Lesefund

English translation: stray finds

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:Lesefunde
English translation:stray finds
Entered by: Chris Rowson (X)

16:41 Dec 29, 2002
German to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Archaeology / Archaeology
German term or phrase: Lesefund
This is sort of a sister question to my recent "Lesestein" question, which is still open because I still don´t know what to do with it. But now I have come across this other expression in the same text:

"Der Vicus des Kastells, der sich wohl vornehmlich südlich erstreckte, liegt heute in landwirtschaftlich genutztem Areal, wie Lesefunde belegen."

The wider context, is, as ever, the Upper German/Raetian limes. This is concerned with the civilian settlement associated with one of the forts (vicus is Latin, roughly = village). They haven´t exactly located the vicus, but the Lesefunde suggest it was to the south of the fort.

I get much better Google references for Lesefund than for Lesestein, but still no translation. From the various indications available so far (including the contributions on Lesestein, for which much thanks), it seems to relate to gathering or collecting. One reference, which has a strongly grave-oriented context classifies all finds into Grabfinde and Lesefinde. But that doesn´t apply to my context, there´s hardly a grave in sight.

I tried Googling various combinations of "archaeology" "types of find" "collected finds" etc., but I still don´t get it.

I can´t find the find.
Chris Rowson (X)
Local time: 02:44
stray finds
Explanation:
Besides the same linguistic background Lesefunde have not much to do with "lesen = reading" but they denote just stray finds of pottery or other small items (see link).

I'll keep looking if I find anything else.

Cheers
Claudia

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Note added at 2002-12-29 17:19:30 (GMT)
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Here are 3 other links about \"Lesefunde\": http://www.netzspecht.de/Hilpoltstein.html
http://www.pauliny-toth.com/adv/Home/Archaeologie/Grabungste...
http://www.uni-tuebingen.de/CASTELLINA/glossar.htm

And finally an English link with \"stray finds\" in the given context: http://www.lls.se/~fischer/bronze.htm

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Note added at 2002-12-29 17:49:11 (GMT)
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Just a few words to the linguistic context. Both Lesestein and Lesefund have the origin \"auflesen\", which means roughly \"to pick up\", however in the case of \"Lesesteine\" they are just stones that have been picked up (and maybe piled). (see link: http://www.envf.port.ac.uk/geo/research/carningli/archaeolog... I\'m not even sure that there is a distinctive word for \"Lesestein\", as all the references I found only used \"stones\". Lesefund however is an archological find that has been found on a field but without a reliable origin, e.g. if it was found on the site of a prehistoric dump.

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Note added at 2002-12-29 17:53:34 (GMT)
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\"Stray finds\" is the correct term. Just search goolge for \"Stray finds\" and prehistoric or archaeology.

http://www.google.de/search?hl=de&ie=ISO-8859-1&q="Stray fin...

http://www.google.de/search?q="Stray finds" archaeology&hl=d...
Selected response from:

Claudia Tomaschek
Local time: 02:44
Grading comment
Wonderful! Thank you all, but particularly Claudia. Iw oudl give you 40 points for this if I could. I am now completely convinced that "stray finds" and "Lesefunde" are exactly equivalent. I didn´t believe it when I first looked at that reference, but Googling on Archaeology + "stray finds" really tells the story - they are corresponding technical terms.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +3stray finds
Claudia Tomaschek
4 +1items found on the surface and collected
Elisabeth Ghysels
4archaeological writings
Dr. Fred Thomson
4items to be collected / find
Alexander Schleber (X)
3discovered reading materials
Susanna & Christian Popescu
3archaelogical finds
Kim Metzger
3 -1unearthed writings
Klaus Dorn (X)
1 +1just another piece in the puzzle, Chris
LegalTrans D


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -1
unearthed writings


Explanation:
is what springs to my mind....obviously they found something in writing, most likely dug it up some place...

unearthed written sources...

Klaus Dorn (X)
Local time: 04:44
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Claudia Tomaschek: Nope, it has nothing to do with reading/writing but but the term "Lese", e.g. Auslese
17 mins
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11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
discovered reading materials


Explanation:
or: findings

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Note added at 2002-12-29 16:58:18 (GMT)
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variant: written findings

Susanna & Christian Popescu
Germany
Local time: 02:44
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in RomanianRomanian
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15 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
archaeological writings


Explanation:
I'll try this on Google.

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Note added at 2002-12-29 17:00:05 (GMT)
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Or: archaeological inscriptions

Dr. Fred Thomson
United States
Local time: 19:44
Native speaker of: English
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19 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
stray finds


Explanation:
Besides the same linguistic background Lesefunde have not much to do with "lesen = reading" but they denote just stray finds of pottery or other small items (see link).

