In August 2019, excavations will take place as part of the subcluster “ROOTS of Conflicts: Competition and Conciliation” at the fortified Bronze Age settlement Hundisburg-Olbetal (1500–1200 BCE) in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.

In cooperation with the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt, Dr. Maria Wunderlich (contact/link) will conduct excavations in the inner area of the site. Previous geomagnetical prospection documented that this inner area is surrounded by a complex system of concentric deep ditches and is characterized by the presence of cultural layers and settlement pits that hint to intense settlement activities. The excavations will target these contexts in detail. It is expected that the results of these investigations will provide information to reconstruct the relationship between the enclosure and the inner area. Moreover, these investigations will support the contextualization of Hundisburg-Olbetal at a regional level.

Hundisburg-Olbetal. Map of the results of the geomagnetic investigations. The system of concentric ditches is clearly visible.