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In the area of present-day
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; nds, Mäkelborg-Vörpommern), also known by its anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ranks 14th in po ...
,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
, up to 5,000
megalith A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. There are over 35,000 in Europe alone, located widely from Sweden to the Mediterranean sea. The ...
tombs were erected as burial sites by people of the
Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several pa ...
Funnelbeaker (TRB) culture. More than 1,000 of them are preserved today and protected by law. Though varying in style and age, megalith structures are common in
Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...
, with those in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern belonging to the youngest and easternmost—further east, in the modern
West Pomeranian Voivodeship The West Pomeranian Voivodeship, also known as the West Pomerania Province, is a voivodeship (province) in northwestern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Szczecin. Its area equals 22 892.48 km² (8,838.84 sq mi), and in 2021, it was ...
of
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
, monuments erected by the TRB people did not include lithic structures, while they do in the south (
Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 squ ...
), west (
Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...
and
Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sc ...
) and north (
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...
). Though megaliths are distributed throughout the state, their structure differs between regions. Most megaliths are dolmens, often located within a circular or trapezoid frame of singular standing stones. Locally, the dolmens are known as ''Hünengräber'' ("giants' tombs") or ''Großsteingräber'' ("large stone tombs"), their framework is known as ''Hünenbett'' ("giants' bed") if trapezoid or ''Bannkreis'' ("spellbind circle") if circular. The materials used for their construction are
glacial erratic A glacial erratic is glacially deposited rock differing from the type of rock native to the area in which it rests. Erratics, which take their name from the Latin word ' ("to wander"), are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundred ...
s and red
sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicat ...
s. 144 tombs have been excavated since 1945. The megaliths were used not only by the bearers of the TRB culture, but also by their successors, and have entered local folklore.


Origin

The
megalith A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. There are over 35,000 in Europe alone, located widely from Sweden to the Mediterranean sea. The ...
s in
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; nds, Mäkelborg-Vörpommern), also known by its anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ranks 14th in po ...
were erected as burial sites in the
Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several pa ...
, by the bearers of the Funnelbeaker (TRB) culture,Holtorf (2000-2008)
1.1.
/ref>Kehnscherper (1983), p. 127 between 3,500 and 3,200 BC. Initially, the TRB people buried their dead in pits, often covered with mounds of clay. Later, they erected
dolmen A dolmen () or portal tomb is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the early Neolithic (40003000 BCE) and were some ...
s for this purpose, but also continued the use of flat graves. All megaliths were erected during a relatively short time period, spanning about 200 years or about seven generations, with the oldest ones dating to phase C of the Early Neolithic, while most were built in the beginning of the Middle Neolithic. The dolmens were built from
glacial erratic A glacial erratic is glacially deposited rock differing from the type of rock native to the area in which it rests. Erratics, which take their name from the Latin word ' ("to wander"), are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundred ...
s, with the gaps filled with red
sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicat ...
.LAKD MV: Großsteingräber.
/ref> Presumably, standing stones were transported to the site using rollers, slides, levers and ropes, and the interior of the unfinished dolmens was filled with clay to form a ramp to enable the movement of the cover stones into their final position. After removing the clay from the interior, a barrow (
tumulus A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or '' kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones ...
) was then raised on top of the dolmen, which remained accessible through a passage made from smaller stones. In addition, single standing stones were sometimes placed around the dolmen, forming either a rectangular or trapezoidal shape (''Hünenbett''), or a
stone circle A stone circle is a ring of standing stones. Most are found in Northwestern Europe – especially in Britain, Ireland, and Brittany – and typically date from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, with most being built from 3000 BC. The ...
(''Bannkreis'').Kehnscherper (1983), p. 130 Sometimes, large singular "guardian stones" (''Wächterstein, Bautastein'') were placed adjacent to these shapes. The interior of the dolmen was usually divided into small compartments by slabs of red sandstone, standing upright.


Numbers and types

The various types of megalithic monuments in northeastern Germany were last compiled by Ewald Schuldt in the course of a project to excavate megalithic tombs from the
Neolithic Era The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...
, which was conducted between 1964 and 1972 in the area of the
northern districts The Northern Districts men's cricket team are one of six New Zealand first-class cricket teams that make up New Zealand Cricket. They are based in the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand (excluding Auckland). They compete in the ...
of
East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In t ...
. His aim was to provide a ''"classification and naming of the objects present in this field of research"''. In doing so it utilised a classification by Ernst Sprockhoff, which in turn was based on an older Danish model.


