SINCOS-II SEDECO

Project-cluster "Sinking Coasts: Geosphere, Climate and Anthroposphere of the Holo-cene Southern Baltic Sea"(SINCOS II)
Project 4 "Prehistoric Settlements and Development of the Regional Economic Area" (SEDECO)

Geo-archaeological investigations of coastal development and cultural history of the south-western Baltic in the past 8000 years

Location

Archaeological research areas of the SINCOS-research group.

The spatial emphasis for the archaeological investigations in the frame of SINCOS-II is put on the Wismar Bay as part of the Mecklenburgian Bay and the coastal waters of Rügen Island as part of the Arkona basin and the Pommeranian Bay. The position of the two main areas west and east of the Darss Sill offers the opportunity to study the cultural development in two different geographical regions. Additional investigations are planned on further exploration areas along the Baltic coast of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Eastern Holstein.

History

	Development of the Baltic basin during the Holocene.

One of the most dramatic environmental changes in the post-glacial history of the Baltic Sea was the transformation from fresh-water into a brackish-marine basin during the Litorina transgression since 6000 BC. Mainly due to the post-glacial large eustatic sea level rise the Danish Straits were inundated and marine waters could enter the Baltic Basin. This process changed the complete hydrographic system as well as the coastal configuration throughout the entire Baltic region. It was for the culture development of the autochthonous hunters, fishermen and gatherers of similar importance as the synchronous neolithization process in the interior Middle Europe. 

Objectives

	Cause-effect-relation of systems studied by the SINCOS-Research project.

The principle aim of the archaeological sub-project within the project-bundle SINCOS II is to gather information, whether and to which extent the ancient human societies have reacted to the coastal decline caused by climate evolution and geological processes as well as to other changes of their natural environment by adaptation their economic system, their social structures, or their communication networks. The period between 6000 and 2000 cal BC (late Mesolithic until late Neolithic period) is of particular interest, because the rapid rise of the sea level during that period has caused great environmental changes, so that people continuously had to adapt to the changing ecological system. 

History of Research

	Research vessel FS "Professor Albrecht Penck".

First interdisciplinary investigations about changes of the living conditions at the transition of the Mesolithic to the Neolithic period in the south-western Baltic occurred in the middle of the 19th century in Denmark. The questions concerning the origin of mesolithic shell-middens combined with the question of the development of the sea level led to the establishing of three interdisciplinary Køkkenmøddinger commissions between 1850 and 1930, which produced basic discoveries about the history of the earth and the cultural history of the southwest Baltic Sea area.
The first terminal Mesolithic finds of the North-German coastal region from Kiel-Eller¬bek also led to geological-botanical investigations at the end of the 19th century. The excavations and explorations of settlement sites of the same time on the Island of Rügen was also always combined with questions about the regional coastal development.
This research tradition was continued in both parts of Germany after the 2. World War. Especially in Eastern Holstein and on the Island of Rügen important results of the regional coastal development were achieved in connection with the investigations of archaeological sites. However, for different reasons the research did not resulted in a systematically exploration of submerged Stone Age sites as in the neighbouring Denmark. 

Previous Activities

	Bathymetric map of Wismar Bay with new discovered submerged prehistoric sites since 1998.

The discovery of the first submarine Stone Age settlements in the coastal waters of the Mecklenburgian Bay at the end of 1990 was a starting point to establish the underwater archaeology on "sunken" stone age settlements as a new research emphasis of the Archaeological State Museum of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (ALM MV). In 1998 the Museum started a close cooperation with the Institute for Baltic Research Warnemünde (IOW). Common expeditions with the research vessel "Professor Albrecht Penck" led to the location of a couple of well preserved stone age sites in different water-depths in Wismar Bay.
Detailed investigations of the most important sites were possible in the frame of the project "Ökologie und Ökonomie submariner Fundstellen aus der Zeit der Neolithisierung in der Wismarbucht" (LU537/5-1) funded by the DFG. These investigations showed clearly the enormous potential of a couple of sites for detailed interdisciplinary research in cultural ecology and economic archaeology. From 2002 until 2005 the DFG-Researchgroup SINCOS (FOR488) formed the frame to intensify and expand the investigations on submarine prehistoric sites, that were flooded during the Litorina-transgression.
During these three years underwater surveys of the SINCOS-sub-project 1.6 "Prehistoric Sett-lements and Development of the Regional Economic Area"(LU537/6-1) were done on both sides of the Darss sill, between the Oldenburger Graben and the es-tuary of the Oder, and especially in the coastal waters of Rügen Island. They led to the localization of a considerable number of submarine sites, most of them characterized by well preserved organic remains.
During excavations of different size in Wismar Bay several shorelines could be recon-structed and dated by radiocarbon analyses. 

Current Work

	Working boat "Goor" of the archaeological work group on site Jäckelberg-Huk.

Since 2006 the investigations are continued in the frame of the DFG-project bundle "SINCOS-II" as subproject 4 "Prehistoric Settlements and Development of the Regional Economic Area"(LU537/11-1). The investigation of further submarine settlements in Wismar Bay shall close still existing gaps of the archaeological chronostratigraphy. Supplementary excavations are planned on the site Timmendorf-Nordmole I and investigations of further sites on the Jäckelberg north off Poel Island.
A more precise examination of the new discovered sites in the Northern bodden waters is supposed in the second main research region Rügen Island. They are dating back into the period between 5600 and 4500 BC. Therefore they are older than the already inves-tigated sites on land, which are belonging mainly to the younger EBK and the early Neolithic. 

Methods

	Timmendorf-Nordmole I: Excavating of archaeological layers with water induction dredges.

