Images (11)
Fieldnotes (2)

Images

Image of Lüdelsen 6 (Passage Grave) by Nucleus

From the southeast end towards the chamber in the west
Visited March 2019

Image credit: Uwe Häberle 03/2019

Nucleus Mar 17, 2019

From the southeast end towards the chamber in the west
Visited March 2019

Image credit: Uwe Häberle 03/2019

Nucleus Mar 17, 2019

From the northeast end towards the chamber in the west
Visited March 2019

Image credit: Uwe Häberle 03/2019

Nucleus Mar 17, 2019

The chamber in the western end of the Hunebed
Visited March 2019

Image credit: Uwe Häberle 03/2019

Nucleus Mar 17, 2019

The chamber in the western end of the Hunebed
Visited March 2019

Image credit: Uwe Häberle 03/2019

Nucleus Mar 17, 2019

From the northwest end towards the east end of the Hunebed
Visited March 2019

Image credit: Uwe Häberle 03/2019

Nucleus Mar 17, 2019

From the northwest end towards the east end of the Hunebed
Visited March 2019

Image credit: Uwe Häberle 03/2019

Nucleus Mar 17, 2019

Panorama shot from the southwestern end of the Hunebed towards east
Visited March 2019

Image credit: Uwe Häberle 03/2019

Nucleus Mar 17, 2019

Panorama shot from the southwest
Visited March 2019

Image credit: Uwe Häberle 03/2019

Nucleus Mar 17, 2019

Visited March 2019

Image credit: Uwe Häberle 03/2019

Nucleus Mar 17, 2019

Visited March 2019

Image credit: Uwe Häberle 03/2019

Nucleus Mar 17, 2019

Articles

Lüdelsen 6

Passage Grave

Nucleus Mar 17, 2019

Lüdelsen 6 is a passage grave consisting of seven pairs of supporting stones and a trapezoidal, in the middle narrower enclosure. The current state of preservation is very good, only a few enclosure stones are fallen over. A stone on the eastern narrow side is no longer fixed, another is missing, as is a support stone. The entrance is not clearly recognizable, because some stones are missing or shifted. The enclosure is east-west orientated and about 35 m long and 5.2 – 8.5 m wide. Fifty of a total of sixty enclosure stones are preserved, almost all of them are exceptionally large. Three of the four cornerstones (“Guardians”) and five other surrounding stones have been fallen over. The rectangular chamber is east-west orientated, 7.9 m long, 1.7 m wide, 1.1 m high and lies in the western end of the enclosure. Fifteen from formerly sixteen support stones and all five capstones are preserved, the biggest capstones measures 2.2 m x 1.9 m x 0.8 m.

You drive from the parking lot at the tombs Lüdelsen 1 to 5 in the direction of Lüdelsen. After about 650 meters there is a small sign with the inscription “Großsteingrab” on the street. Park your car here and follow the north-facing forest path 350 meters to an information board on the nature trail. There, turn left into the path and then reach the complex after about 170 meters.

The site, popularly known as the King’s grave, is one of the largest and best preserved megalithic tombs in the Altmark region. Highly recommended!

Visited March 2019

Lüdelsen 6

Passage Grave

Nucleus Mar 17, 2019

taken from the “Archäologisch-historischer Wanderweg Lüdelsen (4)” information board:

Site 6 – The King’s Grave

Construction/Burials: Funnel Beaker Culture (around 3700/3600-3300 BC);
Secondary burials: Globular Amphora culture (2800-2600 BC), Iron Age (700-500 BC)

The “King’s Grave” consists of a trapezoidal enclosure of large boulder blocks (38 m x 5-8 m), which surrounds the long hill. Therein lies the almost 9 m long and 2.40 m wide burial chamber (internal height: around 1.50 m). The entrance on the south side of the chamber is only partially preserved.

The mound is multi-phase: The first, about 40 cm high mound was built between 3700-3500 BC. Only some time after the embedding of the approximately 1.30 m high second mound (from 3500-3300 BC) niches were created on the hilltop to position the large enclosre stones there – in this time also the edification of the stone burial chamber. The gaps between the boulders were carefully closed with a dry masonry of split red sandstone slabs. Between 2800-2600 BC the mound was again increased by about 0.50 m and the dry masonry was torn out.

After that the flanks were raised, so that only the upper third of the boulders was visible. At the same time, the chamber for post-burial (late Globular Amphora culture) was probably completely cleared and then filled with sand. An urn from the middle of the chamber dates from the early Iron Age (7th – 6th century BC).

The origins of the “King’s Grave” are older than the megalithic tomb Lüdelsen 3 (Station 2). No tombs were discovered in the mounds, but on the surface of the first two mounds were several smaller shallow depressions of charcoal, the function of which is unknown.

The excavations were carried out in 2009 and 2010 as part of the research project “Megalithic Landscape Altmark”.