Naming scheme

Schuldt listed six types: #the
simple dolmen The simple dolmen (german: Urdolmen, literally "ancient dolmen") or primeval dolmen is an early form of dolmen or megalithic tomb that occurs especially in Northern Europe. The term was defined by archaeologist, Ernst Sprockhoff, and utilise ...
(''Urdolmen'') #the
extended dolmen A rectangular dolmen (german: Rechteckdolmen), extended dolmen (German: ''erweiteter Dolmen'') or enlarged dolmen is a specific type of megalith, rectangular in shape, with upright sidestones and, usually, two capstones. The term rectangular dolmen ...
(''erweiterte Dolmen'') #the
great dolmen The great dolmen or grand dolmen (german: Großdolmen, da, Stordysse) is a type of megalithic site of the Funnelbeaker culture (TBK) that occurs in Nordic megalith architecture, primarily in the east of what is now German Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, ...
(''Großdolmen'') #the
passage grave A passage grave or passage tomb consists of one or more burial chambers covered in earth or with stone, and having a narrow access passage made of large stones. These structures usually date from the Neolithic Age, and are found largely in Wester ...
(''Ganggrab'') #the
long barrow Long barrows are a style of monument constructed across Western Europe in the fifth and fourth millennia BCE, during the Early Neolithic period. Typically constructed from earth and either timber or stone, those using the latter material repre ...
without a
chamber Chamber or the chamber may refer to: In government and organizations *Chamber of commerce, an organization of business owners to promote commercial interests *Legislative chamber, in politics *Debate chamber, the space or room that houses deliber ...
(''Hünenbett ohne Kammer'') #the
stone cist A cist ( or ; also kist ; from grc-gre, κίστη, Middle Welsh ''Kist'' or Germanic ''Kiste'') is a small stone-built coffin-like box or ossuary used to hold the bodies of the dead. Examples can be found across Europe and in the Middle East ...
(''Steinkiste'')


Sites

Schuldt (1972) described 1048 megalithic sites in the area of present-day Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Holtorf (2000/08) counted 1,193 in the same area. Both Schuldt's and Holtorf's counts include 31 long mounds without chambers and 44 stone cists, which lack the large stones typical of the rest of the megalithic sites. Holtorf estimated that in the Neolithic, up to 5,000 megalithic monuments were built in present-day Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. 144 megaliths have been excavated since 1945. 106 of these were excavated and afterwards restored by archaeologist Ewald Schuldt and his team between 1964 and 1972.Holtorf (2000-2008)
1.3.1.
/ref> Though megalithic sites can be found in nearly all areas of Mecklenburg-Vorpomern, Schuldt (1972) defined nine high-density areas: near Grevesmühlen (''Forst Everstorf''), near
Rerik Rerik (, formerly Alt-Gaarz) is a town in the Rostock district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated on the Baltic Sea coast, 19 km west of Bad Doberan, and 27 km northeast of Wismar. In 1938, Rerik was named afte ...
, along the middle and upper Warnow river, around the lakes of Krakower See and Plauer See, along the Recknitz river, along the Schwinge stream, and the southeastern part of the island of
Rügen Rügen (; la, Rugia, ) is Germany's largest island. It is located off the Pomeranian coast in the Baltic Sea and belongs to the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The "gateway" to Rügen island is the Hanseatic city of Stralsund, where ...
. The type of megalithic structures varies between different, overlapping regions. Schuldt classified those regions as follows: He found long mounds without chambers in the southwestern part of
Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; nds, label= Low German, Mękel(n)borg ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schweri ...
,
passage grave A passage grave or passage tomb consists of one or more burial chambers covered in earth or with stone, and having a narrow access passage made of large stones. These structures usually date from the Neolithic Age, and are found largely in Wester ...
s in the northern and central part of Mecklenburg,
extended dolmen A rectangular dolmen (german: Rechteckdolmen), extended dolmen (German: ''erweiteter Dolmen'') or enlarged dolmen is a specific type of megalith, rectangular in shape, with upright sidestones and, usually, two capstones. The term rectangular dolmen ...
s in southern Mecklenburg,
great dolmen The great dolmen or grand dolmen (german: Großdolmen, da, Stordysse) is a type of megalithic site of the Funnelbeaker culture (TBK) that occurs in Nordic megalith architecture, primarily in the east of what is now German Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, ...
s with 'draught excluders' (''Windfang'') in northern
Vorpommern Historical Western Pomerania, also called Cispomerania, Fore Pomerania, Front Pomerania or Hither Pomerania (german: Vorpommern), is the western extremity of the historic region of Pomerania forming the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, West ...
, great dolmens with ante-chambers (''Vorraum'') in central Vorpommern, and
stone cist A cist ( or ; also kist ; from grc-gre, κίστη, Middle Welsh ''Kist'' or Germanic ''Kiste'') is a small stone-built coffin-like box or ossuary used to hold the bodies of the dead. Examples can be found across Europe and in the Middle East ...
s in southern Vorpommern and eastern Mecklenburg. While the orientation of the megaliths varies, many have entrances facing southwards. Of 99 dolmens studied by Schuldt, 46 are oriented toward the midsummer apex of the sun (south to north), 26 toward the spring equinox (east to west), 14 toward the midsummer sunrise (northeast to southwest), and 13 toward the midwinter sunrise (southeast to northwest).Kehnscherper (1983), pp. 167-168


