Die Älteste Linienbandkeramik von Zwenkau-Nord (Lkr. Leipzig)

Abstract

Between 1993 and 2003, the largest settlement of the Linear and Stroke-Ornamented Pottery Culture (LBK and SBK) was excavated in an area of 30 ha in the Zwenkau opencast lignite mine (administrative district of Leipzig), about 15 km south of Leipzig. The features dating from the older LBK to the younger SBK were situated on the western bank of the river Weiße Elster (former district of Eythra). In 2009, the Eythra project started as a cooperation between the University of Leipzig and the State Office for Archaeology (Landesamt für Archäologie) in Saxony, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). On the eastern bank opposite Eythra, settlement remains from the oldest phase of the LBK were found in the north of Zwenkau. Today, Zwenkau-North is one of four known sites from the earliest phase of LBK in Saxony. Apart from similarities, there are also differences between Zwenkau-North and other sites from this period in Central Germany, such as Eilsleben and Eitzum. They mainly differ in the presence or absence of specific characteristics of the pottery. These characteristics are quite often regarded as chronologically important. In this article, I critically discuss this topic and suggest that the analysed characteristics are mainly affected by the regional situation. I also present some of the first results of a chemical analysis of sherds from the LBK sites in Eythra and Zwenkau-North.