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Research literature: Archaeology

On this page, you will find a collection of links to scientific publications that are relevant to this project or that can contribute to a deeper exemplary understanding of the processes and circumstances that may be related to the Reinterpretation of Germania Magna presented here. These publications span different research areas.

The collection includes:

  • Primary literature: Scientific publications presenting the results of new research.
  • Secondary literature: Scientific publications summarizing, analyzing, or interpreting primary literature.
  • Comparative literature: Publications that exemplify similar processes and circumstances in other contexts.
  • Additional resources: Links to websites, databases, and other resources that may be relevant to the reinterpretation

The following publications are intended to help answer specific questions exemplarily, which may be related to the necessary processes and events required for extensive landscape transformation. These include considerations of tectonic fracture events and rift systems, with corresponding effects on maritime landslide events and the formation of new sedimentation basins.

The Chiemgau Meteorite Impact Strewn Field and the Digital Terrain Model: “Earthquake” Liquefaction from Above and from Below


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Fig. 1. Location map for the Chiemgau impact region. Published in 2019 Cosmic collision in prehistory The Chiemgau Impact : research in a Bavarian meteorite crater strewn field, M. RappenglückB. RappenglückK. Ernstson

DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.11274.79041 Abstract The Chiemgau strewn field discovered and established in the early new millennium(Schryvers and Raeymaekers, 2004; Schüssler et al., 2005; Rösler et al. 2005, Rappenglück,M. et al., 2005, Hoffmann et al., 2005, 2006; Yang et al 2008), extensively investigated in thefollowing decade until today (Ernstson et al. 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2020, 2023,2024, Hiltl et al. 2011, Isaenko et al. 2012, Rappenglück, B. et al. 2010, 2020 a, b, c, 2021,Rappenglück M.A, et al. 2013, 2014, Bauer et al. 2013, 2019, 2020, Shumilova et al. 2018,Ernstson and Poßekel 2017, 2020 a, b, 2024, Ernstson and Shumilova 2020, Poßekel andErnstson 2019, 2020), and dated to 900-600 BC in the Bronze Age/Iron Age (Rappenglück, B.et al. 2023) comprises far more than 100 mostly rimmed craters scattered in a region of about60 km length and ca. 30 km width in the very South-East of Germany. The crater diametersrange between … Read moreThe Chiemgau Meteorite Impact Strewn Field and the Digital Terrain Model: “Earthquake” Liquefaction from Above and from Below

Neues zur „Odergermanischen Gruppe“: Das innere Barbaricum an der unteren Oder im 5.–6. Jh. AD


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Volkmann, Armin. (2013). Neues zur „Odergermanischen Gruppe“: Das innere Barbaricum an der unteren Oder im 5.–6. Jh. AD., https://doi.org/10.11588/heidok.00015918

DOI https://doi.org/10.11588/heidok.00015918 Abstract In the early Migration Period (Period D), the climate worsened dramatically and weather became very cool and dry in the course of only a few decades. Very poor conditions for land cultivation and animal husbandry resulted from this, which withdrew their livelihood in many places from the Germanic groups engaged in subsistence agriculture. On this limited scale, this could be buffered by more intensive trade, like the piled material found on the site and documented by geomorphology on the aforementioned trade and transit routes Settlements in micro regional favoured areas with a guaranteed supply of water such as kettle lakes, for example, could continue to exist. Spatial analysis of settlements shows a strong shrinking of the settlement clusters to remaining areas in which agricultural activity was still possible. Thus, there is a great disparity of a juxtaposition of extremely unequal small scale economic potential, which led to … Read moreNeues zur „Odergermanischen Gruppe“: Das innere Barbaricum an der unteren Oder im 5.–6. Jh. AD

Herrschaftswechsel als Zäsur? Thüringen im Frankenreich – eine andere Geschichte


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Bemmann, Jan. "Herrschaftswechsel als Zäsur? Thüringen im Frankenreich – eine andere Geschichte". Die Dukate des Merowingerreiches: Archäologie und Geschichte in vergleichender Perspektive, edited by Sebastian Brather, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2023, pp. 421-458. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111128818-014

