The Heunischenburg is a stone

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

of the late

Urnfield period The Urnfield culture ( 1300 BC – 750 BC) was a late Bronze Age Europe, Bronze Age culture of Central Europe, often divided into several local cultures within a broader Urnfield tradition. The name comes from the custom of cremat ...

near the Upper Franconian town of Kronach in

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 ...

. Its heyday was in the 9th century BC, making it the oldest stone fortification north of the Alps that is known and

archaeologically Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

investigated.Haller, Micho (2018). "Der erste Oberfranke war Neandertaler" in ''ECHT Oberfranken'', Issue 45.

Topographical situation

The fort is located on a 486-metre-high hill spur of the Wolfsberg, between the Kronach quarter of Gehülz and the village of Burgstall ( Mitwitz). The fort probably guarded a copper and tin trading route in the

Fichtel Mountains The Fichtel MountainsRandlesome, C. et al. (2011). ''Business Cultures in Europe'', 2nd ed., Routledge, Abingdon and New York, p. 52. . (german: Fichtelgebirge, cs, Smrčiny), form a small horseshoe-shaped mountain range in northeastern Bavaria ...

. While a mighty, 110-metre-long rampart protected the vulnerable eastern flank of the military camp, on the other sides the steeply sloping sides of the spur offer a natural protection that was reinforced by a wooden

palisade A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a fence or defensive wall made from iron or wooden stakes, or tree trunks, and used as a defensive structure or enclosure. Palisades can form a stockade. Etymology ''Palisade' ...

. The typical features of a

pincer gate A pincer gate (german: Zangentor) is a gate in a fortification that is deeply embedded between two inward angled exterior walls. Those wishing to enter the fort have to approach what is in effect a sunken road and, if hostile, can be attacked fro ...

and sally port suggest a late Mycenaean influence, so that contacts to the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

civilisation can be assumed. The strong, but small fort and the many weapons found distinguish the Heunischenburg clearly from the great centres of settlement of the late

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 pri ...

Name

Two meanings have been proposed: # the term ''Heunen'' could refer to a grey, legendary thing from an earlier time. # the root word ''Heunen'' (''Hünen'' = "giant") could refer to legendary giant builders of the fortification imagined by the people of the Middle Ages.

History

Excavations indicate three periods of settlement: * In the first period (10th century BC) the Heunischenburg was constructed as a palisaded fortification. * In the second period (10th century BC) the defences were reinforced with a sandstone wall that probably burned down during a battle. * In the third period (9th century) the Heunischenburg was expanded into a strong hillfort. The northeastern flank was guarded by a 2.6-metre-wide, 3.5-metre-high and 110-metre long wall made of sandstone. This was in turn protected by a 3.5-metre-wide berm and a shallow ditch The wall on the inner side of the pincer gateway is only of single-leaf construction. The outer wall either side of the gateway approach on the hillside, was 2 metres wide and continued as a 55-metre-long wooden defensive breastwork. This probably enclosed the entire site. The gateway had a 1-metre-wide portal at the rear with a projecting wooden tower.

Excavations

The archaeological dating of the site is based on numerous bronze finds, about 70 per cent of which are weapons. There are also needles, rings, razors, decorative discs, fragments of wrought lead, pieces of swords, lance points and arrowheads. Because many arrowheads were found that had not been deburred, it is suspected that there were times when there was an extremely high consumption of munitions in the garrison. A helmet of the

was found at nearby Thonberg.

Reconstruction

In 1986 and 2000, based on clear evidence, a reconstruction was carried out of a section of wall of the final fortification phase with a berm in front, the gateway with its wooden tower and the gateway cul-de-sac which extended for some way into the interior of the fort.

References

Literature

* Björn-Uwe Abels: ''The Heunischenburg near Kronach. Eine späturnenfelderzeitliche Befestigung''. Univ.-Verl., Regensburg, 2002, .

External links

Documentation of the excavations
with many explanatory sketches
360° Panorama of the Heunischenburg
on 31 October 2010 {{Coord, 50.2426, N, 11.2654, E, display=title, format=dms Archaeological sites in Germany Hill forts in Germany Bronze Age Germany Kronach (district)