The investigation of selected prehistoric coast settlements by excavations, boring and geophysical investigation methods is primarily necessary to reach the scientific goals of the archaeological sub-project of SINCOS. This task requires underwater archaeological excavation techniques, which enable appropriate detailed stratigraphical analyses of the investigated sites. The carfully documentated sections will supply furthermore information to reconstruct the coastal morphology of the settlement environment. At the same time the sample material required for the natural scientific sub-projects of SINCOS will be gained from the excavated trenches. 

Results

	Timmendorf-Nordmole I: Sunken structure on the former settlement area.

The exploration of submarine Stone-age settlements in the last five years led to the discovery of numerous new sites both in Wismar Bay and in the coastal waters of Rügen Island. They are dating mainly to the Late- and Terminal Mesolithic of the 6th and 5th millennium BC. Most of them are characterized by extraordinarily good preservation conditions and allow comprehensive studies not only for the cultural evolution of the late hunter, fisherman and gatherer societies in this area, but also for the modifications of the natural environment. These are characterised in particular by the rapid sea level rise in this time which led to the flooding of the coastal areas of the south-western Baltic. Correspondingly the people had to adapt their settlement behaviour and the economic system onto the changing biotope. Further it was possible to create in comparison with the investigation results achieved in Eastern Holstein a first chronostratigraphic division of the terminal Mesolithic Ertebølle culture and the oldest early Neolithic Funnel Beaker Culture in the Mecklenburgian Bay between 5400 and 3700 BC.
The continuation of the geo-archaeological investigations within the framework of the SINCOS-project in the next years will allow to receive further sufficient knowledge of the coastal development of the south-western Baltic coast for the period between 6500 and 3500 BC and on the adaptation of the human settlement behaviour and the economic system onto the modifications of the natural systems. 

Cooperation

	Timmendorf-Nordmole I: Flint blade knife with preserved handle of hazel wood and lime bast.

national:
Dr. Bernhard Gramsch, Wielandstrasse 21, 14471 Potsdam
PD Dr. Thomas Terberger, Historisches Institut, Lehrstuhl für Vor- und Frühgeschichte, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität, Hans-Fallada-Strasse 1, 17481 Greifswald

international:
Prof. Dr. Erik Brinch Petersen; Forhistorik Arkaeologisk Institut, University Copenhagen, Vandkunsten 5, 2, DK-1467 Copenhagen, Denmark
Prof. Dr. Lars Larsson, Institute of Archaeology, University of Lund, Sandgatan 1, 22350 Lund, Sweden
Peter Vang Petersen, Nationalmuseet, Oldtid og Middelalder, Frederiksholms Kanal 12, 1220 Copenhagen, Denmark
Flemming Rieck, Nationalmuseet, Oldtid og Middelalder, Frederiksholms Kanal 12, 1220 Copenhagen, Denmark
Ole Grøn, Langelands Museum, Jens Winthersvej 12, DK-5900 Rudkøbing, Denmark  

Contact

Dr. rer. nat. Harald Lübke

Telefon: 0385 5214 563
Telefax: 0385 5214 199
Email: harald.luebke@imail.de

Prof. Dr. phil. Friedrich Lüth

Telefon: 069-975818-26
Telefax: 069-975818-40
Email: direktion@rgk.dainst.de
Further Email Addresses: lueth@rgk.dainst.de

Further Contact Partners

PD Dr. Hauke Jöns, Direktor, Niedersächsisches Institut für Küstenforschung, postal adresse: Viktoriastrasse 26/28, 26360 Wilhelmshaven
Prof. Dr. Claus von Carnap-Bornheim, Direktor, Stiftung Schleswig-Holsteinische Landesmuseen Schloss Gottorf, Archäologisches Landesmuseum, Schloss Gottorf, 24837 Schleswig
Dr. Sönke Hartz, Dezernent, Stiftung Schleswig-Holsteinische Landesmuseen Schloss Gottorf, Archäologisches Landesmuseum, Schloss Gottorf, 24837 Schleswig
N.N., Landesamt für Kultur und Denkmalpflege, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, postal adresse: Domhof 4/5, 19055 Schwerin

Sponsors

German Research Council (DFG) Lu 537-11,1  

Bibliography

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Harff, J., Lampe, R., Lemke, W., Lübke, H., Lüth, F., Meyer, M. and Tauber, F. 2005. The Baltic Sea - a Model Ocean to Study Interrelations of Geosphere, Ecosphere and Anthroposphere in the Coastal Zone. Journal of Coastal Research, SI 39, 441-446.
Hartz, S. and Lübke, H. 2005. Zur chronostratigraphischen Gliederung der Ertebølle-Kultur und frühesten Trichterbecher-Kultur in der südlichen Mecklenburger Bucht. Bo-dendenkmalpflege in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Jahrbuch 2004 - 52, 119-142.
Hartz, S. and Lübke, H. 2006. New Evidence for a Chronostratigraphic Division of the Ertebølle Culture and the Earliest Funnel Beaker Culture on the Southern Mecklenburgian Bay. In Kind, C. J. (ed.), After the Ice Age. Settlements, Subsistence and Social Development in the Mesolithic of Central Europe. Materialhefte zur Archäologie in Ba-den-Württemberg 78, 61-77. Stuttgart, Theiss.
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Lübke, H. 2006. Filling a gap - Five years of underwater archaeological investigations on submarine Stone Age sites in Wismar Bay, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. In: Haffner, A., Niffeler, U. and Ruoff, U. (eds.), Die neue Sicht. Une nouvelle interprétation de L'histoire. The new view. - Unterwasserarchäologie und Geschichtsbild. L'apport de l'archéologie subaquatique. Underwater Archaeology and the Historical Picture. Pro-ceedings of the 2nd International Congress on Underwater Archaeology. Rüschlikon bei Zürich, 21.-24. Oktober 2004. Antiqua 40 (Basel), 64-69.
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