Hartberg megalithic tomb

The Hartberg megalithic tomb is an archaeological site of the late Neolithic Age, near Schankweiler and about 10 kilometres (6 mi) south-west of Bitburg, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, near the border with Luxemburg.

Hartberg megalithic tomb
Steinkiste auf dem Hartberg
Hartberg megalithic tomb is located in Germany
Hartberg megalithic tomb
Shown within Germany
LocationSchankweiler, Rhineland-Palatinate
Coordinates49°54′18.3″N 6°23′23.5″E / 49.905083°N 6.389861°E / 49.905083; 6.389861
TypeGallery grave
History
PeriodsLate Neolithic, c. 3000 BC

Description

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The site, on the western slope of the Hartberg north of Schankweiler, dates from about 3000 BC. It is the only Neolithic tomb of this type in Rhineland-Palatiate. It is a gallery grave, with two chambers, formed from sandstone slabs and blocks, the main chamber measuring about 2 by 1.2 metres (6 ft 7 in by 3 ft 11 in). The entrance to the tomb is an incomplete slab with part of a circular opening about 70 centimetres (28 in) in diameter. There is the lower half of a slab separating the main chamber and a poorly preserved antechamber. There were originally roof slabs, and the grave was probably once covered with a mound.[1][2][3]

Excavation

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There has been excavation of the site. Bones and pottery sherds were found in the tomb, and flint knives, flint arrowheads and pottery sherds were discovered outside; these suggested a date of about 3000 BC. There was a small beaker in the tomb, with "barbed-wire" decoration, of the early Bronze Age, suggesting that the site was in use, perhaps with interruptions, for about 1000 years. A long stone stele was found in the tomb, which may have stood above the mound.[1][2][3]

Slabs from the tomb were later used in the early Iron Age to build a house nearby. During the Roman period or later there was quarrying from the rocky ground that forms the western wall of the tomb.[1][3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Steinkistengrab bei Schankweiler" Naturwanderpark Delux. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Steinkistengrab mit sogenanntem Seelenloch" Irrel. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "Region 6: Niederrhein, Eifel, Hunsrück, Pfalz und Saarland" Godeweg. Retrieved 23 March 2022.