Associated doctoral student

Denis Demnick (Germany, 1970)

Dipl.-Prähist. in Pre- and Protohistory, Anthropology, Geology

denis.demnick@ufg.uni-kiel.de

Settlement Patterns and Chronology of the Funnelbeaker Culture in Northwest Saxon-Anhalt.

The project “Megalithic Landscape Altmark” deals with the investigation of the Western Altmark (Saxony-Anhalt, Germany) in a micro region of 15 x 12 km. In this area Funnel Beaker societies (~3600-2800 BC) were the first sedentary people and builders of monumental megalithic tombs. The aim of the project is to reconstruct the Funnel Beaker environment and landscape. As part of the overall project, my dissertation is mainly concerned with the excavation of two megalithic-graves, a settlement in Tangeln and the statistical analysis of the Funnel Beaker ceramic inventory.

The last comprehensive work on this subject was published in 1980 by Joachim Preuss. He defined the Tiefstich-Pottery-Group, which he then differentiated into two phases: an older phase "Düsedau" and a younger phase "Haldensleben". Since 1980 the typochronology of the Altmark-Tiefstich-Group has not been re-evaluated. However, the definition of the group is not unproblematic. Instead of having radiocarbon data, we only know the relative chronology, which can be approximately related to the remaining North Central European Funnel Beaker groups. Depending on principal causes, only a few pottery inventories (and exclusively only the decorated ceramics) were used to define the group. The question must therefore be posed whether we can still confirm the Düsedau and Haldensleben phases today or if it is necessary to extend the existing time-phase concept?

To analyse the vessels and their decorations we consider each vessel and its decoration as a closed-finding. Preliminary results enabled us to determine four regional decoration-patterns and observe differences between the use of decorations on vessels with conical-rims and vessels with funnel or cylindrical rims. The next step entails the identification of the concept of time in the use of vessel-forms und decorations. This may show us a change or continuation in traditions of ritual dealing with the world of the dead, which in turn might tell us something important about cultural change during the time of the Funnel Beaker culture.

Since May 2008
Associated member of the Graduate School „Human Development in Landscapes“ at the Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel.

Since March 2008
Research assistant in the DFG (German Research Council) - project “the Megalithic landscape in the Altmark”.

2007
Graduated (Diplom-Prähistoriker) with a thesis on viewshed analysis of megalithic tombs in Altmark (Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany).

2000-2006
Studies of pre- and protohistoric archaeology, geology and anthropology at the Eberhard-Karls Universität Tübingen and the Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel.

2008
Excavation of two Funnelbeaker settlement sites, near Rohrberg and in Tangeln, Altmark / Sachsen-Anhalt.

2007
Excavation of the megalithic tomb „Lüdelsen 3“, near Lüdelsen, Altmark / Sachsen-Anhalt.

2005
Participation at a excavation of a neolithic Settlement Okolište (Bosnien)

2002 - 2003
Preparation work for the exibition: „Alamannen in Göppingen“.

2001 - 2003
Student-research assistant at the project „troia vr“ of the institute of pre- and protohistory and medieval archaeology at the Eberhard-Karls University Tübingen.

2002
Participation at a excavation of a neolithic enclosure near Cuxhaven.

2002
Member of the organisation team of the exhibition: „Grabungen auf dem Rappenplatz“ in Reutlingen.

2001/2002
Participation at two excavation campaigns at a ironage hill settlement near Reutlingen.

2000
Member of the exhibit-team at the exhibition: „Troia - Traum und Wirklichkeit“ in Stuttgart.

2009 (in press)
D. Demnick, S. Diers, H.-R. Bork, B. Fritsch, J. Müller, H. Kroll, E. Tafel: Das Großsteingrab Lüdelsen 3 in der westlichen Altmark (Sachsen-Anhalt) - Vorbericht zur Ausgrabung 2007. Jahresschrift Halle 2008 (accepted in July 2008).

2008 (in press)
S. Diers, D. Demnick, B. Fritsch, J. Müller: Megalithlandschaft Altmark - ein neues Projekt zu Großsteingräbern und Siedlungsmustern in der Altmark. In: B. Ramminger (Hrsg.), AG Neolithikum der Altertumsverbände in Schleswig 2007. Varia Neolithica.

2008 (in press)
D. Demnick: Sichtanalysen am Beispiel altmärkischer Megalithgräber. In: B. Ramminger (Hrsg.), AG Neolithikum der Altertumsverbände in Schleswig 2007. Varia Neolithica.