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The circular multi-ring enclosure of Pömmelte- Zackmünde, Central Germany, is one of the few sanctuaries dated to the Final Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age in Central Europe. Its architectural design, features and finds suggest that it served as a place for various social practices, including ritual performances. This paper focuses on variations in the fragmentation of ceramics from deliberate depositions, i. e. offerings or discarded paraphernalia, and 'non-depositional' contexts. To statistically evaluate the degree of fragmentation of pottery finds, a measure of the relative size of sherds, the sherd size index (SSI), was calculated. The results of the SSI analysis and the completeness of the vessels combined with contextual information elucidate the disparity between deliberately fragmented vessels and 'non-deliberate' fragmentation for the Pömmelte enclosure. On the one hand, there are intentional deposits - i. e. structured deposits with evidence of ritual meaning - of mainly complete or nearly complete vessels broken into large pieces (high SSI). They indicate moderate destruction that probably had symbolic meaning. Refitting suggests that in most cases the vessels were either broken at the place of deposition or that most vessel fragments were laid down together. The processes of breaking and depositing likely reflect performative ritual activities. On the other hand, the material from 'non-depositional' contexts - i. e. structured deposits with no apparent evidence of ritual meaning - was subjected to conditions (e. g. weathering, trampling) which resulted in a high degree of fragmentation. This is indicated by the small sherd sizes (low SSI) and the poor state of preservation, i. e. the incompleteness of the vessels represented. These ceramic finds, however, show material culture patterning suggesting zones of high and low activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Das Tollensetal in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ist in den letzten Jahren durch die Entdeckung zahlreicher Menschenreste, die z.T. Verletzungen zeigen, und zweier Holzkeulen aus der älteren Nordischen Bronzezeit in den Blickpunkt der Forschung gerückt. Die ungewöhnlichen, ca. 3300-3200 Jahre alten Funde konnten auf einer Länge von ca. 1,5 km entlang des Flusses an verschiedenen Stellen nachgewiesen werden. Mit Unterstützung der DFG haben seit dem Sommer 2010 neben Ausgrabungen auch intensive Tauchprospektionen stattgefunden. Dabei ist es gelungen, eine neue Fundkonzentration (Weltzin 32) in einer Tiefe von bis zu ca. 3 m unter Geländeoberfläche im Fluss zu entdecken. Die bislang aus dem Profil geborgenen zahlreichen Menschenreste liegen nicht mehr in korrektem anatomischen Verband und sind in Flusssande eingebettet. Unter schwierigen Bedingungen ist es gelungen, zwischen den Menschenresten auch weitere Funde in der Fundschicht zu lokalisieren. Der Beitrag stellt die ausgezeichnet erhaltene Lokalität mit ihren wichtigsten Funden vor, unter denen zwei kleine Zinnringe ganz besonders hervorzuheben sind. Die Neufunde werfen wiederum die Frage nach dem Entstehungskontext der Fundschicht im Flusstal auf. Die Autoren favorisieren als Ursache für die ausgedehnte Ablagerung der Überreste von mindestens ca. 110 Individuen, die wiederholt mit Pferdeknochen und Waffen / Pfeilspitzen vergesellschaftet sind, Gewaltkonflikte und möglicherweise auch Opferhandlungen. The discovery of numerous human skeletal remains, with traces of violence in several cases, together with two wooden clubs, dating to period III of the Nordic Bronze has made the Tollense valley in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern the focus of research in the past few years. The unusual finds, c. 3300-3200 years old, were discovered at different locations along a c. 1.5 km long stretch of the river. Supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), extensive diving surveys have been conducted in addition to excavations since 2010. During these surveys a new find locality (Weltzin 32) was discovered at a depth of up to 3 m under water level. Lots of human skeletal remains, found scattered and not in anatomical position, could be retrieved from fluviatile sands across a section of the river bank. Despite difficult conditions it was possible to locate further finds among the skeletal material. This article introduces the find locality Weltzin 32 together with its most important finds, among them two small tin spiral rings. These new finds again raise the question of the origin and development of the find layer in the river valley. The authors favour the theory of violent conflicts, possibly also connected to sacrificial rites, as the cause for the accumulation of skeletal remains of at least 110 individuals, which repeatedly occur together with horse bones and weapons (arrowheads). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]