The archaeological highlights of the past year include impressive finds such as lead ingots weighing almost 50 kilograms and medieval castle towers. The Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe (LWL) has published a new publication entitled \u2018Archaeology in Westphalia-Lippe 2023\u2019. This work shows the variety of research methods used to investigate Westphalia’s palaeontological and archaeological past. In over 70 articles, 103 authors report on current research results from archaeology and palaeontology and also provide a review of the exhibitions in 2023. The topics range from mammals from the Lower Cretaceous period to finds from large Iron Age burial grounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since 2010, the number of excavations has increased fivefold. The support of volunteer and licensed explorers in particular plays a crucial role, as many finds would go undiscovered or be destroyed before they are secured without their involvement. \u2018In order to meet these challenges, we have set up the new \u2018Sondengehen und Magnetangeln\u2019 department,\u2019 explains the Director of LWL Archaeology. 2023 was a particularly busy year for the LWL Archaeology of Westphalia – characterised by projects, excavations and exhibitions. \u2018At the same time, it provided ample opportunity to familiarise ourselves with the new Monument Protection Act in North Rhine-Westphalia,\u2019 emphasises Chief Archaeologist Prof. Dr Michael Rind. With 281 excavations, LWL Archaeology set a new record in 2023. Excavations in connection with the construction of wind farms and solar plants in particular contributed significantly to the workload, according to Rind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cross-border cooperation has also been strengthened: as part of an EU project, scientists from the Netherlands and Westphalia are jointly investigating a culture from the Stone Age. \u2018Projects of this kind are a great opportunity to raise people’s awareness of the shared identity and history in the border region,\u2019 explains Dr Aurelia Dickers, Chairwoman of the LWL Antiquities Commission for Westphalia. She also emphasises the importance of cooperation – be it with committed citizens, experts or at a supra-regional level. With the help of citizen science, for example, it was possible to better reconstruct the structure of a megalithic tomb and realise a small exhibition on the subject.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The archaeological highlights of the past year include impressive finds such as lead ingots weighing almost 50 kilograms and medieval castle towers. The Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe (LWL) has published a new publication entitled \u2018Archaeology in Westphalia-Lippe 2023\u2019. This work shows the variety of research methods used to investigate Westphalia’s palaeontological and archaeological past. In over 70 […]\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5773,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[239],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9879","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en"],"yoast_head":"\n