Primary and secondary uses

Disarticulated bones from up to twenty individuals have been discovered in excavated dolmens. Presumably, the dead were first laid down in the open, and their bones were buried in the dolmens once the body was skeletonized. Few dolmens contain only TRB finds, as most were also used by the contemporary and subsequent Globular Amphora and Single Grave cultures, and some remained in use until the
Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
. The bearers of the Globular Amphora culture removed and demolished skeletons and items from previous burials before reusing the tombs for their own dead. When the tombs ceased to function as burial sites for the TRB and Globular Amphora cultures, they were filled with earth, with the exception of some tombs on
Rügen Rügen (; la, Rugia, ) is Germany's largest island. It is located off the Pomeranian coast in the Baltic Sea and belongs to the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The "gateway" to Rügen island is the Hanseatic city of Stralsund, where ...
where items from Bronze Age burials were found on the ground of the Neolithic chamber, or within the fill.Holtorf (2000-2008)
5.1.1.
/ref> Often, the earth-filled megaliths and the mounds raised to cover them were used for secondary burials. The bearers of the Neolithic Single Grave culture buried their dead in the earth-filled chamber by removing cover or wall stones. Of documented later secondary burials, 27% are from the late Bronze Age, 29% from the
pre-Roman Iron Age The archaeology of Northern Europe studies the prehistory of Scandinavia and the adjacent North European Plain, roughly corresponding to the territories of modern Sweden, Norway, Denmark, northern Germany, Poland and the Netherlands. The regio ...
, 10% from the
Roman Iron Age The archaeology of Northern Europe studies the prehistory of Scandinavia and the adjacent North European Plain, roughly corresponding to the territories of modern Sweden, Norway, Denmark, northern Germany, Poland and the Netherlands. The regi ...
and 27% from the Slavic period. Another 7% are of uncertain origin, and no secondary burials from the early German period are recorded. According to Holtorf, the barrows erected for burials in the Bronze Age, Iron Age and Slavic period were imitations of the mounds elevated above filled megalith tombs.Holtorf (2000-2008)
5.1.6.
/ref> Some Neolithic mounds containing secondary burials are found next to similar burial mounds from the respective later period. In addition to secondary burials, other items were found in 41 of the 144 excavated megalith mounds.Holtorf (2000-2008)

/ref> Also, items from later periods were found outside of 75 of those megaliths, within a radius of no more than .Holtorf (2000-2008)

/ref> The attribution of all documented finds to their respective periods of origin is shown in the table below.

Some megaliths have cup-marks (''Näpfchen'') on them, which Holtorf describes as "simple, roughly hemispherical depressions of about 2–10 cm diameter and up to 3 cm depth."Holtorf (2000-2008)

/ref> The origin and purpose of the cup-marks is uncertain. Their distribution corresponds with the distribution of the dolmens, and they are found on undisturbed dolmens as well as stones derived from destroyed megalith sites.


Preservation

Many megaliths were used as quarries in the past, e.g. for the construction of 13th- and 14th-century churches, medieval and early modern stone walls, 18th-century manor houses, as well as for 19th-century dikes, roads, bridges and milestones.Holtorf (2000-2008)

/ref> Others were destroyed in the course of clearing farmland, which occurred from the 18th through 20th centuries.Holtorf (2000-2008)

