Archaeologists digging at the site of a Bronze Age kingdom in northern Germany have uncovered the remains of what they say was a surprisingly densely populated community of farmers and traders whose lives were altered by climate change.
Traces of eight large houses have been exposed in the sandy soil outside the village of Seddin, about 95 miles (150 km) northwest of Berlin, near the spectacular “triple tomb” of King Hinz, remembered as a kind ruler who was laid to rest, allegedly in a golden coffin, next to his wife and a loyal servant.
The discovery of their burial mound in 1899 led to waves of scientific research and tourism at the site, which have continued on and off in subsequent years.
Over the past year, archaeologist Immo Heske and teams from the University of Göttingen and the Brandenburg State Office for Historic Preservation have found the outlines of an impressive royal meeting hall from around 900 BC, believed to have been used for celebrations and fairs. Recently, they uncovered a cluster of dwellings meters away that may have helped house a community of up to 300 people over two centuries under a succession of monarchs.
Heske called the discovery of a “sea of houses” on a 2,000 square meter plot of land “extraordinary” and said it more than justified months of work at the remote site. He said their building style reflected the king’s assembly hall, also on a west-east axis, increasing the likelihood that the smaller residences went up at about the same time in an era of great expansion.
“It was intended as a permanent settlement. Metal workers, carpenters, women who looked after the stove, farmers and cattlemen lived here,” said Heske. “People could expect to live until 50 or even 60, and there were many generations living together under one roof.”
The two-storey 10 meter by 30 meter hall, one of the largest Nordic Bronze Age structures ever discovered, is believed to have had a sloping roof, a banquet hall, residences for the ruling family, separate chambers for more intimate meetings to conduct business or discuss privacy, space for grain storage and doors that opened outwards to allow for easy escape in case of emergency.
This “big surprise” led to further exploration of the site, which led to the discovery of post stumps and baked clay ovens, which made it possible to trace rough floor plans of a number of dwellings of varying shape and size.
The kingdom is believed to have been a central center of trade between the north and the south. “In the south they would have drunk wine, here they probably drank mead and then they talked business,” said Heske. “The Bronze Age was a time of communication to get the raw materials from other regions that were needed.”
The advent of the Iron Age disrupted the fertile time for exchange. “For iron, you can make it locally – you don’t have to promote contacts, intermarriages and agreements.”
The other major change for society came with a dramatic cooling of the climate around the time of the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age. “It got a lot colder and wetter, which helped bring about the end of the settlement,” Heske said. “It became swampy, there were certainly mosquitoes, and there was an impact on the grain harvest. People gave up on this area and moved on.”
He said the terrain around the excavation had been spared significant damage during World War II, making it among the best-preserved Bronze Age settlements in Germany. Excavation work will continue at least into next year, so local officials would like to do more to accommodate history buffs.
The Prignitz region of Brandenburg, where the excavation is taking place, has traces of human life going back further than 3000 BC. Today, rural Seddin is home to just over 100 people.