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EASE Germany Placement Report 2006 by Anne Mcnair
I had the privilege of being offered a place on an EASE work placement based in Magdeburg, Germany. As one of eight undergraduate students, we were working for the 'Landesamt für Archaeologie Sachsen Anhalt', which was the Archaeological Department of the state of Saxony-Anhalt. Although accommodated at the university in Magdeburg, I spent most of the six weeks working in or near the town of Halberstadt, to the west of Magdeburg.
My first three weeks were spent at a site known as 'Sonntagsfeld', a field being turned over to a new housing development on the edge of the town. The site had had human occupation from the Neolithic through the Bronze Age and Iron Age and into the Medieval period. During our time there, we were principally concerned with excavating parallel linear trenches and circular pits thought to date to the Linearbandkeramik (LBK) period of the Neolithic and the Bronze Age (approximately 5000-1000 BC). The day before our arrival on site, a human skeleton was found, positioned on its right side in the grave. It was believed to be a Bronze Age adult male.
Fig. 1 Sonntagsfeld, Halberstadt. Possible Bronze Age male skeleton
As this was a rescue excavation, we spent the duration excavating fifty percent of the linear trenches and circular pits to a pre-planned layout. After excavation, we drew the sections to scale, which we then coloured using an array of pencils, according to the German practice. This produced a very effective end result. This site drew to a close in our fourth week and was concluded with a barbeque and a most informative guided tour of the Halberstadt Museum, Dom (cathedral) and old town, conducted by an esteemed local archaeologist.
During the fourth week, I had the opportunity to do some medieval archaeology at the 'Haus der Romanik' located beside the north-eastern corner of the Magdeburg Dom. Here I was able to excavate a section of medieval wall and draw a set of wall sections of a medieval structure thought to be a cellar and dated possibly to the 14th century AD.
In the final two weeks, we moved to another rescue archaeology site near Halberstadt, which was a 1st-3rd century AD Germanic cremation cemetery. After trowelling through the topsoil in search of artefacts during the first week, the cremation urns started to be uncovered by the second week. We were now involved with planning and careful excavation using leaf trowels and brushes. I was fortunate enough to share the excavation of two cremation urns, one badly damaged and the other nearly perfect (see picture). The excavation was concluded with another barbeque in Magdeburg, following a roof-top tour of the Dom and a close inspection of the partially-constructed new organ.
Fig. 2 Sargstedt, near Halberstadt.
Decorative cremation urn
Certainly, my trip to Germany was not all work and no play. At the start of the trip, the temperatures were stifling, so we frequented the local outdoor schwimmbad (swimming pool), a welcome relief from the heat. We also visited many of the city's sites. In search of some cultural input, I spent a pleasant evening at the opera, where I saw Die Fledermaus in an outdoor theatre. Also, on the last night in Magdeburg, after visiting the newly-opened exhibition on the history of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, I went to an organ concert in the Dom, which was followed by wine in the cloisters - a fitting end to my stay in Magdeburg!
My explorations and relaxation time were not confined to Magdeburg. I spent a night out in the foothills of the Harz mountains at the medieval town of Quedlinburg. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, many of the half-timbered buildings are being restored and provide a beautiful backdrop to this intimate and charming town.
Fig. 3 Quedlinburg
One weekend was spent visiting a friend in Leipzig, where we enjoyed an evening stroll around the city in all its baroque splendour. I then spent the remainder of the weekend enjoying the outdoor café scene - the icecreams are excellent! - and visiting churches and museums covering a range of interests from Johann Sebastian Bach to the history of the communist German Democratic Republic.
I also spent two weekends in Berlin. This provided an opportunity to explore some of the breadth of activities that Berlin has to offer. I visited a temporary exhibition of underwater archaeology on loan from Egypt, as well as sites and museums specific to the history of Berlin, including the Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate, the Jewish museum and Holocaust memorial, Topography of Terror, the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, and Berliner Dom. One day, I ventured out to Schloss Charlottenburg, a splendid palace and gardens in greater Berlin. I even found myself spending one Saturday evening in a beer tent for the 'Berliner Oktoberfest' - actually it was a huge marquee set up by a German brewery serving vast quantities of beer and food and providing free entertainment in the form of Bavarian musicians complete with alphorns, musical cowbells and lederhosen!
Fig. 4 Holocaust Memorial, Berlin
All in all, I had a superb trip to Germany. My archaeological skills have been greatly enhanced, my German language skills are now less basic that they were and I have had an excellent cultural experience. In closing, I would like to say thank you to Grampus Heritage and Training Ltd for providing me with the opportunity to participate in the EASE program. I had a wonderful time and gained valuable experience that will benefit my future archaeological career.