Glossary entry (derived from question below)
German term or phrase:
Lesefunde
English translation:
stray finds
Added to glossary by
Chris Rowson (X)
Dec 29, 2002 16:41
21 yrs ago
3 viewers *
German term
Chris Rowson (X)
Lesefund
German to English
Art/Literary
Archaeology
Archaeology
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.
"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.
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 +3 | stray finds |
Claudia Tomaschek
|
| 4 +1 | items found on the surface and collected |
Elisabeth Ghysels
|
| 4 | archaeological writings |
Dr. Fred Thomson
|
| 4 | items to be collected / find |
Alexander Schleber (X)
|
| 3 | discovered reading materials |
Susanna & Christian Popescu
|
| 3 | archaelogical finds |
Kim Metzger
|
| 3 -1 | unearthed writings |
Klaus Dorn (X)
|
| 1 +1 | just another piece in the puzzle, Chris |
LegalTrans D
|
Proposed translations
+3
19 mins
Claudia Tomaschek
Native in German
Experience + Reliability = Quality
Native in: German
Works in: English to German, German to English
Related KudoZ points
:
4
Selected
stray finds
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...
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
--------------------------------------------------
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...
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Elisabeth Ghysels
3 mins
|
| agree |
LegalTrans D
: that sounds very much like it, Claudia.
3 mins
|
| agree |
mónica alfonso
4 hrs
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
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."
-1
3 mins
Klaus Dorn (X)
Native in German
&
English
Klaus Dorn (X)
We love languages!
Native in: English 
, German
Works in: German to English, English to German, Turkish to English, and 3 more.
View
unearthed writings
is what springs to my mind....obviously they found something in writing, most likely dug it up some place...
unearthed written sources...
unearthed written sources...
Peer comment(s):
| disagree |
Claudia Tomaschek
: Nope, it has nothing to do with reading/writing but but the term "Lese", e.g. Auslese
17 mins
|
11 mins
Susanna & Christian Popescu
Germany
Germany
Native in German
Germany
building bridges between cultures
Native in: German , Romanian
Works in: Romanian to German, German to Romanian, English to Romanian, and 11 more.
discovered reading materials
or: findings
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Note added at 2002-12-29 16:58:18 (GMT)
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variant: written findings
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Note added at 2002-12-29 16:58:18 (GMT)
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variant: written findings
15 mins
Dr. Fred Thomson
United States
United States
Native in English
United States
A lawyer, technician, nuclear power optr
Native in: English
Works in: German to English
archaeological writings
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
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Note added at 2002-12-29 17:00:05 (GMT)
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Or: archaeological inscriptions
+1
21 mins
LegalTrans D
Türkiye
Türkiye
Native in German
Türkiye
Commitment makes the best translations
Native in: German 
Works in: English to German, Persian (Farsi) to German
just another piece in the puzzle, Chris
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.
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.
+1
21 mins
items found on the surface and collected
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
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
Peer comment(s):
| 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
|
23 mins
items to be collected / find
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.
In this case agricultural patches lying in the landscape, waiting to be found.
45 mins
Kim Metzger
Mexico
Mexico
Native in English
Mexico
Committed to Quality and Service
Native in: English (Variant: US)
Works in: German to English
Related KudoZ points
:
42
archaelogical finds
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.
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:
Discussion
Kimi�s suggestion that it means archaeological finds in general makes me realise something that was sort of obvious to me after working with this text for a month, but that I hadn�t really registered:
Lesefunde are contrasted to the finds obtained by excavation and other archaeological methods.
The text talks a great deal about excavations and the results: there is just this isolated reference to Lesefunde and the two to Lesesteine.
I am sure that the stray/collection ideas are on the right track. But I am still searching for the right English term for this. Or even one I can get away with - the text is written by archaeologists, but it is for a largely lay, although very educated audience.