Horneburg 4 Passage Grave View all content for Horneburg 4

taken from the information board of station 6: Megalithic tombs in the long barrows B and C The process for the construction of the megalithic tombs was tried by replicas to get on the track. Without major problems, the method proved first to raise a smaller hill. In it the support stones can be brought into position. The empty space is filled and a ramp heaped up to the top of the support stones. Over the slope, the capstones are pulled to their destination and fitted. Thereafter, the chamber can be freed from soil again and the "interior work" begins. The gaps between the irregularly shaped support bricks are dry-walled with layers of shallow-cut smaller stones. Different materials were used for the chamber bottoms: field stones set in paving, stone gravel in loam, pure loam and others. Divided into the ground were more frequent divisions, for example - as here in the chamber of long barrow B - rows of stones, the "quarters / districts" separated from each other. Presumably these were markings, which deceased could be buried where. The renovation of the mound and the grounds will be the last construction work. The lockable passage made it possible to re-enter the chamber as often as required. Not only the builders of the tombs used this fesature, but also the following population, which were not the funnel beaker people. Around 2500 BC, a society immigrated to this region, whose livelihood as a shepherd was the cattle. In addition to their own funeral rites, which they call "single grave people", they also cleared the bones of funnel beaker people from the chambers and used some of their own deceased. Therefore undisturbed funnel beaker burials are rather rarely in the stone chambers. Only a remnant of the supporting part of the earlier elaborate burial grounds has come over as ruins.

Posted by Nucleus 14th July 2019ce

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