Mediaeval and post mediaeval ferry systems at the rivers Main and Neckar

该项目的中心主题是中世纪早期以来德国南部基础设施系统的研究。从渡轮作为陆地和河流交通的连接纽带开始，我们试图分析渡河的发展及其对交通和人口增长的影响。要做到这一点，必须考虑考古、文字和历史地理资料。考古研究的基础是美因河在世界范围内独特的发现条件。在目前的项目中，可以识别和调查115艘原木船。除了少数例外，这些发现都是中世纪和后中世纪渡轮建筑的一部分。由于这一数量巨大的遗骸，第一次有可能对欧洲大部分地区使用的这种船只类型的河流系统进行详细分析。结合68个基于科学方法的年代测定，主要是与巴伐利亚保护历史遗迹办公室合作进行的，有可能证明各种建筑技术，这些技术可以从区域和时间的角度来区分。考古研究将通过对渡轮和轮渡站的书面资料进行广泛分析来补充。只有对大规模出版的文字遗迹进行比较，才能对渡河及其相连的道路系统进行评估。为了实现这一目标，内卡河被选为主要河流之外的另一条河流，尽管是为了比较。这导致研究区域共有224个河流过境点。特别是在中世纪早期和鼎盛时期，仅仅通过书面资料来确定河流的形状是非常困难的。这意味着许多问题仍未得到解答。历史地理调查的目标是单个轮渡站与其周围文化景观之间的联系。为了实现这一目标，考古和书面资料的分析结果将与地理信息系统中的后中世纪和早期现代地图相匹配。通过这种方式，超区域交通系统内部的变化将变得清晰。最后，研究结果将发表在不来梅港的专题丛书《schriften des Deutschen schiffahtsmuseums》中。

The central topic of this project is the research on infrastructural systems in southern Germany since the Early Middle Ages. Starting from ferries as connectors between land and river traffic, we attempt to analyze the development of river crossing and their impact on the growth of traffic and population. To accomplish this, archaeological, written and historical-geographical sources has to be considered. Basis of the archaeological research are the worldwide unique finding conditions at the Main river. Within the current project it was possible to identify and investigate 115 logboats. Apart from a few exceptions, these finds were parts of mediaeval and post mediaeval ferry constructions. Due to this huge amount of remains a detailed analysis of one river system concerning this vessel type, which was used in most parts of Europe, is possible for the first time. Combined with 68 datings based on scientific methods and mostly made in cooperation with the Bavarian Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments, it was possible to prove a wide range of construction techniques, which can be distinguished on regional and chronological points of view. The archaeological research will be complemented by extensive analyses of the written sources on ferries and ferry stations. Only the comparison of published written remains in a large-scale made an assessment of river crossing and their connected road-systems possible. To accomplish this, the Neckar river was chosen additionally to the Main river although for a comparison. This leads to a total number of 224 river crossings in the research area. Especially in early and high mediaeval times the identification of the shape of the river crossing just by written sources is only possible with great difficulty. This means a number of questions remain unanswered. The link between the single ferry-station and its surrounding cultural landscape is the goal of the historical-geographical investigation. To accomplish this, the results of the analyzing of the archaeological and written sources will be matched with post-mediaeval and early modern maps in a geo-information-system. In this way the changes inside the supra-regional used traffic systems will become clear. Finally the results will be published in the monographic series -Schriften des Deutschen Schiffahrtsmuseums- in Bremerhaven.