The Teltow is one of the pioneer regions for iron smelting in Northern Central Europe. Iron produ... more The Teltow is one of the pioneer regions for iron smelting in Northern Central Europe. Iron production in the region began at the transition from the late Hallstatt to the early La Tène period (Ha D/LT A). The subsequent establishment of iron smelting and processing is evident in a large number of pre-Roman Iron-Age settlements with slag finds. The almost standard use of the so-called Glienicktype bloomery is to be emphasized as a striking feature. Decentrally organised and settlement-based iron production took place within the framework of subsistence farming and was mainly used to cover the subsistence needs of the regional population. Towards the end of the pre-Roman Iron Age, there was a sustained decline in smelting activities in connection with a collapse of settlement.
The paper deals with the introduction of iron as a new raw material in the transition period betw... more The paper deals with the introduction of iron as a new raw material in the transition period between the outgoing Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age. Objective of the paper is to introduce the interdisciplinary research group A5: Iron as a new raw material of the Excellence Cluster Topoi. The Formation and Transformation of Space and Knowledge in Ancient Civilizations . After a short overview of the history of the spread of iron technology after the decline of the Hittite empire, the central research categories of the group: space, knowledge, innovation and resource are introduced. The interdisciplinary composition of the group enables the integration of different methodological approaches from the archaeological sciences, ancient oriental studies and physical geography. Furthermore, the spatio-temporal potentials and limitations of the single disciplinary methodological approaches are discussed and a brief overview of the regions under investigation is given. The introduction of iro...
The Teltow is one of the pioneer regions for iron smelting in Northern Central Europe. Iron produ... more The Teltow is one of the pioneer regions for iron smelting in Northern Central Europe. Iron production in the region began at the transition from the late Hallstatt to the early La Tène period (Ha D/LT A). The subsequent establishment of iron smelting and processing is evident in a large number of pre-Roman Iron-Age settlements with slag finds. The almost standard use of the so-called Glienicktype bloomery is to be emphasized as a striking feature. Decentrally organised and settlement-based iron production took place within the framework of subsistence farming and was mainly used to cover the subsistence needs of the regional population. Towards the end of the pre-Roman Iron Age, there was a sustained decline in smelting activities in connection with a collapse of settlement.
The paper deals with the introduction of iron as a new raw material in the transition period betw... more The paper deals with the introduction of iron as a new raw material in the transition period between the outgoing Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age. Objective of the paper is to introduce the interdisciplinary research group A5: Iron as a new raw material of the Excellence Cluster Topoi. The Formation and Transformation of Space and Knowledge in Ancient Civilizations . After a short overview of the history of the spread of iron technology after the decline of the Hittite empire, the central research categories of the group: space, knowledge, innovation and resource are introduced. The interdisciplinary composition of the group enables the integration of different methodological approaches from the archaeological sciences, ancient oriental studies and physical geography. Furthermore, the spatio-temporal potentials and limitations of the single disciplinary methodological approaches are discussed and a brief overview of the regions under investigation is given. The introduction of iro...
