Project Details
Projekt
SP2: Enveloping the drowned medieval cultural landscape of the North Frisian Wadden Sea
Applicants
Professor Dr. Sebastian Krastel; Dr. Dennis Wilken
Subject Area
Physical Geography
Prehistory and World Archaeology
Prehistory and World Archaeology
Term
since 2025
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 541064351
Within the RU 5837 (TORF), sub-project SP2 Geophysics focuses on the geophysical prospection of the drowned medieval cultural landscape of the North Frisian Wadden Sea to investigate the complex medieval human-environment interactions in the region as well as their relation to major land losses during storm surges. Within the subproject, we will extend our so called ‘type case prospection approach’ beyond the key region of the medieval settlement Rungholt in the administrative district Edomsharde, which was extensively investigated so far, acting as model for the development of the prospection approach. We will develop and apply an integrated geophysical prospection concept that crosses scales by connecting regional stratigraphy and coastal protection measures with local settlement structures. It thereby deals with several overarching research questions of the research unit, including the actual extent and appearance of the medieval coastal and cultural landscape before and after the 1362 AD storm surge. With the help of land-based geophysical methods, other medieval administrative districts and their settlements will be targeted in order to broaden the view of the project and to better understand the interactions between man and environment in medieval North Frisia. This includes three main areas of investigation, hosting key settlement and salt production sites. The medieval dike and therefore the outer boundaries of the former polder (‘Koog’) areas of North Frisia are to be recorded and reconstructed by means of geophysical and geo-mechanical data. Changes in dyke constructions as well as general settlement patterns are investigated to develop a model of the “cultural landscape from the sea”. The data collected here will provide a basis for creating a spatio-temporal palaeo-geographical reconstruction of the natural and cultural landscape before and after the Grote Mandränke in 1362 AD. The latter includes regional and local stratigraphic cross-sections based on seismic reflection data which can act as a supra-regional connection of different settlement sites along the coast to overcome the spatio-temporal patchwork of past efforts on reconstructing North Frisia’s (cultural) landscape. SP2 Geophysics thereby contributes to the overall TORF objective to understand the repeated rise and failure of human efforts to secure resources, expand settlement activities or fight against land loss in a unique coastal environment. Finally, SP2 contributes to the knowledge on the cultural and natural heritage of the Wadden Sea region and to raise public awareness against coastal risks.
DFG Programme
Research Units
