Near Tübingen, archaeologists discovered Neolithic remains of settlements some time ago, but little appeared to have survived. This year, the research team has now succeeded in identifying the remains of several longhouses from the sixth millennium BC and examining the relics of one of these houses more closely. The results prove beyond any doubt that there was once a settlement of linear ceramicists – the first farmers in southern Germany.
To the northwest of the Unterjesingen district of Tübingen, isolated prehistoric relics were discovered as early as 1926, which indicated the existence of a prehistoric settlement around 500 meters north of the current course of the Ammer. Because only a few individual finds were made at the time, researchers were unable to find out much about the area. The existence of a Neolithic settlement at this location initially remained a guess.
Outlines of Neolithic longhouses
This has changed now. Because as part of a joint research project on the early Neolithic in the Ammertal, archaeologists from the State Office for Monument Preservation in the Stuttgart Regional Council and the University of Tübingen have re-examined the area this year. “The aim of the research project is to record the chronological sequence of the various early Neolithic settlements more precisely and to examine the environmental conditions and way of life and thus the change in landscape due to the beginning of agriculture in the 6th millennium with the help of scientific studies,” explains Raiko Krauss.
It started with geophysical measurements in spring 2021, during which scientists were able to make hidden structures visible by means of magnetic field mapping of the subsurface. The measurements gave the first clear indications that a Neolithic settlement must have actually existed at this point. Because they revealed the outlines of the foundations of several buildings, the shape and size of which corresponded to the characteristic longhouse of the linear ceramic culture, as the team reports. This around the 6th millennium BC The culture established in Central Europe marks the transition from hunters and gatherers to the rural way of life.
Remnants of posts and braid
From excavations of prehistoric linear ceramic band settlements elsewhere, it is already known that the up to 45 meters long, rectangular longhouses of this first rural culture in southern Germany consisted of massive wooden posts in several rows that supported the roof. The walls of the houses were formed by thinner posts, the spaces between which were closed by wattle plastered with clay. In early autumn 2021, the archaeologists investigated in more detail whether the floor plans discovered near Tübingen corresponded to this type of house in a four-week excavation campaign led by Veronika Stein from the University of Tübingen.
The team carried out excavations at various points on one of the house floor plans. And indeed: “Discoloration in the floor shows the scuff marks of the former posts of the house construction, as well as grave structures, which are to be interpreted as the last clues to the walls of the house”, reports Jörg Bofinger from the State Office for Monument Protection. According to the scientists, this confirms beyond any doubt that this place was once a settlement of the linear ceramic culture. This means that another village of these first farmers is now known in this area. House floor plans were found in the past to the south of Entringen and northeast of Pfäffingen, which indicate villages with ceramic lines.
The team of archaeologists plans to further investigate the relics of the newly discovered village in order, among other things, to narrow down the age of the settlement. Radiocarbon dating and archaeobotanical analyzes of plant remains could contribute to this. The latter could also provide more information about the way of life and economy of these early farmers in the Ammertal.
Source: Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen