Siedlungsdynamische Prozesse der Eisenzeit im Braunkohlerevier Inden-Weisweiler

Bereits im 19. Jahrhundert begann der Braunkohleabbau in Form von Kleinstbetrieben im Bereich der Ville, welcher die archäologischen Bodendenkmäler im Braunkohlegebiet unwiderruflich zerstörte. Zuvor erfolgten weitreichende Untersuchungen, die das Rheinische Braunkohlerevier zu den besterforschten Regionen Europas machte.
Die natürlichen Ressourcen der Lössbörden in der Niederrheinischen Bucht wurden seit je her von Menschen genutzt. Die hohe Bodengüte bildete die Grundlage für das Entstehen von Siedlungen seit dem Neolithikum und wirkte als kultureller Motor der Region. Die gute archäologische Überlieferungslage führte in der Vergangenheit zu archäologischen Forschungsarbeiten, die eine flächendeckend aufgesiedelte Landschaft seit der Bronzezeit im Rheinischen Braunkohlerevier suggerierten. Grundlegend wurde davon ausgegangen, dass die Kombination aus verschiedenartigen archäologischen Relikten in einem bestimmten Umkreis (Radius 100 Meter) zu verbindlichen Siedlungsstellen zusammengefasst werden könnten. Präferenzen zum Standort einer Siedlung ließen sich nicht erkennen.
Eine Siedlung ist jedoch mehr als die bloße Aneinanderreihung von sichtbaren archäologischen Relikten. Es gibt eine Ebene, die von Archäologen*innen lediglich erahnt wird, jedoch materiell nicht greifbar ist.
In den letzten Jahrzehnten hat sich die Datenlage zu metallzeitlichen Siedlungen im Braunkohlerevier vervielfacht. Fußend auf den neuen Forschungsergebnissen und unter Zuhilfenahme archäologischer Theorieansätze von L. De Rouw und J. E. Yellen, wurde ein alternativer Interpretationsansatz zu Verteilungsmustern von Siedlungen in einer der am dichtesten beobachteten Fundlandschaften Mitteleuropas erarbeitet, der das zuvor postulierte Bild wiederlegt.

Lignite mining in the area of the Ville, carried out by small businesses, already began in the 19th century and irrevocably destroyed the archaeological below-ground heritage in the lignite area. However, large-scale investigations were carried out in advance, making the Rhenish lignite mining zone one of the best-researched areas in Europe. People have always exploited the natural resources of the fertile loess landscapes in the Lower Rhine Bay. From the Neolithic onwards, the high quality of the soil was the basis for the establishment of agrarian settlements, driving the region’s cultural development. The excellent archaeological record has been used to suggest that the Rhenish lignite mining area was extensively settled since the Bronze Age. In general, it was assumed that the combination of diverse kinds of archaeological remains within a given area [radius 100 metres] could be reliably combined into settlements. There were no recognisable preferences regarding settlement location. However, a settlement is more than an accumulation of visible archaeological remains. There is another level which archaeologists can only surmise, but which is not materially manifested. Over the last decades, the available information on settlements of the metal ages in the lignite mining area has multiplied. Based on the new results, and with the aid of the theoretical approaches developed by L. De Rouw and J. E. Yellen, an alternative interpretation on settlement distribution patterns was developed for one of the densest archaeological landscapes of central Europe. It fundamentally challenges the previous picture. Lignite mining in the area of the Ville, carried out by small businesses, already began in the 19th century and irrevocably destroyed the archaeological below-ground heritage in the lignite area. However, large-scale investigations were carried out in advance, making the Rhenish lignite mining zone one of the best-researched areas in Europe. People have always exploited the natural resources of the fertile loess landscapes in the Lower Rhine Bay. From the Neolithic onwards, the high quality of the soil was the basis for the establishment of agrarian settlements, driving the region’s cultural development. The excellent archaeological record has been used to suggest that the Rhenish lignite mining area was extensively settled since the Bronze Age. In general, it was assumed that the combination of diverse kinds of archaeological remains within a given area [radius 100 metres] could be reliably combined into settlements. There were no recognisable preferences regarding settlement location. However, a settlement is more than an accumulation of visible archaeological remains. There is another level which archaeologists can only surmise, but which is not materially manifested. Over the last decades, the available information on settlements of the metal ages in the lignite mining area has multiplied. Based on the new results, and with the aid of the theoretical approaches developed by L. De Rouw and J. E. Yellen, an alternative interpretation on settlement distribution patterns was developed for one of the densest archaeological landscapes of central Europe. It fundamentally challenges the previous picture.