Dünsberg is a

hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit. Terminology The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally considered to be not a ...

slightly northwest of

Gießen Giessen, spelled Gießen in German (), is a town in the German state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of both the district of Giessen and the administrative region of Giessen. The population is approximately 90,000, with roughly 37,000 univers ...

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Dar ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. At 498 meters in height, it is the highest mountain in the Gießen and

Wetzlar Wetzlar () is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany. It is the twelfth largest city in Hesse with currently 55,371 inhabitants at the beginning of 2019 (including second homes). As an important cultural, industrial and commercial center, the un ...

area. On the southern slope of the hill, grave mounds were found from the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several p ...

and the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

. Fortification systems of the hill are detectable from the Urnfield period (8th century BC). The outer ramparts of the hillfort had 14 gates. The Celtic settlement (

oppidum An ''oppidum'' (plural ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread across Europe, stretchi ...

) reached its height during the La Tene period (about the 3rd century BC).

Gallery

File:Ringwallanlage Dünsberg Digitales Geländemodell.jpg, Dünsberg topography File:Keltisches Oppidum Dünsberg, Hinweisschild Tor 7.jpg, Dünsberg hillfort information board File:Keltengehöft Dünsberg.jpg, Reconstruction of Celtic buildings File:Kunstweg Dünsberg - Skulptur 1 (002).jpg, Dünsberg hillfort gate and sculpture, reconstruction File:Duensberg Giessen 2002-03-28.JPG, Dünsberg hillfort rampart remains

External links

* Hills of Hesse Hills of the Gladenbach Uplands {{Hesse-geo-stub