German: LesefundEnglish translation: stray finds 
KudoZ The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators ... More  |
|
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. |
| | Clarification request(s) and responseChris Rowson (asker): 5:46pm Dec 29, 2002: Well! - I must first say I am delighted and very appreciative that so many people are taking the trouble to try and help me.
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.
|
|
| | Selected response from:
Claudia Tomaschek
Germany
| Note from asker to answererWonderful! 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 |
|
3 mins confidence:   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
Turkey
Native speaker of:  English, German
|
|
| | Login to enter a peer comment (or grade) |
11 mins confidence: |
| discovered reading materials
Explanation:
or: findings
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-12-29 16:58:18 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
variant: written findings
| | | Login to enter a peer comment (or grade) |
15 mins confidence: |
| archaeological writings
Explanation:
I'll try this on Google.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-12-29 17:00:05 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Or: archaeological inscriptions
| | | Login to enter a peer comment (or grade) |
19 mins confidence: 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=%22Stray+f...
http://www.google.de/search?q=%22Stray+finds%22+archaeology&...
Reference: http://www.jungsteinsite.de/2002_leinetal/od2/od2.htm
| | Note from asker to answerer| 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. |
|
|
| |
The translation workplace 
