Micromorphological investigations on the sediment-fill of an early Neolithic well in Northwestern-Saxony, Germany

Abstract

Within Neolithic settlements in Central Europe most sediments have been preserved in pits and trenches. Wells as deep pits provide a large set of information about their construction, usage and backfill history. Seven wells were discovered close to a Linear Pottery Culture (german: Linienbandkeramik = LBK) settlement 15 km south of the city of Leipzig (Germany). For the excavation of a rather small and less sophisticated well construction archaeological methods were complemented by micromorphological analyses of the sediments within the well to gain more detailed information about its backfill history. By the help of thin section analysis, it was possible to draw a distinction between different sedimentation processes. The method helped to identify desiccation phases and events of sediment inflow into the wells case. Moreover, we were able to obtain indications that the well was probably not used for drinking water extraction but for other domestic purposes requiring water.