Archaeology open day near Bergkirchen (Dachau)

On Sunday the 14th of September, local archaeologists are hosting an open day near Bergkirchen (Dachau). As well as displays of some of the beautiful artefacts we have uncoverded there will also be excavations in progess on the day. This is a chance to learn a little about the earlier history of the Munich area - it didn't all start 850 years ago! The history of the site from the Prehistoric, (burial, various houses) through the Romano-Gallic period (a large Villa complex) through to the Sub-Roman/early Medival (settlement and gravefield) will be explained by the archaeologists and illustrated by some of the star finds. Rest assured that those cheeky chaps from "Crime Team" are coming nowhere near

More details as I get them/nearer the time

Taff

Thanks Taff

Keep us posted.

Hey I love archeology!

Can't make it so far north but do you ever come south of Munich?

Thanks for the info. What is the exact address?
Or will will you post this later as well? Great stuff.

Jeremy, we have a few projects at the moment but they are in the immediate Munich area. Something that has shocked me here is that members of the public just turn up, have a chat with the guys about what is going on and then go and have a lookie at whats going on. It is great that people take an interest but in the UK they would not be able to put a toe on site due to H&S regulations (They could trp and break a nail leaving the company wide to legal actions) and the sites are generally all fenced off (In some places I have worked in - Parkhead, Glasgow and Wallsend, the Toon - the fences actually get stolen - oh how we laughed). However here that is not the case. We even get people turning with crates of water for us but the best is this Hasufrau who turns up with Kaffee und Kuchen and Eis - deffo don't get that in Parkhead or Wallsend - a lead pipe round the old skull would be more like it . If we get anything further south I will give you a knock. (Beer offerings for the crew always welcome)

Garibaldi - I won't give the exact location yet as the event is not nearly for a month. The actual archaeology we will be doing on the day consists of of late-Roman to early Medieval graves..exactly to sort of site that would attract nighthawkers. We have been very lucky on this site to date and I would not wnat to tempt fate. I believe that the nighthawking problem (Individuals/gangs armed with metaldetectors - sometimes literally armed as well) is not so bad as in the UK but is still something to be wary of. I know of a site near Eching (or was it Erding?) that had probably the richest Romano-Gallic grave in Bavaria. The grave was too complex to dig in one day and so was left covered with a tarp overnight. By the next morning his skull was nicked.

I can say that the event runs from 11am to 16.00. There is a shop just close by for sausages and beer in case watching people working hard on a sunday gives you an appetite

The site gives a gives a fascinating picture of people and events not just near Munich but for the wider region. As well as features from clearly defined periods - Neolithic,Hallstatt, La-Tene, Romano-Gallic, the gravefield shows a community in flux with a variety of influences being manifest in the burial rites. Frankish (in the form of a Francisca throwing axe - as used by Kirk in the "Vikings"), Barbarian and Romano-Gallic influences are all here, the latter best exemplified by jewellery. Children, women and men are all represented - some with no grave goods, (slaves perhaps?) some with and some (too many ) that have been robbed in antiquity. The gravegoods give clues to that person's status or job in soceity. Only this last week I uncovered a male who had been buried with a collection of small knives and probes - this person could have been a doctor.(Certainly the probes look like some I have seen from Pompeii. He was also buried with some long nails - perhaps there is some truth in the episode of the "Young Ones" where Neil has a cold?) Or maybe he just took the task of earwax removal very seriously

More details as I get them/nearer the time.

Taff

This event is a week today and runs from 11am to 1600.

By public transport the best bets are to get to Dachau and then to Feldgeging, whilst by car you want the B741. The site is located just before the road crosses the A8/E52 motorway (The Augsburg road) on Furstenfelder Str.
An alternative may be to get to Olching and follow the B741. Once over the A8 the petrolstation/site is visible about 400 metres distant.
The 732 bus stops directly by the site but it is not very regular.

The site is unmissable as the entire area has been stripped of topsoil. We have excavated over the entire site (some sixty or so hectares) but the exhibition will be located just next to the new petrol station, which is very obvious from the B741. When you get to the petrol station look for signs and a red steel container. Car parking available next to the container.