/ref> On 13 April 1804,
Frederick Francis I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg Frederick Francis I (10 December 1756 – 1 February 1837) ruled over the German state of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, first as duke (1785–1815), and then as grand duke (1815–1837). Biography He was born in Schwerin, Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, t ...
issued a decree protecting "heathen grave sites" and called on his officials to compile lists of the megaliths in their districts.Holtorf (2000-2008)
1.3.2.
/ref> This was the earliest such decree in
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
. In the following centuries, this decree was renewed and amended by Friedrich Franz's successors. In
Vorpommern Historical Western Pomerania, also called Cispomerania, Fore Pomerania, Front Pomerania or Hither Pomerania (german: Vorpommern), is the western extremity of the historic region of Pomerania forming the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, West ...
, despite the authorities not issuing similar decrees, the
University of Greifswald The University of Greifswald (; german: Universität Greifswald), formerly also known as “Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald“, is a public research university located in Greifswald, Germany, in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pom ...
did decree preservation of megaliths on its property. In 1946, all megalithic sites became the property of the
East German East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
state of
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; nds, Mäkelborg-Vörpommern), also known by its anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ranks 14th in po ...
. In 1954, the East German regime passed a preservation law which also applied to megaliths. On 30 November 1993, the currently binding preservation law was enacted by the re-constituted state of
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; nds, Mäkelborg-Vörpommern), also known by its anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ranks 14th in po ...
(''Gesetz zum Schutz und zur Pflege der Denkmale im Lande Mecklenburg–Vorpommern'', "Law for the Protection and the Care of Monuments in the State of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern").


Lore

Megaliths in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are the subject of an abundance of lore, dealing primarily with giants, fairies, dwarfs, subterraneans and hidden treasures.Holtorf (2000-2008)
5.2.7.
/ref> The giant tales relate primarily to the megaliths' creation, which was assumed to be the result of stones lost or thrown by giants, or of giants building houses, ovens or tombs. Thus, the population refers to dolmens as ''Hünengräber'' ("giants' tombs", Sg. ''Hünengrab'').Schmidt (2001), p. 10 Another frequent theme of megalith-related folklore is that of hidden treasures, guarded by fairies, dwarfs or subterraneans. In these tales, humans who try to retrieve the treasure are usually hindered or punished by the magic beings. The treasure tales have contributed both to long-time preservation of megaliths and to tomb raiding, depending on the degree of superstition of the audience.


List of megalithic sites

*
Goldbusch The Goldbusch is a great dolmen (german: Großdolmen), a type prehistoric grave site, that lies between Altensien and Moritzdorf (Sellin), Moritzdorf on the German Baltic Sea island of Rügen. The megalithic tomb with Ernst Sprockhoff#Sprockhoff n ...
* Great dolmen of Dwasieden


See also

*
Nordic megalith architecture Nordic megalith architecture is an ancient architectural style found in Northern Europe, especially Scandinavia and North Germany, that involves large slabs of stone arranged to form a structure. It emerged in northern Europe, predominantly betwe ...


Sources

;References ;Bibliography *Holtorf, Cornelius (2000-2008): ''Monumental Past. The Life-histories of Megalithic Monuments in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Germany). Electronic monograph''. University of Toronto. Centre for Instructional Technology Development. http://hdl.handle.net/1807/245. Retrieved 29 August 2010. Chapters referenced:
1.1. Megaliths in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Retrieved 29 August 2010.

Retrieved 29 August 2010.

Retrieved 29 August 2010.

Retrieved 29 August 2010.

Retrieved 29 August 2010.

Retrieved 29 August 2010.

Retrieved 29 August 2010.



Retrieved 29 August 2010.

Retrieved 29 August 2010.

Retrieved 30 August 2010. * *LAKD MV (Landesamt für Kultur und Denkmalpflege Mecklenburg-Vorpommern)
Großsteingräber. Meisterwerke steinzeitlicher Architektur.
Retrieved 29 August 2010. * * ;Further reading *Schuldt, Ewald (1972): ''Die mecklenburgischen Megalithgräber. Untersuchungen zu ihrer Architektur und Funktion.'' in: Beiträge zur Ur- und Frühgeschichte der Bezirke Rostock, Schwerin und Neubrandenburg, vol. 6. Berlin: Deutscher Verlag der Wissenschaften. *Sprockhoff, Ernst (1938/1967): ''Atlas der Megalithgräber, Teil 2: Mecklenburg, Brandenburg und Pommern.''


External links

*
Cornelius Holtorf's database of megaliths in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and northern Brandenburg


* ttp://grosssteingraeber.de/seiten/deutschland/mecklenburg-vorpommern.php Dolmens in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (grosssteingraeber.de)
Megalith monuments in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (huenengraeber.de)
{{Neolithic Europe Burial monuments and structures Neolithic Germany Stone Age sites in Europe Bronze Age sites in Europe Megalithic monuments in Germany History of Pomerania Tourist attractions in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Geography of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Funnelbeaker culture Archaeology of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania de:Typen der mecklenburgischen Megalithgräber