Württemburg State Museum

 A return visit to the fascinating Landesmuseum in Stuttgart, one of the best collections of Celtic burial artifacts.

The first photo is a statue of a Celtic warrior; the second is from the 12-1300's; it is not known whether it represents a Celtic man, a priest of the Middle Ages, or Christ.

                

In ancient times, what is today Baden-Württemberg formed part of the heartland of Celtic culture.  The Celts are connected with the later part of the Iron Age, the La Tene culture 400 BC to 0.  Their roots lie in the Hallstatt culture that came before 800 - 500 BC.  Beginning around 600 BC, southwest Germany saw the establishment of fortified central settlements, the surrounding lands of which were used by the elite for grand interments beneath burial mounds.  

The early Celtic elite was part of a European network where goods were exchanged over thousands of kilometers.  As early as seventh century BCE, a route opened up along the Rhone, Stone, the Rhine and its tributaries in southwestern Germany.  The Danube was the central east-west axis of this network. 

Examination of the map below shows that the river Neckar flows north into the Rhine but has its headwaters just a few miles from where the Danube/Donau begins.  The area around Stuttgart was connected to two of the major river corridors of Europe.  It was a seat of Celtic settlement and culture and burial mounds.