Books by Heiner Schwarzberg
Die Deutsche Bibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografi e. Det... more Die Deutsche Bibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografi e. Detaillierte bibliografi sche Daten sind im Internet über http://dnb.ddb.de abrufbar.
Since the earliest use of pottery, vessels have been associated with both the general shape and s... more Since the earliest use of pottery, vessels have been associated with both the general shape and specific parts of the human body. The production of human-shaped pottery might be understood as one element of the spectrum of figural art in prehistoric communities. The idea of studying anthropomorphic pottery and the return of human beings into a body made of clay, which forms the core theme of this collection of 12 papers, stems from work on anthropomorphic features of Neolithic communities between the Near East and Europe. Contributors are engaged in questions about the analysis of human features and characteristics on vessels, their occurrence, function and disposal. Beginning with the European Neolithic and moving on through the Bronze and Iron Ages, papers focus on diachronic archaeological patterns and contexts as well as on the theoretical background of this particular type of container in order to shed light on similarities and differences through the ages and to understand possibilities and limits of interpretation.
Review: https://journals.openedition.org/acost/2486
"A peste, fame et bello libera nos, Domine!" Disease, hunger, war, and religion have shaped human... more "A peste, fame et bello libera nos, Domine!" Disease, hunger, war, and religion have shaped human existence over many centuries. This volume presents exciting syntheses between research in the fields of archaeology, anthropology, and history; moving from prehistory to the medieval period, six chapters look at humanity’s struggles with subsistence, religious belief, ill-health, death, and warfare in a variety of global landscapes, and show how, by sharing expertise and combining methodological approaches, we can advance our understanding of our common past.
The work deals with fillable anthropomorphic, mostly female, vessel figurines, face vessels, face... more The work deals with fillable anthropomorphic, mostly female, vessel figurines, face vessels, face lids and fully sculptured figurines with applied fillable vessels of the Neolithic and the Copper Age between the Near East and Central Europe. These mostly come from settlements, rarely from graves.
They spread from Anatolia to Central Europe in the 6th millennium, and the last figural vessels disappeared in the 4th millennium.
Forms and motifs indicate extensive long-distance relationships. The style of representation was realistic to reduced. The interpretation of the decoration ranges from symbols to identity signs to clothing components.
More recent anthropomorphic vessels cannot be deduced from the early pieces, nor can interpretations of more recent finds be projected backwards.
The figural vessels were used in a domestic context, remains of contents are missing. Because of the long life and wide distribution of identical subjects, they are not images of real persons. In part, the character of a "masking" is clear. Variable shape and size indicate different functions. The ability to be filled and emptied may have to do with libations or rites of passage.
Die Arbeit behandelt befüllbare anthropomorphe, meist weibliche Gefäßfigurinen, Gesichtsgefäße, Gesichtsdeckel und vollplastische Figurinen mit applizierten befüllbaren Gefäßen des Neolithikums und der Kupferzeit zwischen dem Vorderem Orient und Mitteleuropa. Diese stammen meist aus Siedlungen, selten aus Gräbern.
Von Anatolien erfolgte im 6. Jt. eine Ausbreitung bis Mitteleuropa, im 4. Jt. laufen die letzten Figuralgefäße aus.
Formen und Motive zeigen weitreichende Fernbeziehungen an. Die Darstellungsweise war realistisch bis reduziert. Die Deutung des Dekors reicht von Symbolen über Identitätszeichen bis zu Kleidungsbestandteilen.
Jüngere anthropomorphe Gefäße lassen sich nicht aus den frühen Stücken ableiten, ebensowenig können Deutungen jüngerer Funde rückprojiziert werden.
Die Figuralgefäße wurden im häuslichen Kontext genutzt, Reste von Inhalten fehlen. Wegen der langen Laufzeit und weiten Verbreitung identischer Sujets handelt es sich nicht um Abbilder realer Personen. Teilweise ist der Charakter einer “Maskierung” deutlich. Variable Form und Größe deuten auf unterschiedliche Funktion. Die Befüllbarkeit und Entleerbarkeit kann mit Libationen oder Übergangsriten zu tun haben.
