The 12th Ergersheim Experiment took place at the weekend of March 20 – 23, 2026.
Various participants worked on their projects. This time, there were two studies on dendrochronology and five archaeological experiments. These include:
- Logging work using jadeite axes
- Long-term study of wear marks on Neolithic narrow-height adze blades
- Comparison of the cut marks of shoe-last wedges with different cutting angles from the Linear Pottery Culture
- Comparison of growth patterns of prehistoric and modern oaks (annual growth ring measurement)
Location: 49.53733 North, 10.34552 East
Growth patterns of prehistoric and modern wood
Over the past few years, Caroline Vermeeren and Kirsti Hänninen have cut sections at regular intervals from the trunks and branches of 9, 14 and 30 year old oak trees. This year, the focus was on trees aged 19 and 24 years. The diameters and annual rings of the sections were counted. The data obtained provide insights into the growth of coppiced trees. The data collection is supplemented with data from naturally growing trees in the Netherlands and Denmark. By comparing the data from recent trees with archaeological wood, they expect to be able to determine whether trees were coppiced in the past.
Jadeite axe blade for felling trees
The experiment with flint chisels originally planned by Wulf Hein had to be cancelled after the tools intended for it were lost on their way to Denmark for microscopic analysis.
As a substitute, he tested jadeite axe blades from Monte Viso, produced using modern methods, mounted in an ash wood shaft, as suggested by the illustrations from the Breton megalithic tombs. The aim was to test the common assumption that many of these blades were ceremonial implements unsuitable for woodworking, although the properties of the stone material — such as toughness, hardness and density — would suggest otherwise. Following a fatigue fracture of the blade, which initially cut well but was likely due to a material defect, the tests were discontinued. Instead, a remaining flint chisel was tested.
Tests with jadeite axes made from better raw material and further flint chisels are to be continued next year.
Report: Wulf Hein - Ergersheim 2026
Experiments on Different Geometries of High-Narrow Neolithic Adzes
The experiment of Jan Scheide aimed to understand the cutting properties of diverse edge geometries in neolithic adzes, specifically of the high-narrow type. Four replicas of large neolithic adzes were produced for this experiment: two with a classical thick, narrow shape (Nos. 2 and 3) and two with flat, acute cutting edges (Nos. 1 and 4)..
Bericht: Jan Scheide - Schneideeigenschaften von Schuhleistenkeilen mit verschiedenen Geometrien. (German with English abstract)