DOI https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111128818-014 Abstract Der Band analysiert in enger interdisziplinärer Debatte von Archäologen und Historikern die Dukate des Merowingerreiches einschließlich ihrer möglichen spätantiken Vorläufer. Ziel ist ein systematischer Vergleich von duces und Dukaten innerhalb des Frankenreiches des 6. bis 8. Jahrhunderts sowie weiterer ausgewählter Beispiele. Dabei wird jeweils nach Zeitpunkt, Voraussetzungen und Umständen ihrer Entstehung sowie nach der politischen Struktur und ihrer Entwicklung während der jüngeren Merowingerzeit gefragt. Besonderes Interesse beanspruchen einerseits Aufgaben der duces in Militär und Administration, Gesetzgebung und Rechtsprechung sowie andererseits Folgewirkungen in den Bereichen Kultur und Religion. Mit dem althistorischen bzw. mediävistischen Ausgangspunkt eröffnen sich vielfältige archäologische Perspektiven. Denn die zu rekonstruierenden politik- und verwaltungsgeschichtlichen Kontexte bieten Ansatzpunkte für neue Interpretationen jenseits des ‚ethnischen Paradigmas‘ bei der Interpretation archäologischer Befunde, und sie wirken mit ihren Raumanalysen zurück auf das geschichtswissenschaftliche Verständnis von duces und Dukaten. Im Folgenden gehe ich möglichen oder postulierten kulturellen Veränderungen in Mitteldeutschland nach, die mit der Eingliederung Thüringens in … Read moreHerrschaftswechsel als Zäsur? Thüringen im Frankenreich – eine andere Geschichte

What caused terrestrial dust loading and climate downturns between A.D. 533 and 540?


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What Caused Terrestrial Dust Loading and Climate Downturns Between 533 and 540 A.D.? Scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrographs of particles from the ice core. (A, C, E, J) Sn-rich particles with one Fe-rich spherule in E. (B, D, F, G, H) Qualitative energy-dispersive X-ray microanalyses of compositions. (Note that the peak heights are not absolute so no scale is given for peak heights. This means that the relative heights of nearby spectral peaks provide a good estimate of relative abundances of these elements. In contrast, the relative heights of peaks with different energies are only loosely correlated to their relative abundance.) Four out of fi ve analyses are of Sn-rich particles. Analysis D shows a small but distinct Cu peak in addition to Sn peaks. The remaining analysis is of a Fe-rich spherule (F). (I) Ni-rich particle-analysis in Table 3. Ratios of backscattered and secondary electrons were adjusted to maximum the image quality: (A) 100% BSE (backscattered electron mode); (C, I) 50% BSE, 50% ILSE (in-lens secondary electron mode); (E) 90% BSE, 10% ILSE, (J) 50% BSE, 50% SE2 (standard secondary electron mode). Black arrows or lines point from particles to their spectra.

DOI https://doi.org/10.1130/2014.2505(23) Abstract Sn-rich particles, Ni-rich particles, and cosmic spherules are found together at four discrete stratigraphic levels within the 362–360 m depth interval of the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 (GISP2) ice core (72.6°N, 38.5°W, elevation: 3203 m). Using a previously derived calendar-year time scale, these particles span a time of increased dust loading of Earth’s atmosphere between A.D. 533 and 540. The Sn-rich and Ni-rich particles contain an average of 10–11 wt% C. Their high C contents coupled with local enrichments in the volatile elements I, Zn, Cu, and Xe suggest a cometary source for the dust. The late spring timing of extraterrestrial input best matches the Eta Aquarid meteor shower associated with comet 1P/Halley. An increased flux of cometary dust might explain a modest climate downturn in A.D. 533. Both cometary dust and volcanic sulfate probably contributed to the profound global dimming during A.D. 536 and 537 … Read moreWhat caused terrestrial dust loading and climate downturns between A.D. 533 and 540?

Continental-scale temperature variability during the past two millennia


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Summary of long-term trends in individual site-level proxy records.

DOI https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1797 Abstract Past global climate changes had strong regional expression. To elucidate their spatio-temporal pattern, we reconstructed past temperatures for seven continental-scale regions during the past one to two millennia. The most coherent feature in nearly all of the regional temperature reconstructions is a long-term cooling trend, which ended late in the nineteenth century. At multi-decadal to centennial scales, temperature variability shows distinctly different regional patterns, with more similarity within each hemisphere than between them. There were no globally synchronous multi-decadal warm or cold intervals that define a worldwide Medieval Warm Period or Little Ice Age, but all reconstructions show generally cold conditions between AD 1580 and 1880, punctuated in some regions by warm decades during the eighteenth century. The transition to these colder conditions occurred earlier in the Arctic, Europe and Asia than in North America or the Southern Hemisphere regions. Recent warming reversed the long-term cooling; during the period AD 1971–2000, … Read moreContinental-scale temperature variability during the past two millennia

A submerged Stone Age hunting architecture from the Western Baltic Sea


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Geersen, Jacob & Bradtmöller, Marcel & Schneider von Deimling, Jens & Feldens, Peter & Auer, Jens & Held, Philipp & Lohrberg, Arne & Supka, Ruth & Hoffmann, Jasper & Eriksen, Berit & Rabbel, Wolfgang & Karlsen, Hans-Jörg & Krastel, Sebastian & Brandt, David & Heuskin, David & Lübke, Harald. (2024). A submerged Stone Age hunting architecture from the Western Baltic Sea. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 121. e2312008121. 10.1073/pnas.2312008121.

