The Ertebølle Settlement Strande LA 163, Kr. Rendsburg-Eckernförde and the Littorina-Transgression - submarine surveys and investigations

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The site Strande LA 163 in Kiel Bay was investigated during a two-week underwater test excavation in 2012 and revealed well preserved in situ find layers of a waste disposal area on the former coastline in six meters water depth. The campaign gave evidence for an older Ertebølle coastline settlement which was submerged by the Littorina Transgression. Despite the short time of inspection the site revealed an impressive inventory and good preservation conditions for organic artefacts. Preliminary results give evidence for craftsmen working and the food processing in this area. Moreover, dendrochronological datable tree trunks in addition to the rare possibility to recover well preserved human remains without contamination, suitable for aDNA analyses, make Strande an extraordinary site with large potential for future research. Dating by dendrochronology, typology and physical measurements indicates an age of 5390-4750 BC. Important questions, such as the geomorphological development and sedimentation processes on the site have so far not been addressed. Furthermore, the dimension of the waste disposal area, which we identified in the test trenches, and the location and size of the corresponding settlement remain to be investigated. Single finds from nearby reported by divers, the observation of more tree trunks and peat outcrops, as well as numerous ashore washed artefacts give evidence for more archaeological structures in the surroundings of the excavation site.The research objective is to investigate the dimensions and preservation of findlayers via corings and to systematically survey the surrounding area for further late Mesolithic sites. By this means we plan to resolve the archaeological potential for the late Mesolithic of Kiel Bay, which is considered to be excellent, in more detail. Thereby proof has to be given for the usability of Strande LA 163 and its sourroundings as research basis for exploring the lifestyle of hunter-gatherer societies in this region, a severely understudied chapter in the mesolithic period. Given that the applied project proofs the postulated exceptional scientific potential of the research area, a continuation and intensification of the research is intended.