Archaeologists have recently discovered a tomb from the Iron Age filled with valuable treasures made of gold, bronze, and amber. The tomb had been undisturbed for nearly 2,600 years before being uncovered by the Daube River.
The lavish collection of precious items adorned and surrounded the remains of a woman estimated to have passed away between the ages of 30 and 40. This suggests that she held a high status in Celtic society, as she was buried in an ancient southern German hill fort named Heuneburg in 583 B.C., according to researchers.
In addition to the opulent grave goods, the discovery of a fossilized sea urchin and ammonite in the burial site is intriguing. This led the study’s lead researcher, Dirk Krausse, the archaeologist for the German state of Baden-Württemberg, to propose that the woman may have been some kind of priestess.
Numerous graves surrounding the woman’s burial chamber had been previously looted over time, with tunneling looters facilitating the plundering process. The newly found grave is exceptional as it is the first intact central grave from the early sixth century in Heuneburg that was not looted in ancient times, as mentioned by Krausse.
Heuneburg, a prehistoric hill fort near the Danube River, has been known for centuries. Believed to have been established in the sixth century B.C., the Celtic city-state was allegedly mentioned by the famous Greek philosopher Herodotus. However, it was not until 1950 that researchers began more extensive excavations at the site situated just north of the Alps.
In 2005, archaeologist Siegfried Kurz found a golden brooch in a plowed field, which led to the discovery of a burial site containing a young child and a larger grave with a burial chamber made of timber in the Bettelbühl necropolis area. Concerned about potential damage from agricultural activity, the researchers excavated the entire 88-ton section, known as Keltenblock, in 2010 and transported it to the laboratories at the archaeological state office of Baden-Württemberg.
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In December 2010, archaeologists uncovered a remarkable discovery at the 88-ton Keltenblock. The excavation revealed a vast array of golden treasures within the grave, including intricate jewelry crafted from amber, gold, and bronze, along with heaps of luxurious furs and textiles. Among the finds were a unique ornament made from boar’s horns and bronze jingle bells, likely worn on a horse’s chest, as well as carved boxwood artifacts, bracelets sculpted from black stone, and a belt crafted from bronze and leather.
The mounted boar tusks are decorated with two bronze strips and bronze pendants. If these ornaments were placed on a horse’s chest, the pendants would have made a jingling sound as the horse moved. The jewelry and belt covered the 5-foot-3-inch tall skeleton of a high-status woman. In contrast, the skeleton of a smaller woman, likely a servant, was found in the same chamber buried with just a few bronze pieces. Nearby, a bronze sheet decorated with circles and a CT scan revealing the remains of an iron horse bit suggested it may have been a chamfron, a piece protecting a horse’s forehead.
This discovery of the chamfron in Heuneburg is significant as it is the first of its kind in the area and only the second known north of the Alps from that period. The presence of both the chamfron and the boar tusk ornaments in the tomb indicates a strong connection the elite woman had with horses. The chamber was lined with oak and silver fir planks, and the analysis of tree rings dated them back to the fall of 583 B.C., firmly placing the grave within the Hallstatt culture, the researchers concluded.
The ancient timbers found in the grave remained soaked in water for over 2,600 years, a rare occurrence for wood to survive such a long time. The grave’s contents endured due to the Daube River flooding regularly, with clay in the surrounding soil keeping the water inside the burial site. Just like the ocean preserves a wooden shipwreck, the river preserved the timbers and most of the grave’s organic contents, except for textiles, furs, and some metal objects.
The surviving objects in the grave provide valuable insights into the past. The elite woman’s jewelry resembles that of a young girl’s grave discovered nearby in 2005, suggesting they were buried during the same period. The style of the elite woman’s jewelry and adornments is similar to cultures south of the Alps, including Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and Sicily. The gold filigree found in the grave was likely crafted in Heuneburg, showing influences from southern Alpine cultures.
This newly discovered grave highlights the connections between the region south of the Alps and the Daube River city, revealing a closer relationship and more interactions than previously thought. The findings were published in the journal Antiquity.
Note: The article has been updated to correct the attribution of the 2005 grave discovery to archaeologist Siegfried Kurz and his team, clarifying that it was not the farmer who discovered the brooch in the field.
