Exciting finds in Krefeld: Nine graves from the late Bronze Age discovered!

Exciting finds in Krefeld: Nine graves from the late Bronze Age discovered!

On February 2, 2025, a remarkable archaeological discovery from the late Bronze Age (1100 to 800 BC) was made in Krefeld. Dr. Hans-Peter Schletter, the city archeologist von Krefeld, commented on the discovery of several hill tombs on the site of the new fire station in Gellep-Stratum, which is of great importance for the region. Such finds are extremely rare in Krefeld, which underlines the importance of this discovery.

A total of nine graves were located in a burial ground for the excavations. This includes four additional graves that were not previously documented. The remnants of the urns from these graves are remarkably well preserved and show a notch cut pattern that was filled with a white paste made of grinded lime or bone. This type of decoration corresponds to the typical features of the Lower Rhine Graving Hilling Culture (1200 to 800 BC), which are characterized by special vascular forms and fire burials.

Details about the finds

The graves not only contain urns, but also several additives that indicate the wealth of the burials. Restorer Eileen Wolff is currently busy reconstructing one of the finds. However, it should be noted that the ceramic is very sensitive due to the low fire and has broken into numerous fragments. The urn residues were only discovered just under a meter below the surface, which indicates that earlier construction activities may have led to the loss of some graves.

The attitude of the urns in hill tombs was common in the region and at the same time served as landmarks in the lowlands. Researchers have also found indications of “urn stitches” in the 19th century, which indicates earlier interventions in the graves. Dr. Christoph Reichmann researched written evidence of these activities that offer an additional context of the current finds.

cultural importance

The Lower Rhine burial hill culture from which the finds come is known for its typical grave facilities, which are characterized by burial mounds with double district ditch and keyhole moat. Compared to the urn field culture and the Nordic Bronze Age, it shows specific differences in the funeral rites. The largest known burial ground in Westphalia, Borken-Hoxfeld, comprises 431 fire burials and is an example of the dense burial culture in the region.

On February 3, Dr. Sletters at the conference "Archeology in the Rhineland" in Bonn report on the valuable discoveries and highlight the importance of these graves for understanding the archaeological and cultural history of the region. These finds in Krefeld are not only archaeological, but also culturally of considerable importance and offer valuable insights into the burial practices of the past.