From Feldgeging it is a kilometre walk or so - or grab a cab for a few euros. If you tell the cabbie you want the archaeological dig they probably wont know what you mean but if you say "The new petrol station at "Logic Park" they will know what you mean. "Logic Park" is the name of the building development - business warehouses.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en-GB&...&iwloc=addr

I will try and get some bus details up here in the week

This looks very interesting. Thanks for posting this information!
Approximately how far is it from the Dochau train station? And do you have a street address (e.g., of the petrol station)?
Thanks for posting info about bus times.

James,
Dachau is about 4km from the site. Best bet, if coming in from outside the area is probably S2 to Dachau and then change for a bus to Feldgeging. The site does not have a street number as such as it is pretty much a greenfield site. I will see today if the Gafage which we are next to has a number - it must have. Otherwise the address will be "Logic Park", Bergkirchen. As the crow flies we are closer to Feldgeging but the way the border runs we are officially in Bergkirchen.

There are other events in the neighbourhood as well (it is the Nationial Monument day across Bayern) details of which I will post up here later in case anybody wants to get a few places under their belt on the same day.

Will Carenza Lewis be there?

If so you can count me in...I have fancied her for years!!!

Definately be there, bringing the wife and son.

Brilliant idea for a Sunday outing.

Thanks Taff

"Will Carenza Lewis be there?"

Thankfully not...a stuck up,prissy, self-important, arrogant plonka - nein danke. Did you know that those scenes on "Crime team" where they are all in the pub are sooo staged...after the shot everyone buggers off into their little cliques leaving CL on her own...she is not particularly well liked, so I picked up. One can see why...full of herself that one. If it makes your day I can wear a badge with "Carenza" written on it crayon, some lippy, a dress and a medium sized chip on me shoulder.

Having checked out the direct buses to the site they are a no go so the nearest possible places are Olching, Feldgeging or Bergkirchen. I am still trying to get the MVG website to work so as yet cannot post up timings or routes. It is, I am sad to say more easier by car

Thanks for the additional information. Since bus service is spotty, it sounds like the best bet for car-less people would be the S2 to Dachau and then to hop a taxi. For this, the address of the adjacent petrol station would be very helpful. Thanks.

OK: I will take you up on the offer of the badge and lipstick. I will see you on Sunday....

Should make you easy enough to spot, Taff! See you Sunday. Garibaldi and I will take bikes on the S-Bahn if it's not bucketing down so yes, a kind of address would be well helpful.

Ok, if I have done this right, when you follow this link -

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?hl=en&...9dda7b9c222cd3b

you should get a map of where we are.

I have not had much luck with the bus timetable I am afraid. I don't know the bus routes that well as I get a lift in to work. Best bet is probably still Dachau by S-Bahn and then take it from there. Sorry I can't be helpful with the buses. (I have ended up shouting at the computer when it wasn't being more helpful)

The Burgermeister of Dachau turned up yesterday. He had with him the finds that have been tarted up by the restorers. Very nice job too. Some fantastic bits of Schmuck...we should have a couple of short swords (Saxe) and a long Spatha as well (this was originally the sword of the Roman cavalry but later was used in lieu of the shorter Gladius and then into the sub-Roman period). The finds reflect the various strata in sub-Roman Boiaria, both male and female,children, poor people, those with pretensions to wealth and power, warriors. We probably had a few slaves here as well - but since they were buried with nothing (or least nothing that has survived) we have nothing to show.

As I mentioned earlier there are many other exhibitions on this day - too many for to list. If fancy combining a visit to our site with somewhere else or even if you have no intention of coming, please have a look at this link as you might something near to you that appeals

http://www.tag-des-offenen-denkmals.de/laender/by/

We will have 4 or 5 graves open, (the last of about 200 so next week I am out of a job :-( ) various cabinets with a selection of finds, display panels detailing the complex history of the site and a Powerpoint presentation/talk. (exact time TBC - watch this space). If you have an interest then please come - however, if you are expecting something akin to the treasure of the Pharoahs you be a little disappointed. Although the area we have been working in is pretty massive really, as we are down to final bits do not expect to see hundreds of people toiling away like in "Raiders of the lost Ark". I do not want to put people off but nor to want people to come along and expect a circus.

Any further questions do not hesitate to ask,

Taff

*Ahem*

I hate to be pedantic, but looking at the Google map, I see that the name of the place is "Feldgeding", not "Feldgeging". The road to take appears to be the B471, not 741. The S-Bahn stations Olching and Esting (S4 line) look to be a good bit closer to the site than Dachau (though still a fair trek). And I just checked the MVV bible for all buses that serve the area. None of them run on Sundays.

