the time being stored in the archive of the city's archaeology department.