From Prosperity to Oblivion: The Slavic Settlement at Gaarz in Ostholstein

Abstract

On several occasions during the 20th c. archaeological finds were brought to light at Gaarz. A great part of the finds from this site in Ostholstein (Germany) hints at a Slavic settlement there. During surveys with the metal detector from the year 2012 onwards, a steadily growing mass of metal finds was uncovered. Some of these are of high quality and attest to wealth which exceeds the scope of merely rural settlements. In this paper some of the archaeological material is presented and the function of this “new” site in the vicinity of the central place of Starigard/Oldenburg is discussed.