I'd be interested to drop by, but not sure if I'll be able to make it this Sunday.

Thanks for the map and link, Taff - that's very clear. Now all we need is halfway decent weather.

Well done Greentea for sptting those msteaks. I can only blame/thank my Cardiff education. I might be a bit better with road numbers and German placenames if Thatcher had not taken me milk when I was a bairn.

Still, I think a map with a badge that says "Archaeology Dig Here" or whatever is a top-hole idea and I am glad that I spent a few minutes today getting that sorted.You spotting my mistakes just proves the point.

I am quite gutted that the transport system is pretty bad hereabouts. My recent email to "Jim'll Fix it" (Dear Jim, please fix it for the archaeology to be shifted to central Munich. Love Taff, aged 10 3/4) went unanswered by Mr 'll Fix it's office.
By car or bike it is no problem - its the PBI who are going to find it tough going. And even with the best will in the world I can't change that.

I think that these ancient types were really inconsiderate not to take in MVV public transport connections into consideration when they chose to settle on this site.

At least those Stonehenge chappies had the right idea - drive through momument and all.

I heard the following one day the other year in Odinsburgh Edinburgh, the culprit I am sorry to say was one of our Ami friends..."Oh gee Gloria..its like so good that they-ah built the Castle so close to the-ah train station"

...and on a similar note, heard at a Viking period livinghistory/re-enactment event near Eu (Dieppe)..."it is so great to see all you guys here in your traditional clothes...tell me, are there many Viking Reservations hereabouts...we have plenty back home your Indians"

I nearly choked on my horn (of mead)

This sounds great. I'm going to drive there from Aubing. If anyone needs a lift they can meet me at the S-Bahnhof Aubing (S8) at 12 midday. Call me on 089 8630 8610 first though so I can be sure there are not more people than places.

great day out Taffthedigger thanks for the info. well worth the muddy boots.
will put up some pics tomorrow!!

Was well worth the visit, saw some very interesting finds, thanks for letting us monopolise your time for a while Taff. Would be interested in knowing more about similar open days in the future, if any!

Thanks to everyone who came and had a looksy today...great to meet you all and great to be able to try and explain the site in english. My Bairisch is sufficient to order beer or to ask where one can buy Lederhosen but giving detailed archaeological explanations was a bit daunting. Hope I didn't bore anyone and I also hope that no-one who came felt that it was not worth it. I had hoped that we might have had some more finds out for you to see...we were expecting 4 or 5 display cases instead of the two we had. The things you saw to day were some of the nicest pieces but only a tiny fraction of what we have recovered. Not bad considering that about 80% of the graves had been robbed in antiquity.

If anyone would like I have some illustrated PDF's about the site (auf Deutsch) that I could email.

Thanks once again, glad you came, glad you asked questions, glad the kids learned something.

Off to get warm now.

Taff

a bag of (ca. 600 year old) bones.

Cragrat & Taffthedigger!

grave of a possible man and wife. man is missing his skull!

thanks again TFD!

Taff, thanks very much for talking to the kids and myself yesterday about the site and your work there. We got there late in the afternoon and were amazed to see how many people were still there.
It was well worth the trip and both kids said again this morning, how much they'd enjoyed it. A lot of it would have passed us by without your help (haven't really had much call for German archaeological terms since we moved here!).
As we said yesterday, Liam is really into history and at an age when he'd love a chance for some hands-on experience, so if there's ever an opportunity to get digging (!), he's your man.
Hope you thawed out eventually and thanks again.

Jennifer

Hi Moonboot, thanks for coming yesterday and thanks for putting the pics up. I had me camera but did not have time to take any. The bones in the bag are actually from about 600 AD rather than 600 years old. Quite a few interesting people were in this time in this corner - as well as the giant with the pinhead and the other guy with a badly deformed head (I mentioned them yesterady but cannot remember with whom) I found a guy today who has signs of TB on his bones - or so the gaffer thinks...poor buggers. It certainly makes you think seeing all these skeletons.

Hope you had time for a look around the tent and saw some of the goodies (including "my" gold brooch ) and thanks for coming again

Taff

The report for this dig (and others in the Munich area) and the open day are now online -

http://www.singularch.de/referenzen.htm

As this event has now been and gone, probably best to let this thread die of natural causes. Thanks for your interest.

Taff