Burg und Siedlung Niendorf bei Haldensleben, Bördekreis

• Applicants: Dr. Götz Alper; Professor Dr. Ulrich Müller
• Subject Area: Prehistory and World Archaeology
• Term: from 2013 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 249663683

The key focus of the project concentrates the complete evaluation, the archaeological-historical contextualization and publication of the archaeological features and finds as well as the scientific dating of the deserted village of Niendorf near Haldensleben, Boerdekreis. The complex system, comprised of Slavic and Saxon settlement horizons (esp 9-10/11 century), Salian outer bailey settlement elements (11/12 century), a subsequent deserted phase (12/13 cen) and a multi-phased castle in wood and earth (ca 1076/77) or stone structure (ca. 1106/07), is largely unique and provides fundamental insights on cultural transformation processes, particularly during the 10-12 centuries. Niendorf enables an exemplary investigation of a consolidation of rule at the intersection between the monarchy, the church and the nobility during the late Early Middle Ages and the High Middle Ages.Due to excellent wood preservation, a dense basis for dating is available. The density of the features facilitates fundamental new knowledge, especially on castle construction in Salian times, so that questions concerning diverse traditions of castle construction and the emergence of castle landscapes can be answered or discussed. The Slavic and Saxon settlement phases, including fortifications, well-preserved pit and post constructions as well as a multi-phased church and the subsequent high medieval deserted village with its archaeological material, shed light on the living environments of peasants, just as the outer bailey settlement and the castle explicate the spheres of the noble and the gentry. With Niendorf, the opportunity arises to exemplarily use a micro-region in order to examine the complex dynamics of settlement and dominance on a regional basis for the border regions of the Boerde Altmark between the late Carolingian and the outgoing Salian periods as well as to exemplarily describe and compare these parameters, reaching beyond the Central German sphere.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants