Spectacular discovery on the coast

The storm surge of 2023 left more than just damage on the Baltic Sea coast, it also led to a find that was thousands of years old.

Kassel – The Baltic Sea coast of Schleswig-Holstein was hit hard by the record storm surge on October 20th and 21st, 2023, causing millions of dollars in damage. Surprisingly, however, the flood also revealed something that was thought long lost. Like the local history and culture association Dahme eV on November 13, 2023 in one notice explained, when a path from Kellenhusen to Dahme was washed out, a grave from the Stone Age was uncovered. Although the existence of the grave was known, its exact location had been forgotten over the decades.

It is grave 281: “The grave number 281 in the Sprockhoff catalog of megalithic graves was considered 'missing' for decades. It was only exposed by the storm surge on October 20th. It should be preserved and protected.” But the stones, which are up to 1.60 meters high, hide more than just a grave. Around 5,000 to 6,000 years ago they were an “expression of the culture and ideology of the then Stone Age”.

Rare find on the Baltic Sea after storm surge: cult sites from the Neolithic period

The Lübeck news also reported on the discovery of the “thick boulders”. These are cult sites from the Neolithic period, which are also known as “megalithic graves” or “huge graves”. Dr. Jürgen Möller, chairman of the Dahme local history and culture association, explained in an interview with the newspaper: “It was just swarming with them here in the north.” Unfortunately, many of the stones were used in the 19th century for construction projects or to stabilize coastlines. Dr. Möller calls for the protection and preservation of this historical evidence because it offers insights into the culture and ideology of the time.

Find from the Neolithic period on the Baltic Sea – graves can be found all along the coast

The megalithic graves are remains of the Neolithic period and bear witness to the Neolithic Revolution, a turning point in which society changed from hunters and gatherers to farmers, the amateur archaeologist told the newspaper. It is uncertain whether the rediscovered grave from the Neolithic period will actually be preserved. From an archaeological point of view, the value is rather low, as other graves already exist and have been researched along the Baltic Sea coast. According to the tourism website, some of these are located treffpunkt-ostsee.de for example on Rügen or in the northwest Mecklenburg region.

The large stone tombs were built as sacred places in prehistoric times. According to Nature magazine, people in later centuries had Killicus However, there are own explanations for the creation of the mystical stone formations: “The huge grave complexes from the late Stone Age caused the people of Christianity to believe that giants probably inhabited the earth 'in ancient times'. For this reason, many old legends and fairy tales reported about the very giants who inhabit the forests and are buried there. This is how the term “barrow” came into being.”

Discovery after storm surge: Not the first spectacular discovery on the Baltic Sea

There are always spectacular finds on the Baltic Sea coast. In September 2023, the wreck of the German freighter “Kronos”, which presumably sank in 1923, was discovered during routine work. But even much older archaeological treasures lie dormant on the seabed. What initially appeared to be a piece of cargo probably caused the biggest stir in 2023 because it turned out to be Europe's oldest cannon.

But there have also been rare finds recently in other parts of Germany, for example a prehistoric horse was probably unearthed in the Messel pit.

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