Heuneburg Archaeology Site: http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=6335824
"The Heuneburg on the upper Danube is one of
the best-researched ‘princely seats’ of early Celtic times. Over 150 years, from the late 7th
to the 5th century BC, it was the site of a center of power of
paramount importance. In its heyday, it
was protected by a fortification unique north of the Alps: a mud-brick wall of Mediterranean design. Especially given the large size of the
settlement, its planned layout and the numerous imports from the Mediterranean
region, it is quite conceivable to assume that the Heuneburg might be the city
of Pyrene mentioned by the Greek
historian Herodotus. "
"The sight of the Heuneburg hillfort must have
been impressive, particularly the whitewashed mud-brick wall with its
protruding bastions. The fortifications
of the settlement demonstrated the power and prestige of its ruling elite. Together with the moat system surrounding
them, they served to both protect and defend.
We know today that these defenses were necessary because of several
layers which testify to large-scale fires that were presumably the result of
armed conflicts. While the steep slopes
descending towards the Danube constituted a natural protection on one side of
the hillfort, the mud-brick wall was reinforced with bastions on the other,
less protected side. From there, and
also through the narrow arrow slits in the roofed battlements, the entire
grounds could be overlooked and defended from attackers."
"Hardly any early Celtic Center provides
better evidence of specialized artisanship than the Heuneburg. In the period of the mud-brick wall (600 –
530 BC), there was a craftsmen’s quarter in the southeastern corner of the hillfort
plateau where mainly bronze casters had their workshops. Other artisans produced jewelry made of
amber, coral, bone or jet."
"Starting
about 500 BC (after destruction of the mud-brick wall), craftsmen and artisans
tended to operate mainly in the densely populated areas outside the bailey area
in the so-called lower town. Some types
of brooches found here are so numerous that one can assume they were
manufactured locally."
"The Heuneburg site experienced its first
heyday with the construction of the mud-brick wall around 600 BC and soon rose
to become one of the most important centers of power in the early Celtic
world. The plateau was densely populated
and had a regular, almost urban layout.
Below the inner fortification was the fortified bailey, and a huge outer
settlement extended outside the gates."
"After
a devastating fire around 530 BC, the settlement structure changed
fundamentally. Four large burial mounds
were raised in the area of the cleared outer settlement, and the bud-brick wall
was replaced by a traditional wood and earth wall. At this time, the population of the plateau
was much less dense. Archaeologists note
the presence of several large buildings.
Before 450 BC, another major fire marked the end of this early Celtic
central place."
Display below shows the strata at Heuneburg, with characteristic pottery and brooch styles
"The Heuneburg ‘princely seat’ did not consist
only of the settlement itself and its imposing ramparts. The area surrounding the hill fort was also
an important part of the site.
Monumental burial mounds in direct view of the actual hill fort stood
out in the landscape, reflecting the ruling elite’s status and claim to power
outside the ramparts. 4954: just outside the Heuneburg, four large burial
mounds were erected around 530 BC at the site of the outer settlement that had
been destroyed by a fire a short time before.
Those buried here must have held a special position within the ruling
elite of the Heuneburg. The magnificent
grave goods salvaged during the excavation of the mound 1867/77 bear witness to
this assumption: as many as four tombs
contained the special status symbol of the early Celtic male elite, the gold
torc. On the basis of these spectacular
grave finds the then state officer for cultural heritage Eduard Paulus spoke of
princely burial sites, and for the first time he postulated a connection with
the Heuneburg as the place of residence of those buried here. It was then that the terms ‘princely burial’
and ‘princely seats’ were born."
Below displays of gold torc necklace from Heuneburg tombs
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