DOI https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2312008121 Abstract The Baltic Sea basins, some of which only submerged in the mid-Holocene, preserve Stone Age structures that did not survive on land. Yet, the discovery of these features is challenging and requires cross-disciplinary approaches between archeology and marine geosciences. Here, we combine shipborne and autonomousunderwater vehicle hydroacoustic data with up to a centimeter range resolution, sedimentological samples, and optical images to explore a Stone Age megastructure located in 21 m water depth in the Bay of Mecklenburg, Germany. The structure is made of 1,673 individual stones which are usually less than 1 m in height, placed side by side over a distance of 971 m in a way that argues against a natural origin by glacial transport or ice push ridges. Running adjacent to the sunken shoreline of a paleolake (or bog), whose youngest phase was dated to 9,143 ±36 ka B.P., the stonewall was likely used … Read moreA submerged Stone Age hunting architecture from the Western Baltic Sea

Abrupt Holocene ice loss due to thinning and ungrounding in the Weddell Sea Embayment


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Grieman, M.M., Nehrbass-Ahles, C., Hoffmann, H.M. et al. Abrupt Holocene ice loss due to thinning and ungrounding in the Weddell Sea Embayment. Nat. Geosci. 17, 227–232 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-024-01375-8

DOI https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-024-01375-8 Abstract The extent of grounded ice and buttressing by the Ronne Ice Shelf, which provides resistance to the outflow of ice streams, moderate West Antarctic Ice Sheet stability. During the Last Glacial Maximum, the ice sheet advanced and was grounded near the Weddell Sea continental shelf break. The timing of subsequent ice sheet retreat and the relative roles of ice shelf buttressing and grounding line changes remain unresolved. Here we use an ice core record from grounded ice at Skytrain Ice Rise to constrain the timing and speed of early Holocene ice sheet retreat. Measured δ18O and total air content suggest that the surface elevation of Skytrain Ice Rise decreased by about 450 m between 8.2 and 8.0 kyr before 1950 CE (±0.13 kyr). We attribute this elevation change to dynamic thinning due to flow changes induced by the ungrounding of ice in the area. Ice core sodium concentrations suggest that the ice front … Read moreAbrupt Holocene ice loss due to thinning and ungrounding in the Weddell Sea Embayment

One Thousand Centuries of Climatic Record from Camp Century on the Greenland Ice Sheet


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Average near surface temperatures of the northern hemisphere during the past 11000 years (Dansgaard et al., 1969; Schonwiese 1995).

DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.166.3903.377 Abstract A correlation of time with depth has been evaluated for the Camp Century, Greenland, 1390 meter deep ice core. Oxygen isotopes in approximately 1600 samples throughout the core have been analyzed. Long-term variations in the isotopic composition of the ice reflect the climatic changes during the past nearly 100,000 years. Climatic oscillations with periods of 120, 940, and 13,000 years are observed. W. Dansgaard et al., One Thousand Centuries of Climatic Record from Camp Century on the Greenland Ice Sheet. Science166, 377-381 (1969). DOI: 10.1126/science.166.3903.377

The catastrophic final flooding of Doggerland by the Storegga Slide tsunami


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Weninger, Bernhard & Schulting, Rick & Bradtmöller, Marcel & Clare, Lee & Collard, Mark & Edinborough, Kevan & Hilpert, Johanna & Jöris, Olaf & Niekus, Marcel & Rohling, Eelco & Wagner, Bernd. (2008). The catastrophic final flooding of Doggerland by the Storegga Slide tsunami. Documenta Praehistorica XXXV. 34426126. 10.4312/dp.35.1.

DOI https://doi.org/10.4312/dp.35.1 Abstract Around 8200 calBP, large parts of the now submerged North Sea continental shelf (‘Doggerland’) were catastrophically flooded by the Storegga Slide tsunami, one of the largest tsunamis known for the Holocene, which was generated on the Norwegian coastal margin by a submarine landslide. In the present paper, we derive a precise calendric date for the Storegga Slide tsunami, use this date for reconstruction of contemporary coastlines in the North Sea in relation to rapidly rising sea-levels, and discuss the potential effects of the tsunami on the contemporaneous Mesolithic population. One main result of this study is an unexpectedly high tsunami impact assigned to the western regions of Jutland. Weninger, B., Schulting, R., Bradtmöller, M., Clare, L., Collard, M., Edinborough, K., Hilpert, J., Jöris, O., Niekus, M., Rohling, E. J., & Wagner, B. (2008). The catastrophic final flooding of Doggerland by the Storegga Slide tsunami. Documenta Praehistorica, 35, 1-24. https://doi.org/10.4312/dp.35.1