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

这个项目的中心主题是研究自中世纪早期以来德国南部的基础设施系统。本文试图从渡口作为连接陆路和水路交通的纽带入手，分析渡江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、文字和历史地理来源。考古研究的基础是世界范围内唯一的主要河流的发现条件。在目前的项目中，有可能查明和调查115艘伐木船。除了少数例外，这些发现都是中世纪和后中世纪渡口建筑的一部分。由于大量的遗骸，第一次有可能对欧洲大部分地区使用的与这种船型有关的一个河流系统进行详细分析。结合以科学方法为基础的68项年代测定，其中大部分是与巴伐利亚历史古迹保护办公室合作进行的，有可能证明各种建筑技术，这些技术可以从地区和年代的角度加以区分。除了考古研究外，还将对有关渡轮和渡轮车站的文字资料进行广泛分析。只有在大范围内对已发表的文字遗骸进行比较，才能对河流及其相连的道路系统进行评估。为了实现这一点，内卡河被选为主河之外的另一条河，尽管是为了进行比较。这导致研究区域内共有224个河流穿越。特别是在中世纪早期和晚期，仅靠文字资料来识别横渡河流的形状是非常困难的。这意味着仍有许多问题没有得到回答。历史地理调查的目标是将单个渡口与其周围的文化景观联系起来。为此，考古和文字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。这样，超区域使用的交通系统内部的变化将变得清晰起来。最后，研究结果将发表在不来梅港的专题系列--德国希夫林博物馆--上。

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.