In the south of Brandenburg, in the forest area "Schweinert", lies the largest Bronze Age burial mound field in Germany. About 650 superficially very well preserved burial mounds, which are assigned to the Lusatian culture, are present on an area of about 30 ha. The burial ground is located in the floodplain of the Schwarze Elster and is crossed by a fluvial channel system. Within the framework of this project, geoarchaeological investigations are to contribute to the clarification of important natural site questions and to reconstruct the Holocene landscape history. The main questions of the project are: (1) In what context of Holocene relief, soil, and sediment formation is the Schweinert barrow field located? (2) Can our knowledge of the necropolis be extended by new archaeological features? (3) Can stratigraphic relations between the Schweinert and the Holocene formations in its wider surroundings be established? To answer these questions a geomorphological-soil-sedimentological approach is used, whose central element are toposequences. Along these toposequences, soils and their parent substrates are described, sampled, and genetically classified in trenches and boreholes. Parallel to the catena, a geophysical prospection using ERT and GPR will be carried out. In addition, partial areas of the "Schweinert" will be geomagnetically surveyed. The geophysical prospection forms the basis for the selection of areas for archaeological excavations. In the synopsis of the findings, new insights into the Holocene landscape history, in one of the most important Bronze Age barrow fields in Central Europe, will be presented.

Funding source: DFG, AZ RA 1129/5-1, RA 931/15-1, SCHO 838/10-1

Funding period: 2021 to 2024 resp. 2027

Funding amount: 426.061 € (BTU share)

Management: Dr. A. Raab (BTU), Prof. Dr. T. Raab (BTU), Prof. Dr. F. Schopper (BLDAM)

Co-responsible: Dr. Markus Agthe (BLDAM), Dr. Eberhard Bönisch (BLDAM), Dr. Albrecht Bauriegel (LBGR), Dr. Florian Hirsch (c/o BTU), Dr. Anna Schneider (BTU), Alexander Bonhage (BTU)