Archaeology of the Slavic period in northern Germany

In the north-eastern part of Germany, between the Rivers Elbe and Oder, Slavic societies settled from the 7th to the 12th century AD. The last decades of archaeological research on Slavic sites of this period shed light on different features and brought outstanding finds to light. More than 600 Slavic fortresses are known in the eastern part of Germany. Only a few have been excavated so far. Close to the coast of the Baltic Sea, maritime trading centres developed under Scandinavian influences. The article gives an overview of results of archaeological fieldwork. In the second part, the focus is on the important and well-known fortress Starigard/Oldenburg, situated in Schleswig-Holstein. The chronicler Adam of Bremen wrote that one had to board a ship there if one wanted to travel by sea to Wollin in the Oder estuary. Starigard was the seat of the ruling princes of the Wagri and the site of the first bishopric in the area of the Obodrites. The location of the fortress and Adam of Bremen’s information were factors in spotting a maritime trading centre in Starigard/Oldenburg as well. In the eastern area of the rampart, a princely court was excavated. Three phases of a hall could be identified. Phases four and five were interpreted as churches because a lot of graves are situated inside and along the southern wall. Church and cemetery were destroyed in a fire disaster, which could be associated with the Slav uprising of 983 AD and with which the first bishopric phase ended. At about this point inside the church, where the altar once stood, there was a 2-m stone plinth containing a posthole. A figure of a god was presumably set in it. Finds proved the practice of both Christian and pagan religious activities. Others are examples of the function of Starigard as an important hub in a maritime trading network. New research is planned for the future.