Archaeology Magazine - November/December 1987 - 25

clear reason is that the cone of the
Hohenasperg is visible on a direct
sight line- as are all of the other great
mounds which surround the mountain. The mound itself was constructed
an intermittent ring of stones turned
in clear stages that began with the
up by a plow, the Hochdorf mound
simple marking of the circumference
had an original elevation of seven
with a row of stones. Clearly, the
meters. When our excavation began,
preparation of the main grave shaft,
however, this had been reduced to
which measures 11 by 11 meters and
a maximun height of 1.5 meters, and
goes down as much as 2.5 meters,
about one-third of the mound had
went on as parts of the mound itself
already eroded below the Celtic surwere being built. As the shaft was
face. While this erosion involved the
excavated, the earth from it was pulled
loss of structural features, it made
This bronze kettle ornamented with lions,
in concentric rings around the
the
earth removal considerably easier. But up
largest bronze lions known from
shaft, though radial passageways
this period , was probably a political
the work was complicated by the
were left free for the movement of
present . Height , 80 centimeters .
presence of a very dense and wellthe workers.
preserved Stone Age settlement in
On the north side of the developing were secured with a huge stone fill
the area of the mound, which was
mound, a ramp-like access was built
weighing roughly 50 tons. The deabout 3,000 years older than the
above the pit, and a wall made of dry- ceased man lay secured as if in a safe.
mound itself. This settlement was
As it happened, however, the great
set stone blocks was constructed to
excavated in 1979.
form an entrance with a width of nine
weight on the flat chamber ceiling,
Why was the Celtic mound conmeters. The wall itself was 1.2 meters which was 22 square meters, caused
structed exactly on this location? One
it to collapse very soon after the burial,
high and 2.5 meters wide. Two stone
at a time when the body had not yet
to
the
center
settings pointed radially
of the mound. We surmise that the
completely decomposed.
Additional precautions were taken
deceased was brought to the grave
to secure this grave against intruthrough this stone setting or "show
sion. Once the two inner chambers had
front" at the time of the funeral.
been secured with stones, they were
The actual burial chamber was a
covered with sods of grass cut in the
complex structure located inside the
shaft- one that is unique among
vicinity. Likewise, the entrance was
covered with stones, and eight meters
Celtic
mounds.
It
conEarly
grave
inside of the "show front," another
sisted of two structures, one within
stone wall was built for a short stretch
the other. The outer one was built
of
oak
beams.
Its
dimensions
atop some of the mound material
largely
were 7.5 by 7.4 meters and it was
which had already been piled up.
The final construction details are
two meters deep. Within this structure
worth mentioning. The first is that
was the burial chamber proper, dug
in slightly deeper, and measuring 4.7
workshop debris was swept up and
meters on a side, and one meter deep. incorporated into the mound as it
was built. This debris includes wood
Remarkable precautions were
taken to seal both of these inner cham- chips from cutting the oak beams.
Even more significantly, it includes
bers against possible grave looters.
the residues of several types of metal
After all of the grave hangings and
workshops- bronze, gold and iron
furnishings were put in place, both
-and gives telling evidence that a
the grave itself and the space between
the outer and inner wooden chamber
significant proportion of the gold and
worked metal which was found among
One of the female figures from the
reclining throne demonstrates the superb the grave goods was produced on
the spot. There was also a great deal
craftsmanship of these unusual objects .
of charcoal together with parts of
Heighty 32 centimeters .

Textile samples from the burial

1987
November/December

Archaeology Magazine - November/December 1987

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