Mine houses from Börln
| Place: | Börln (Dahlen, North Saxony) |
|---|---|
| Type: | Pit houses |
| Dating: | Roman Imperial Period | Migration Period | 0 - 500 AD. |
Description
A settlement from the Roman Empire and Migration Period stretches over an area 500 m long and 180 m wide to the east of Börln. The choice of location was apparently based on criteria typical of the time in central Germany. The preferred location was close to a body of water - in this case the Lossa, which flows from east to west at a distance of 100 m - on a slight elevation on a gently sloping hillside to the west. In the aerial image, the high density of features is particularly striking, including up to 50 rectangular structures. These are so-called pit houses, which were mostly used as farm buildings.
Ronald Heynowski/Annemarie ReckThe pit houses
The pit houses measure an average size of 3.3 x 5.2 m and are all aligned in a north-east-south-west direction. It is known from excavations at comparable sites that the houses were dug about waist-deep into the ground and had a roof supported on a post construction. Pit houses were mostly used as farm buildings, as the rising coolness and soil moisture were particularly suitable for textile production or food storage.
Ronald Heynowski/Annemarie ReckImage Source R. Heynowski, Foto ©LfA 2018.
The settlement
Numerous round to oval features can be made out between the pit houses. Their size corresponds to that of post pits, but they can only rarely be joined together to form structures. Longhouses, which were usually used as dwellings during this period, are not recognizable. Objects found on the surface, such as pottery or jewelry, indicate that the site was used for several centuries from the Roman imperial period onwards. The distribution of the finds also indicates a longer-term occupation of the settlement site, in which the area used gradually expanded and increasingly shifted in one direction.
Ronald Heynowski/Annemarie ReckImage Source R. Heynowski 2024, 70.
Literature
Ronald Heynowski, Grubenhäuser. In: Regina Smolnik/Ronny Zienert (Hrsg.), Höhenflüge. Luftbilder und Archäologie in Sachsen (Dresden 2024) 70–71.
Note on monument protection
Archaeological monuments are protected by the Saxon Monument Protection Act. A permit under monument law is required for ground interventions or construction measures.
Permalink
https://archaeo-sn.de/en/ort/mine-houses-from-borln/
Citation
Ronald Heynowski/Annemarie Reck, Mine houses from Börln. In: Landesamt für Archäologie Sachsen, Website archaeo | SN (14.03.2024). https://archaeo-sn.de/en/ort/mine-houses-from-borln/ (Stand: 23.01.2025)