During the last decades there has been a remarkable intensification in the research of Neolithic ... more During the last decades there has been a remarkable intensification in the research of Neolithic sites in Anatolia. This increasing knowledge of the Anatolian Neolithic went hand in hand with new research in the whole area between the Near East and Southeastern Europe. Despite of these advances in Neolithic research, one of the most important key points for the understanding of the genesis of the early Neolithic of Southeastern Europe remained nearly unknown: The area which is structured by the Aegean, the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea. Due to the special geographical situation of the Thracian peninsula, Northern Greece and Western Anatolia this area always functioned as a “cultural bridge” between the Near East and Europe. After smaller surveys and rescue excavations in the 1980s, the national and international archaeological research increased during the last years in that area. Although we are still at the beginning, there are first encouraging results about the role of Southeastern European and Anatolian cultures, on one hand, and on the importance of local traditions in the process of the Neolithization, on the other hand.
In September 2002, at the EAA 8th Annual Meeting at Thessaloniki, international scholars discussed aspects of these problems. The main objective of the publication of the session “Aegean – Marmara – Black Sea: Present State of the Research of the Early Neolithic” is to present, evaluate and discuss the present state of research of the early Neolithic cultures in the contact region of the Aegean, the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea and to stress the importance of international interdisciplinary research, including papers on zoology, botany, and physical anthropology.
Volume 2 of the series "Studien im Thrakien-Marmara-Raum" (Studies in the Thrace-Marmara Region) ... more Volume 2 of the series "Studien im Thrakien-Marmara-Raum" (Studies in the Thrace-Marmara Region) deals with the most important find group of the settlement mound, the pottery. In his first part, Hermann Parzinger subjects all the pottery excavated from 1993-1998 from the Middle and Late Neolithic layers of Asagi Pinar to a detailed analysis, dealing in detail with the wares, forms and decorations and examining their distribution over the settlement periods of this site. In a further step, he undertakes a synchronisation with the stratigraphies of other multi-layered sites of this period in Turkish Thrace as well as in neighbouring regions of south-eastern Europe and north-western Anatolia.
In the second part, Heiner Schwarzberg deals with a special ceramic form of Asagi Pinar, the so-called "cult tables", on which numerous observations on typology, chronology, function and distribution could be made. In a second step, this special form is placed in a supra-regional context and compared with the "cult tables" of the Neo-Chalcolithic and Chalcolithic from Southeast Europe and Western Anatolia. Schwarzberg thus succeeds in producing the most comprehensive treatise on this genre of vessel to date.
Die forschungsgeschichtliche Studie zeichnet die Entwicklung Magdeburgs zu einer der bedeutendste... more Die forschungsgeschichtliche Studie zeichnet die Entwicklung Magdeburgs zu einer der bedeutendsten Städte des deutschen Mittelalters anhand archäologischer Quellen bis zum Ende der 1990er Jahre nach. Besonders zwischen 1948 und 1968 fanden nach der tiefgreifenden Kriegszerstörung umfangreiche Ausgrabungen im Bereich der Altstadt statt. Die wichtigsten Grabungsergebnisse sowie der Forschungsstand der Stadtgeschichte und materiellen Kultur der Landeshauptstadt Sachsen-Anhalts werden vom Verfasser erstmals zusammenfassend dargestellt und kritisch beleuchtet.
Papers by Heiner Schwarzberg
Anatolica, 2009
The campaigns of 2005 and 2006 at the twin mound of Barc n Höyük (formerly Yeni ehir II) in the Y... more The campaigns of 2005 and 2006 at the twin mound of Barc n Höyük (formerly Yeni ehir II) in the Yeni ehir Plain revealed several fragments of so called "cult tables", small rectangular boxes on legs, made of clay 1. The collection consists of 21 pieces 2 : four single legs and 17 bigger and smaller wall fragments:
Bayerische Vorgeschichtsblätter, 2023
Unterwasserarchäologie in Bayern und im Ausland, 2023
Documenta Archaeobiologiae, Mar 14, 2023
In the past few years the development of novel analytic methods and newfound abilities to gather ... more In the past few years the development of novel analytic methods and newfound abilities to gather previously inaccessible information on human skeletal remains deriving from archaeological contexts has resulted in an intensification of scientific research and moved the field of anthropology into the focus of the public eye. The necessity to protect and preserve human burials and skeletal remains stems from the unique ethical nature of this historically valuable resource. Unfortunately, conservation laws pertaining to human skeletal remains are applied differently throughout Germany and usually fall under the responsibility of the Heritage Office (Landesamt f. Denkmalpflege). The present study emphasises the absolute necessity of osteoanthropological expertise not only at the
excavation site but also for storing and managing human skeletal remains. It calls for the long overdue inclusion of an osteoanthropological expert in heritage management.
Bayerische Vorgeschichtsblätter, 2022
In 2018, an early Urnfield hoard find with six bronze arm rings, two bronze pendants with beaver ... more In 2018, an early Urnfield hoard find with six bronze arm rings, two bronze pendants with beaver teeth, two amber beads and one glass bead was discovered near Dietfurt an der Altmühl (Upper Palatinate, Bavaria). In addition to chronological and technical questions, the article discusses Central European comparative finds, which were probably mostly used with boar's teeth. Manufacturing techniques of the pendants refer to traditions in textile making.
Bayerische Archäologie, 2022
Bayerische Vorgeschichtsblätter, 2020
Making Spaces into Places, 2020
Making Spaces into Places. The North Aegean, the Balkans and Western Anatolia in the Neolithic, 2020
The dwellings and even the settlements themselves that constitute the Neolithic way of life from ... more The dwellings and even the settlements themselves that constitute the Neolithic way of life from the Near East to Southeast Europe are a fictionalised and re-engineered concept. The Neolithic dwellings emerged and transformed into various forms simultaneously with the other components of the Neolithic. In this article, the houses and the settlement structure of Aşağı Pınarare evaluated in order to contextualise them within a generalised concept of the Neolithic way of life. The evaluation of the site will detail a process beginning after the end of the 7th millennium BC and continuing until the first quarter of the 5th millennium BC in Eastern Thrace.
Archäologie in Deutschland, May 2020
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Books by Heiner Schwarzberg
Review: https://journals.openedition.org/acost/2486
They spread from Anatolia to Central Europe in the 6th millennium, and the last figural vessels disappeared in the 4th millennium.
Forms and motifs indicate extensive long-distance relationships. The style of representation was realistic to reduced. The interpretation of the decoration ranges from symbols to identity signs to clothing components.
More recent anthropomorphic vessels cannot be deduced from the early pieces, nor can interpretations of more recent finds be projected backwards.
The figural vessels were used in a domestic context, remains of contents are missing. Because of the long life and wide distribution of identical subjects, they are not images of real persons. In part, the character of a "masking" is clear. Variable shape and size indicate different functions. The ability to be filled and emptied may have to do with libations or rites of passage.
Die Arbeit behandelt befüllbare anthropomorphe, meist weibliche Gefäßfigurinen, Gesichtsgefäße, Gesichtsdeckel und vollplastische Figurinen mit applizierten befüllbaren Gefäßen des Neolithikums und der Kupferzeit zwischen dem Vorderem Orient und Mitteleuropa. Diese stammen meist aus Siedlungen, selten aus Gräbern.
Von Anatolien erfolgte im 6. Jt. eine Ausbreitung bis Mitteleuropa, im 4. Jt. laufen die letzten Figuralgefäße aus.
Formen und Motive zeigen weitreichende Fernbeziehungen an. Die Darstellungsweise war realistisch bis reduziert. Die Deutung des Dekors reicht von Symbolen über Identitätszeichen bis zu Kleidungsbestandteilen.
Jüngere anthropomorphe Gefäße lassen sich nicht aus den frühen Stücken ableiten, ebensowenig können Deutungen jüngerer Funde rückprojiziert werden.
Die Figuralgefäße wurden im häuslichen Kontext genutzt, Reste von Inhalten fehlen. Wegen der langen Laufzeit und weiten Verbreitung identischer Sujets handelt es sich nicht um Abbilder realer Personen. Teilweise ist der Charakter einer “Maskierung” deutlich. Variable Form und Größe deuten auf unterschiedliche Funktion. Die Befüllbarkeit und Entleerbarkeit kann mit Libationen oder Übergangsriten zu tun haben.
In September 2002, at the EAA 8th Annual Meeting at Thessaloniki, international scholars discussed aspects of these problems. The main objective of the publication of the session “Aegean – Marmara – Black Sea: Present State of the Research of the Early Neolithic” is to present, evaluate and discuss the present state of research of the early Neolithic cultures in the contact region of the Aegean, the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea and to stress the importance of international interdisciplinary research, including papers on zoology, botany, and physical anthropology.
In the second part, Heiner Schwarzberg deals with a special ceramic form of Asagi Pinar, the so-called "cult tables", on which numerous observations on typology, chronology, function and distribution could be made. In a second step, this special form is placed in a supra-regional context and compared with the "cult tables" of the Neo-Chalcolithic and Chalcolithic from Southeast Europe and Western Anatolia. Schwarzberg thus succeeds in producing the most comprehensive treatise on this genre of vessel to date.
Papers by Heiner Schwarzberg
excavation site but also for storing and managing human skeletal remains. It calls for the long overdue inclusion of an osteoanthropological expert in heritage management.
Review: https://journals.openedition.org/acost/2486
They spread from Anatolia to Central Europe in the 6th millennium, and the last figural vessels disappeared in the 4th millennium.
Forms and motifs indicate extensive long-distance relationships. The style of representation was realistic to reduced. The interpretation of the decoration ranges from symbols to identity signs to clothing components.
More recent anthropomorphic vessels cannot be deduced from the early pieces, nor can interpretations of more recent finds be projected backwards.
The figural vessels were used in a domestic context, remains of contents are missing. Because of the long life and wide distribution of identical subjects, they are not images of real persons. In part, the character of a "masking" is clear. Variable shape and size indicate different functions. The ability to be filled and emptied may have to do with libations or rites of passage.
Die Arbeit behandelt befüllbare anthropomorphe, meist weibliche Gefäßfigurinen, Gesichtsgefäße, Gesichtsdeckel und vollplastische Figurinen mit applizierten befüllbaren Gefäßen des Neolithikums und der Kupferzeit zwischen dem Vorderem Orient und Mitteleuropa. Diese stammen meist aus Siedlungen, selten aus Gräbern.
Von Anatolien erfolgte im 6. Jt. eine Ausbreitung bis Mitteleuropa, im 4. Jt. laufen die letzten Figuralgefäße aus.
Formen und Motive zeigen weitreichende Fernbeziehungen an. Die Darstellungsweise war realistisch bis reduziert. Die Deutung des Dekors reicht von Symbolen über Identitätszeichen bis zu Kleidungsbestandteilen.
Jüngere anthropomorphe Gefäße lassen sich nicht aus den frühen Stücken ableiten, ebensowenig können Deutungen jüngerer Funde rückprojiziert werden.
Die Figuralgefäße wurden im häuslichen Kontext genutzt, Reste von Inhalten fehlen. Wegen der langen Laufzeit und weiten Verbreitung identischer Sujets handelt es sich nicht um Abbilder realer Personen. Teilweise ist der Charakter einer “Maskierung” deutlich. Variable Form und Größe deuten auf unterschiedliche Funktion. Die Befüllbarkeit und Entleerbarkeit kann mit Libationen oder Übergangsriten zu tun haben.
In September 2002, at the EAA 8th Annual Meeting at Thessaloniki, international scholars discussed aspects of these problems. The main objective of the publication of the session “Aegean – Marmara – Black Sea: Present State of the Research of the Early Neolithic” is to present, evaluate and discuss the present state of research of the early Neolithic cultures in the contact region of the Aegean, the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea and to stress the importance of international interdisciplinary research, including papers on zoology, botany, and physical anthropology.
In the second part, Heiner Schwarzberg deals with a special ceramic form of Asagi Pinar, the so-called "cult tables", on which numerous observations on typology, chronology, function and distribution could be made. In a second step, this special form is placed in a supra-regional context and compared with the "cult tables" of the Neo-Chalcolithic and Chalcolithic from Southeast Europe and Western Anatolia. Schwarzberg thus succeeds in producing the most comprehensive treatise on this genre of vessel to date.
excavation site but also for storing and managing human skeletal remains. It calls for the long overdue inclusion of an osteoanthropological expert in heritage management.
Vergangene Pestepidemien wurden vor allem in schriftlichen Quellen überliefert; insbesondere die Justinianische Pest des frühen Mittelalters und der Schwarze Tod des späten Mittelalters wurden dort in lebendigen Farben beschrieben. Vor der Einführung der aDNA-Analyse war es aber oftmals schwierig, archäologische nachgewiesene Bestattungen eindeutig der Pest zuzuweisen – vor allem in Gegenden, wo schriftliche Überlieferungen, die die Pest erwähnen, fehlen. Die Analyse alter DNA erlaubt es nun, die Opfer der Pest eindeutig im archäologischen Befund zu identifizieren. In diesem Artikel sollen daher die ersten bekannten Beispiele von durch aDNA-Analyse bestätigten Pestgräbern aus Deutschland aus dem frühen Mittelalter, dem späten Mittelalter und dem 30-jährigen Krieg präsentiert und mit einander verglichen werden.
Résumé:
Les épidémies de peste d’autrefois furent surtout transmises à travers les écrits. Ce sont particulièrement la peste de Justinien du haut Moyen Age et la Peste noire du bas Moyen Age qui firent l’objet de récits hauts en couleur. Cependant, l’attribution à la peste de sépultures identifiées par l’archéologie était souvent difficile avant l’introduction de l’analyse de l’ADNa – surtout dans les régions dépourvues de sources écrites mentionnant la peste. L’analyse d’ADN ancien permet maintenant d’identifier avec certitude les victimes de la peste dans un contexte archéologique. Cet article voudrait donc présenter les premiers exemples connus en Allemagne de tombes de pestiférés du haut Moyen Age, du bas Moyen Age et de la guerre de Trente Ans vérifiées par l’analyse de l’ADNa, et qui seront comparées les unes aux autres. Cette contribution voudrait plaider pour une approche différenciée des rites funéraires, particulièrement lorsque plusieurs pestiférés furent ensevelis dans la même tombe. On veut en outre montrer les conclusions possibles, qui peuvent être tirées à partir des tombes de pestiférés identifiées par l’analyse de l’ADNa, pour les différentes stratégies suivies autrefois par les sociétés en vue de gérer des catastrophes comme les épidémies.
Abstract:
Plague outbreaks in the past are mainly known from written sources; in particular, the Justinianic Plague of the Early Middle Ages and the Black Death of the Late Middle Ages have been described in vivid detail. Yet prior to the introduction of aDNA analysis, it was often quite difficult to associate burials with plague beyond doubt – especially in areas where written evidence of the plague is scarce. As analysis of ancient DNA now allows the detection of plague victims in the archaeological record, new ways are being developed for combining archaeological, historical and ancient DNA research. In this paper we would like to present and compare known examples of plague graves from the Early Middle Ages, the Late Middle Ages and the Thirty Years’ War in Germany that have also been confirmed by ancient DNA analyses. We would like to argue for a differentiated view of the burial customs, especially when more than one plague victim shared a grave, and would like to show possible conclusions, drawn from the aDNA-confirmed plague burials, that can indicate the different strategies adopted by ancient societies to deal with catastrophic events like a pandemic disease.
Quellenangabe: Praehistorische Zeitschrift, Band 92, Heft 2, Seiten 405–427, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/pz-2017-0018
Between 1864 and 1915 excavations were carried out on the island and in the surrounding areas of shallow water, primarily by the local country judge Sigmund von Schab and also by Johannes Ranke, the founder of the Bavarian State Archaeological Collection. Many pile rows and research pits were examined.
After a long break, archaeological examinations were not resumed until the late 1980's, coordinated by the Bavarian State Conservation Office. The recovery of a wooden dugout canoe from the late Bronze Age was a highlight of this work. Measuring over 13 metres, the logboat has been dated through dendrochronology to around 900 BC. As such, it is one of the oldest boats in Bavaria.