I'll keep looking if I find anything else.

Cheers
Claudia

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-12-29 17:19:30 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Here are 3 other links about \"Lesefunde\": http://www.netzspecht.de/Hilpoltstein.html
http://www.pauliny-toth.com/adv/Home/Archaeologie/Grabungste...
http://www.uni-tuebingen.de/CASTELLINA/glossar.htm

And finally an English link with \"stray finds\" in the given context: http://www.lls.se/~fischer/bronze.htm

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-12-29 17:49:11 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Just a few words to the linguistic context. Both Lesestein and Lesefund have the origin \"auflesen\", which means roughly \"to pick up\", however in the case of \"Lesesteine\" they are just stones that have been picked up (and maybe piled). (see link: http://www.envf.port.ac.uk/geo/research/carningli/archaeolog... I\'m not even sure that there is a distinctive word for \"Lesestein\", as all the references I found only used \"stones\". Lesefund however is an archological find that has been found on a field but without a reliable origin, e.g. if it was found on the site of a prehistoric dump.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-12-29 17:53:34 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

\"Stray finds\" is the correct term. Just search goolge for \"Stray finds\" and prehistoric or archaeology.

http://www.google.de/search?hl=de&ie=ISO-8859-1&q="Stray fin...

http://www.google.de/search?q="Stray finds" archaeology&hl=d...



    Reference: http://www.jungsteinsite.de/2002_leinetal/od2/od2.htm
Claudia Tomaschek
Local time: 02:44
Native speaker of: German
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Wonderful! Thank you all, but particularly Claudia. Iw oudl give you 40 points for this if I could. I am now completely convinced that "stray finds" and "Lesefunde" are exactly equivalent. I didn´t believe it when I first looked at that reference, but Googling on Archaeology + "stray finds" really tells the story - they are corresponding technical terms.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Elisabeth Ghysels
3 mins

agree  LegalTrans D: that sounds very much like it, Claudia.
3 mins

agree  mónica alfonso
4 hrs
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21 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 1/5Answerer confidence 1/5 peer agreement (net): +1
just another piece in the puzzle, Chris


Explanation:
but I found an excavation dictionary (not terribly useful) that gave a translation of "Lesesteinhaufen" -- (field) clearance cairn.

Whatever you want to do with THAT...

It appears to me that the root of the "Lese" part of these two words relates to "auflesen" in the sense of "sammeln"...IOW, these are finds that either (a) have been collected in one location before they were found, or (b) that were found by accident, not by digging, i.e. they were on or close to the soil surface and could be picked like berries.

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Note added at 2002-12-29 17:04:02 (GMT)
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or (c) as Claudia rightly points out, they were stray finds.

LegalTrans D
Türkiye
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Elisabeth Ghysels
7 mins
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21 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
items found on the surface and collected


Explanation:
A review of the "numerous "Lesefunde" in Google makes very clear, that here again, as with the "Lesestein", lesen has nothing to do with reading, but with auflesen = collecting. Lesefunde differ from others in the sence, that they are not the product of purposeful digging, but of more or less accidental collecting from (+/-) the surface.
Greetings,

Nikolaus

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Note added at 2002-12-29 17:06:14 (GMT)
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sorry, senSe, not sence, of course

Elisabeth Ghysels
Local time: 02:44

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  LegalTrans D: We did seem to have the same idea, Elisabeth/Nikolaus (which one?)!
3 mins
  -> thanks; it's Nikolaus now (it usually is, because I typically sit at the PC much of the evening; but it's Elisabeth in most Slavic questions). Greetings, Nikolaus
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23 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
items to be collected / find


Explanation:
I think they may mean with "Lese" "auflesen". Also with Lesestein. A stone to be picked up and added to a collection.

In this case agricultural patches lying in the landscape, waiting to be found.

Alexander Schleber (X)
Belgium
Local time: 02:44
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in EnglishEnglish
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45 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
archaelogical finds


Explanation:
As proven by arch. finds data.

The study, that concerns the territory of 15 towns, is only a sample of a largest research: it compares the total excavations in the area with the quantity of the missing archaelogical finds.
Two considerations are pointed out: differentiation among the territories and necessity to coordinate the protection of the sites with double purpouse to restore and record the archaelogical sites.



    Reference: http://www.endoxa.it/pisani-dossi/sum15.htm
Kim Metzger
Mexico
Local time: 19:44
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 42
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