Archaeologists are excavating the remains of a medieval settlement near Halberstadt in central Germany. The site lies beside the Frevelgraben, east of the city, near Gessnerstraße.
Aerial view of the excavation area at Am Frevelgraben. Credit: Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt, Klaus Bentele
The Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt began work at the site in March. The dig forms part of plans to expand Halberstadt’s Ost industrial area. Earlier geophysical surveys revealed a large settlement with several ditch-like enclosures and many buried features.
The excavation has now confirmed the site as an Ortswüstung, a medieval settlement later abandoned by its residents. Archaeologists have found a clear layout of plots, along with rows of sunken buildings, settlement pits, and two wells.
The layout gives researchers a rare chance to study how the settlement grew and changed over time. Overlapping features show at least two phases of occupation. Some houses stood close to earlier buildings, while later construction shifted parts of the settlement.
The remains of sunken buildings are clearly visible in the excavation area. Credit: Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt, Klaus Bentele
The enclosure also changed over time. Archaeologists recorded several ditches inside and outside the settlement. Their form shows repeated changes and extensions as the site developed.
The area beside the Frevelgraben was also used by the residents. No houses were found close to the northern edge of the site, but pits and layers of settlement debris point to activity near the stream.
The exposed skeleton of one of the animals found at the site, in situ. Credit: Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt, Klaus Bentele
One of the most unusual features of the site is the small number of objects left behind. Medieval abandoned settlements often contain large amounts of pottery, tools, and other household goods. The Frevelgraben settlement was different.
Only a few pottery fragments and metal objects have been found so far. Among the metal finds are a bronze tap, fittings, and belt buckles. The small number of objects suggests residents left the settlement in an orderly way and took much of their property with them.
Historical maps offer a possible name for the abandoned settlement. Maps made around 1900 mark a deserted settlement called Kühlingen about one kilometer west of the excavation area.
Older topographic maps from 1872 to 1943 also show the name Kühlingen directly north of the excavation site. Archaeologists therefore think the remains could belong to the medieval settlement of Kühlingen.
One of the wells uncovered during the excavation. Credit: Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt, Klaus Bentele
The reason for its abandonment is still unknown. Archaeologists found no destruction layer, and there are no signs of a major fire. The evidence therefore doesn’t point to a sudden end caused by burning or widespread destruction.
Radiocarbon tests should help establish when people left the settlement. Researchers will study selected animal bones from the site to narrow down the date.
The excavation also adds to the history of settlement around Halberstadt. People lived and buried their dead in the wider area for centuries, leaving traces beneath today’s landscape.
Archaeological work at Am Frevelgraben is scheduled to continue until mid-December. Further excavation could reveal more about the settlement’s layout, its residents, and the events behind its final abandonment.
More information: State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt