LBK enclosures

In the Neolithic of Central Europe, earthworks appear with the emergence of the Bandkeramik (LBK). The more than 100 ditched enclosures form spatial groupings and are located exclusively in the western distribution area of the LBK. They occur in connection with Bandkeramik settlement sites. The interior areas of the earthworks mostly cover only a few hectares. The similarities between the construction plans of several earthworks, some of which were discovered in widely separated areas, are astonishing in how they indicate the sharing of common ideas. It seems that the motivation behind the construction of some of these earthworks was in the realm of functioning as a socio-religious centre, while others were built more for defensive purposes (e.g. village ditches). In our comparative regional study of LBK settlement patterns in southern Lower Saxony and southern Bavaria, we strive to obtain complete settlement plans through magnetic prospection. However, remarkable differences in the informative value of the magnetic images generated so far had to be observed. While in the north, ditches and ground plans of houses are often clearly visible and later occupation of the areas prospected was rarely noted, in the south the information is obscured by the dense post-LBK occupation of the sites.

• Bandkeramische Erdwerke bei Mangolding im nordwestlichen Gäuboden
• Hollenstedt 2. Eine bandkeramische Siedlung an der mittleren Leine.