Burgwall Lossow: A Prehistoric and Slavic Fortified Settlement in Germany
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.4
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Germany
- Primary era
- Bronze Age
- Eras represented
- Bronze Age, Iron Age, Medieval
- Civilizations
- Unclassified
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Fortified Town
On this page8 sections
History
Burgwall Lossow is the archaeological remains of a former fortified settlement in Germany, near Frankfurt (Oder), whose history extends from the Bronze Age through a later Slavic occupation. The settlement stood above the Steile Wand, a natural plateau overlooking the western Oder valley. Its earliest fortified phase began in the 12th century BC, while construction of the earthwork probably started in the 10th century BC.
Bronze Age and Early Iron Age
The fortification developed during the Bronze Age, a prehistoric period associated with the widespread use of bronze for tools, weapons, and other objects. Excavations carried out between 1919 and 1984 helped establish the early development of the earthwork. During the Early Iron Age, approximately 800–600 BC, the site was occupied by the Göritzer Group, an archaeological cultural group associated with this phase of settlement. The fortification was abandoned in the 6th century BC.
Slavic Reoccupation
Settlement later resumed under Slavic communities. The fortification was rebuilt in the 8th century AD and burned in the 10th century AD. These phases form the later historical chapter of a site whose defensive use had begun many centuries earlier.
Archaeological Investigation
Archaeological finds came to light during construction of the Berlin–Breslau railway in 1844. Systematic research began in 1898 under the Historical Association of Frankfurt (Oder), followed by excavations for the Berlin Ethnological Museum in 1909 and 1919. Work was interrupted by economic crisis and inflation, then resumed in 1926 under Wilhelm Unverzagt, a German archaeologist known for directing major excavations of prehistoric and early historic sites.
The Museum of Prehistory and Early History in Potsdam excavated at Burgwall Lossow in 1968. Further investigations by the German Historical Museum and Humboldt University of Berlin took place from 1980 to 1984, and a ten-week teaching excavation involving Humboldt University students was held in 2009. Burgwall Lossow is listed in Brandenburg’s register of archaeological monuments.
Interpreting the Shafts
Sixty shafts found during excavation were once interpreted as Germanic “sacrificial shafts.” The interpretation followed earlier scholarship and was later adopted by Ines Beilke-Voigt, an archaeologist whose research has included the prehistoric fortified centre at Lossow. The terminology is now considered problematic because the phrase was used in Nazi propaganda.
Remains
Burgwall Lossow lies approximately seven kilometres south of Frankfurt (Oder), west of the Oder River. The surviving earthwork encloses about 4.8 hectares. It is a Burgstall, meaning the archaeological site of a former fortification whose original buildings no longer survive as a complete standing castle. The layout uses both constructed defences and steep natural boundaries.
Rampart and Natural Defences
On the northern and western sides, a timber-and-earth rampart rises approximately six metres high. This type of defensive embankment was strengthened with wooden structural elements and packed earth. Toward the Oder, the eastern side is protected by the steep escarpment called the Steile Wand, a designated natural monument in the Berlin Urstromtal. A natural valley provides protection on the southern side.
Craft, Food, and Buried Finds
Fragments of casting moulds show that bronze-working took place at the settlement. Remains of domestic and wild animals, fish, and plants provide evidence of the inhabitants’ diet. These finds add information about production and subsistence within the fortified area.
The excavated shafts occur in different archaeological layers and reach depths of up to eight metres. They contained vessels, jewellery, weapons, and partly dismembered human and animal skeletons. A shaft is a deep, narrow excavated feature whose original purpose must be assessed from its archaeological context. The finds have therefore remained central to the interpretation of activity at Burgwall Lossow.
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