Settlements near Zschernitz

Settlement landscape Zschernitz

South of Zschernitz, a veritable landscape of features was already known from aerial archaeology before the start of the excavation accompanying the construction work. Numerous land ditches of unknown function can be seen in the area, as well as a circular ditch and settlements of different periods, whose posts and pits are clearly visible in the aerial photograph. The settlement centrally located in this landscape was directly intersected by the planned natural gas pipeline in excavation section ZNT-08.

Image Source R. Heynowski, Foto ©LfA 2003.

Findings

The approximately 500 m long area ZNT-08 had around 600 features, which often overlapped. Since the immigration of the first farming cultures in the Neolithic period, the good soil and climatic conditions have identified the area around the site as a favorable area for agriculture. For this reason, the site was repeatedly visited and settled from 5500 BC throughout prehistory until the High Middle Ages. Between countless settlement pits and house posts, three pit houses from the time of the Funnel Beaker culture (4000-3000 BC) also came to light. This type of house was rarely found at that time and has been little researched.

Image Source L. Steguweit, Foto ©LfA 2003.

Pit houses

The pit houses were almost completely cut through by route section ZNT-08, which gave the excavation team a good insight into their structure. They measured approx. 12 m x 5 m and were rectangular to slightly trapezoidal in shape. The original floor of the houses was preserved at a depth of around 20 cm to 40 cm. Remains of ovens and fireplaces indicate that they were used as residential buildings in the Neolithic period. Early medieval pit houses, on the other hand, were used almost exclusively as farm buildings.

Image Source L. Steguweit, Foto ©LfA 2003.

Special finds

In the surrounding pits, fragments of wall plaster with remnants of red painting were found, but these were dated to the Metal Age. An analysis revealed a primer of white, calcareous material on which a red paint of hematite or red chalk had been painted. Furthermore, lumps of pitch mixed with various fats and oils were discovered in two of the pit houses. The outer imprint of a leaf shows what they were once wrapped in. The handy lumps could have been used as glue or chewing gum. Lumps of pitch with chewing marks are known from wetland settlements in southern Germany.

Image Source L. Steguweit, Foto ©LfA 2003.

Adonis von Zschernitz

The discovery of the well-known "Adonis von Zschernitz" is due to a lucky coincidence: the fragment only came to light at the bottom of a circular, 2.5 m wide Linear Pottery settlement pit when the edge of the profile was being straightened at the edge of the excavation cut (photo). In the upper part, it had been disturbed by a Middle Neolithic pit house. If it had been just a few centimetres away, this unique find for the whole of Europe might never have been discovered. The attentive excavation worker Manfred Berger discovered the find in the area of a Linear Pottery settlement pit. His first instinct, that he had found a "stone with an A ...", proved to be (almost) correct when the find was cleaned up.

Image Source L. Steguweit, Foto ©LfA 2003.

Find in detail

The fragment, which is still about 8 cm high, shows the torso of a male figure with a one-sided incised line decoration in the buttocks area and plastically formed genitals. In the course of the discovery, the excavation area was extended and the topsoil in the area of the find was sieved. This made it possible to find another fragment. It shows the chest and shoulder area of the figurine. Even if the fragment does not fit directly, its design suggests that they belong together.

Image Source J. Lipták, Fotos/A. Reck, Bearbeitung ©LfA 2003/2023.

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Another plastic

Three other related fragments of a sculpture are similar in style but made of different material. It shows the abdomen of a presumably female figure. This second figure shows the suggestion of the base of a pelvis with unrolled legs, which are also incised on one side. Without comparable finds, it remains to be seen whether the two figures are to be considered separately or whether they belonged together to a composition, perhaps a copulation scene.

Image Source Umzeichnung/A. Reck, Bearbeitung ©LfA 2012.

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