Rullstorf IV

The Kronsberg Hill near Rullstorf, distr. Lüneburg, forms a settlement area of some 24 ha. Thanks to thick layers of blown sand, it offered extraordinary preservation conditions for settlements, graves, ritual buildings, and activity zones from the Stone Ages to Early Medieval times and was excavated in the past 30 years ahead of sand and gravel mining. After the evidence from the large find area 5 [MAN 25, 44, 48] this 4th volume presents the finds and features of an Urnfield cemetery on the SW-slope at site 8 [BA per. IV]. It formed an entity with a contemporaneous settlement some 300 m to the east, which perished in a conflagration. The completely excavated cemetery comprised some 118 graves [48 children, 37 adults, 23 ?, ca. 10 destroyed] with pottery urns protected by a stone encasement. Only 29 graves, mostly in the centre, contained grave goods such as pins, bracelets, razors, small spear heads, awls etc. which represent 3 to 4 generations. Nearby there were also stone pavements, erratic blocks, and hearths. Two natural scientific papers analyse origin and casting technique of the bronze objects [Lehmann / Avraam] and cremated remains as to sex and age at death [Caselitz].