At the edge of the sea - the prehistoric bank enclosures of Duhnen (city of Cuxhaven)

位于易北河-威塞三角顶端的库克斯海文-杜赫宁地区以史前遗迹集中为特征，这些史前遗迹最近才在激光雷达数据分析后成为研究重点。在感兴趣的中心是两个围栏，周围有几个坟墓。这些外壳中的一个，直径大约。此前曾对4500万人进行过考古调查，可以追溯到青铜时代。激光雷达的数据表明，这个圈地切割了第二个弯曲的圈地，那里被海岸侵蚀部分摧毁了。因此，可以假定是一个更早的日期，至少是青铜时代，甚至是新石器时代。考虑到对称的路线，弯曲的墙覆盖了10多公顷的面积。它直接定位在海陆过渡地带，可以常年在海平面上观测日出日落。地磁勘探显示，在较老封闭体的内部区域有许多小范围的异常。对其中一个异常点的水声探测发现了一个烹饪坑，它可以追溯到14C时代青铜时代结束或早期铁器时代开始。试掘和物探表明，围护结构中还可以发现更多的烹饪石坑。从北方青铜时代和铁器时代早期的许多地方就知道烹饪坑的集中度，通常被解释为祭祀习俗的指标。总而言之，目前的知识表明，在杜赫宁发现的结构和发现是一种独特的仪式景观的遗迹，在新石器时代、青铜时代和铁器时代开始之间的(太阳)崇拜中发挥了重要作用。在此背景下，该项目旨在通过应用考古学、土壤学和植物学调查的跨学科方法，获得关于这一独特遗址的起源、结构和年代的新信息。各种方法将提供广泛的基础，以验证目前对这一仪式景观的解释，并评估杜赫宁地区未来重建社会和文化条件的潜力，特别是公元前3世纪末至公元前1世纪中叶期间北海沿海地区的精神思想。

The district of Cuxhaven-Duhnen at tip of the Elbe-Weser triangle is characterized by a concentration of prehistoric relics which have only recently come into focus of research following the analysis of LIDAR data. At the center of interest are two enclosures, which are surrounded by several grave mounds. One of these enclosures with a diameter of approx. 45 m has previously been archaeologically surveyed and dates to the Bronze Age. The LIDAR data indicate that this enclosure cuts a second, curved enclosure that was partly destroyed by coastal erosion. Therefore an older date, at least Bronze Age or even Neolithic can be assumed. Given a symmetrical course, the curved wall encompassed an area of more than 10 ha. It has directly been positioned at the land-sea-transition and enabled the observation of sunrise and sunset at the sea horizon all year round. Geomagnetic prospections showed numerous small-scale anomalies in the inner area of the older enclosure. A sondage excavation of one anomaly revealed a cooking pit, which has been 14C-dated to the end of the Bronze Age or the beginning of the early Iron Age. The test excavation and the geophysical prospection suggest that additional cooking stone pits can be found in the enclosure. Concentrations of cooking pits are known from numerous places of the Northern Bronze Age and early Iron Age and are usually interpreted as indicators of cultic practices. In summary, the current knowledge suggests that the structures and findings discovered in Duhnen are the remains of a unique ritual landscape that played an important role in the (sun-) cult between the Neolithic, Bronze Age and the beginning of Iron Age times. Against this backdrop, this project aims to gain new information on the genesis, structure and dating of this unique site with the application of an interdisciplinary methodological approach of archaeological, pedological and botanical investigations. The methodological variety will provide a broad basis to validate the current interpretation of this ritual landscape and to assess the potential of the Duhnen area for future research on the reconstruction of social and cultural conditions, especially of the spiritual ideas in the North Sea coastal area between the end of the 3rd and the middle of the 1st century BC.