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Stone box

Stone box
Burial site from the Neolithic period around 3000 BC. With the introduction of agriculture and animal husbandry, a sedentary way of life began in the Neolithic period. The treatment of the dead also changed. From then on, burials took place either in simple earth graves or in specially constructed earth mounds with stone chambers. Remains of such a stone chamber were discovered in 1902 by woodcutters in the Hohes Holz hiking area near Teterow. The stone chamber was surrounded by a mound 18 m long and 7 m wide. The chamber's capstone was already missing. Shards of clay vessels were found during the investigation. In 2004, the site was scientifically re-examined and restored. The exact position of the stones could be determined on the basis of the traces left behind. The entrance to the chamber, which was only 80 x 100 cm wide, was via a flat stone at the western end that is missing today. This allowed the bones of the deceased to be laid there.

Teterow stone cist - a tomb from the Neolithic Age

In the Hohes Holz hiking area near Teterow lies one of the most remarkable archaeological sites in Mecklenburg: the stone cist, an approximately 5,000-year-old burial site from the Neolithic period. Discovered by woodcutters in 1902, the stone chamber was once surrounded by a mound of earth 18 meters long and 7 meters wide. Like many similar megalithic sites in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - for example on Rügen or in the hinterland of the Baltic Sea coast - it bears witness to the profound cultural change that accompanied the sedentary way of life.

Burial culture of the Neolithic period in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

With the advent of agriculture and animal husbandry, the way in which the dead were treated changed fundamentally. Instead of nomadic life and simple earth burials, elaborate stone burial chambers now emerged. In the stone cist near Teterow, the deceased entered the chamber, which was only 80 × 100 centimetres narrow, through a flat entrance stone at the western end. During a scientific investigation, shards of clay vessels were recovered, providing insights into the everyday culture of the people of that time.

Scientific investigation and restoration in 2004

In 2004, the site was once again archaeologically investigated and then carefully restored. The exact original position of the stones was reconstructed on the basis of footprints in the ground. Today, the stone cist in Hoher Holz near Teterow is accessible as an archaeological monument and invites visitors on an educational excursion into the early history of the region - ideal for combining with a visit to the historic old town of Teterow or a trip to the nearby Mecklenburg Lake District.