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Die Burgruine Scheidegg bei Gelterkinden
Bericht über die Forschungen 1970–74
The Scheiddegg castle ruins lie on a wooded ridge, away from the busy flow of traffic high above the municipality of Tecknau in the upper reaches of the Ergolz Valley. Under the leadership of the Archaeology Department of Canton Basel-Landschaft, the ruin was examined in 1970–74. Based on the identifiable small finds, the construction of the castle can be dated to between 1220 and 1230. It was destroyed by a (naturally occurring) conflagration around 1320, as attested to by both a massive layer of burnt rubble and an assemblage of finds from every area of the castle inhabitants’ lives. A remarkable discovery was the skeletal remains of seven horses, which probably succumbed to the flames. From an architectural perspective, the castle’s most striking features were a large residential tower, which was reinforced by a round pillar at each corner, and a castle courtyard with a substantial filter cistern.
