Studien zur Hessisch-Westfälischen Megalithik

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The volume reviews all finds and features of the Hessian-Westphalian Megaliths of the Central German Uplands, employing geophysical surveys, building material analyses, and GIS-based viewshed analyses. The main distribution of gallery graves, dating from approximately 3500 to 2800 B.C., spans Eastern Westphalia, Northern and Central Hesse, and the Limburg Basin. Several subgroups of 3-7 tombs within a 20-30 km radius were identified, with connections to Lower Saxony, the Harz, the Wiehengebirge, Thuringia, and the Paris Basin. Gallery graves from the Wartberg Culture reached lengths of up to 35 m, were embedded in the ground, and constructed from limestone or sandstone slabs or boulders. Chambers often contained up to 250 individuals of various ages and genders and frequently featured a porthole. Type Züschen had a shorter side entrance and an antechamber, while type Rimbeck was accessible from a longer side. Finds are scarce, including tooth and stone pendants, copper and amber artifacts, arrowheads, awls, chisels, blades, celts, axes, and pottery such as storage vessels, bowls, cups, and drums. Megaliths were transported from distances of up to 16 km, with raw materials sourced from as far as 300 km. Notably, potential settlement sites were not visible from the megaliths, and vice versa.