Ausflüge zu Archäologie, Geschichte und Kultur in Deutschland, Band 54, 2012
Ausflüge im Südwesten Brandenburgs - Erlebnisreiche Ausflüge in die Geschichte. Der Südwesten des... more Ausflüge im Südwesten Brandenburgs - Erlebnisreiche Ausflüge in die Geschichte. Der Südwesten des heutigen Bundeslandes Brandenburg ist durch unter-schiedliche Landschaften geprägt. Von Nordwest nach Südost durchzieht das Baruther Urstromtal die Region und trennt die aus Sandern und trockenen Hochebenen aufgebauten Landschaften Zauche und Teltow im Norden vom hohen und niederen Fläming im Süden. Für die Mark Brandenburg hat der Südwesten besondere Bedeutung: Von der am nordwestlichen Rand gelegenen Stadt Brandenburg an der Havel, dem einstigen Hevellersitz, ging die Herrschafts-und Siedlungsdurchdrin-gung seitens der askanischen Markgrafen aus. Namentlich die Zauche-"tota zucha"-kann als Herzland der späteren Mark Brandenburg bezeichnet werden, war es doch dieses, unmittelbar südlich an die Brandenburg in der Havel angrenzende Gebiet, das der letzte Hevellerfürst dem Sohn Albrechts des Bären 1130 als Taufgeschenk überließ. Fläming und Teltow jedoch, die im Mittelalter lange als Grenzregionen sächsisch, magdeburgisch und wettinisch und entprechend umstritten waren, sind erst spät zu Branden-burg gekommen. Der Band der Reihe »Ausflüge zu Archäologie, Geschichte und Kultur in Deutschland« zeigt, was die Region archäologisch zu bieten hat: Von der steinzeitlichen Kreisgrabenanlage und den Hügelgräbern der Bronzezeit über slawische Burgwälle und mittelalterliche Kirchen bis hin zu Schlacht-feldern der Napoleonischen Kriege oder geheimen militärischen Versuchsanlagen aus der NS-Zeit. Der Ausflugsführer mit über 50 Zielen • Überblick zu den Museen in der Region Ausflüge im Südwesten Brandenburgs
The innovation of iron production is one of the major technological developments in history. The ... more The innovation of iron production is one of the major technological developments in history. The ability to transform certain ‘stones’ into objects of nearly any shape had an enormous influence on the economic and social development of early societies.
Within the last decade, a great deal of research has been done in Central Europe to work out the dating of the first production sites more precisely and to learn more about the technology and the social embeddedness of iron production. Our DFG-funded research in the Teltow region south of Berlin is one example for these activities. It has made it possible to push the date of the earliest iron production activities in Northern Germany back more than four centuries.
Consequently, the idea arose to gather the major experts in the field of Central European early iron production to exchange and discuss these results. We were very happy that 21 of our colleagues accepted our invitation and took part in the conference held in Berlin from the 19th to the 21st of October 2017. Many of them also submitted a paper for inclusion in this volume, which thus provides a very up-to-date overview of the state of research in many regions within Central Europe.
In the course of a DFG-funded project, the organisation of iron smelting and iron working in the ... more In the course of a DFG-funded project, the organisation of iron smelting and iron working in the Jastorf culture was characterised for the first time. The project focused on the Teltow area, a morainic landscape south of Berlin which offers diverse natural resources. The excavation of a settlement of the Pre-Roman Iron Age near Glienick revealed bloomeries and several metric tons of smelting slag, indicating large-scale iron production. The bloomeries showed a very particular construction and functional principle and have been named “Glienick type” after the site at which they were first recognised. A series of experiments using this type of furnace succeeded in replicating iron production in this type of bloomery. Extensive smithing residue from the Iron Age settlement shows that iron working took place in close connection with iron production. Metallurgical activities were carried out within the settlement, which was otherwise characterised by a subsistence economy based on agriculture. Following the study of surrounding sites with a similar structure, a model for the organisation of the iron supply in the region during the Pre-Roman Iron Age was developed. A comparison with the Roman Iron Age shows that there was no linear development of iron production. Rather, a break was observed at the end of the Pre-Roman Iron Age and the system was restructured; subsequently, the necessary iron was partly imported. This volume presents the archaeological evidence, supplemented by several scientific analyses. These include the discussion of a pollen profile from Lake Rangsdorf, which amongst others provides a detailed insight into settlement development from the Middle Bronze Age to the Early Roman Period.
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Within the last decade, a great deal of research has been done in Central Europe to work out the dating of the first production sites more precisely and to learn more about the technology and the social embeddedness of iron production. Our DFG-funded research in the Teltow region south of Berlin is one example for these activities. It has made it possible to push the date of the earliest iron production activities in Northern Germany back more than four centuries.
Consequently, the idea arose to gather the major experts in the field of Central European early iron production to exchange and discuss these results. We were very happy that 21 of our colleagues accepted our invitation and took part in the conference held in Berlin from the 19th to the 21st of October 2017. Many of them also submitted a paper for inclusion in this volume, which thus provides a very up-to-date overview of the state of research in many regions within Central Europe.