The Archaeological Investigation of Two Battles and an Engagement in North Germany from the 19th Century: A Summary of Work Carried Out at Idstedt,Grossbeeren and Lauenburg

Abstract

During the last decade, several sub-areas of the two North German battlefields of Großbeeren (1813) and Idstedt (1850) as well as of the site of the Engagement of Lauenburg (1813) have been examined archaeologically using metal-detectors. In each case, metal artefacts that definitely derive from the historical events were recovered in varying numbers. By interpreting the distributions of the finds on the surveyed sub-areas and comparing the results obtained thereby with the information provided by the respective historical sources, it was possible to verify the latter archaeologically. To some extent, the results of the examinations also offered new details e.g. regarding the course of the fighting or locations of main combatareas that had been forgotten in the time after the fighting had ended.