HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Heuneburg is a prehistoric
hillfort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...
by the river
Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
in
Hundersingen Hundersingen is a village within the municipality of Herbertingen and is part of the administrative district of Sigmaringen in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany.Vgl. ''Herbertingen b) Hundersingen''. In: ''Das Land Baden-Württemberg. Amt ...
near
Herbertingen Herbertingen ( Swabian: ''Herberdenga'') is a municipality in the district of Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. The municipality Herbertingen consists of the villages Herbertingen, Hundersingen, Marbach and Mieterkingen. Herbertingen ...
, between
Ulm Ulm () is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Danube on the border with Bavaria. The city, which has an estimated population of more than 126,000 (2018), forms an urban district of its own (german: link=no, ...
and
Sigmaringen Sigmaringen (Swabian German, Swabian: ''Semmerenga'') is a town in southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Situated on the upper Danube, it is the capital of the Sigmaringen (district), Sigmaringen district. Sigmaringen is renowne ...
,
Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...
, in the south of Germany, close to the modern borders with Switzerland and Austria. It is considered to be one of the most important early
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...
centres in Central Europe. Apart from the fortified citadel, there are extensive remains of settlements and burial areas spanning several centuries. The fortified citadel measures about . It stood on a strategically positioned mountain spur that rises steeply 40 m above the Danube. It is at the centre of a fertile river plain, surrounded by rolling hill country.


Discovery and excavations

The site was first noted in the 1820s. In 1882, recognised its importance and correctly identified it as a prehistoric fortification. He misidentified the lower fortifications as medieval. Some of the nearby burial mounds were opened in the 19th century. Sporadic excavation on the citadel began in the 1920s. In the 1930s, the Hohmichele mound was examined (see below). A systematic excavation programme took place from 1950 to 1979, directed successively by ,
Kurt Bittel Kurt Bittel (born 5 July 1907 in Heidenheim an der Brenz, died 30 January 1991 in Heidenheim an der Brenz) was a German prehistorian. As president of the German Archaeological Institute (''Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts'' - DAI) and excava ...
, and . Since 2003, the Heuneburg is one of the foci of a multi-disciplinary research project on early Celtic centres undertaken by the
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft The German Research Foundation (german: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft ; DFG ) is a German research funding organization, which functions as a self-governing institution for the promotion of science and research in the Federal Republic of Germ ...
. New excavations began in 2004.


History

Although best known for its role as an important early Celtic centre from the 7th to 5th centuries BC, the Heuneburg was occupied at several other points during its history. The first settlement on the site dates to the
Middle 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 ...
(15th to 12th century BC) during the
Tumulus culture __NOTOC__ The Tumulus culture (German: ''Hügelgräberkultur'') dominated Central Europe during the Middle Bronze Age ( 1600 to 1300 BC). It was the descendant of the Unetice culture. Its heartland was the area previously occupied by the U ...
period. At this time, the main plateau was fortified with a massive ditch-and-bank enclosure, including a wooden wall. The settlement was abandoned at the beginning of the
Urnfield The Urnfield culture ( 1300 BC – 750 BC) was a late Bronze Age culture of Central Europe, often divided into several local cultures within a broader Urnfield tradition. The name comes from the custom of cremating the dead and p ...
period. This abandonment apparently did not entail a violent destruction. During the Urnfield period, there was a burial area in the location of the later ''Südsiedlung'' (see below). The citadel was reoccupied and refortified around 700 BC; adjacent areas were occupied at the same time, including Alte Burg and ''Grosse Heuneburg''. The Heuneburg complex developed briskly, and by 600 BC, it was one of the key centres of power and trade in
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...
/
Halstatt Hallstatt ( , , ) is a small town in the district of Gmunden, in the Austrian state of Upper Austria. Situated between the southwestern shore of Hallstätter See and the steep slopes of the Dachstein massif, the town lies in the Salzkammergut ...
Southern Germany. Major changes in internal structure occurred around that time. Before 500 BC, the site suffered a major destruction, followed by a second flourish and a further destruction in the 5th century BC. It used to be assumed that the Heuneburg was abandoned by the La Tène period, but recent evidence does not fully support this view. The conjunction of a prominent fortified site, elaborate burials, specialised craft production and trade of valuable imported goods class the Heuneburg with a small group of similar important early Celtic sites, the so-called ''Fürstensitze'' (see below).See http://www.fuerstensitze.de The strategic location of the Heuneburg led to some activity in the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
, although no permanent occupation occurred at that time.


The Celtic citadel

The main plateau on the mountain spur, 40m above the Danube and naturally defensible, was the centre of high-status occupation and of fortification in Celtic periods. It measures only but is the main visual landmark in the area. From c. 700 BC onwards, it was the centre of a large settlement. The main settlement on the citadel underwent several changes during its existence. As the houses were built of wood and daub, and the fortifications mostly of wood and earth, they were replaced frequently. This resulted in over a dozen identifiable occupation phases, representing at least 250 years of activity. The plateau was refortified from c. 700 BC onwards. Originally, the fortification took the form of a classic Celtic wood-and-earth wall (''
murus gallicus ''Murus gallicus'' or Gallic wall is a method of construction of defensive walls used to protect Iron Age hillforts and ''oppida'' of the La Tene period in Western Europe. Basic features The distinctive features are: * earth or rubble f ...
''), replaced regularly. Around 600 BC, this was replaced by a structure without parallel in contemporary Celtic Europe. A limestone foundation supported a sun-dried
mudbrick A mudbrick or mud-brick is an air-dried brick, made of a mixture of loam, mud, sand and water mixed with a binding material such as rice husks or straw. Mudbricks are known from 9000 BCE, though since 4000 BCE, bricks have also bee ...
wall of c. height, probably topped by a roofed walkway, thus reaching a total height of 6 m. The wall was clad with bright white lime plaster, regularly renewed; this was necessary to prevent the northern weather from eroding the unbaked mudbrick. Towers protruded outwards from the wall at intervals. It must have been widely visible in the area, as the modern reconstruction of a section is. No other mudbrick structures are known from Celtic Central Europe at this time. It is generally accepted that this structure imitated contemporary walls in 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 ...
region. The wall lasted c. 70 years (much longer than its wood-and-earth predecessors and successors which had to be renewed frequently). After a fiery destruction around 530 BC, the settlement was defended by a ''murus gallicus'' again until a further destruction in the 5th century. The fortification had two monumental gates, one to the west, giving access to the outer settlements, and another to the east, probably to a steep road leading directly to the Danube (and perhaps a harbour). The citadel contained a regular system of streets and houses. It appears that the settlement underwent a major reorganisation after 600 BC, after which the dwellings were much more densely and regularly spaced than before.Die Kelten – Heuneburg
/ref> At all times, the Heuneburg houses are of remarkably large size and elaboration compared to contemporary settlements. The uniform buildings probably served as dwellings and workshops. There is evidence for an active metal industry, including a bronze workshop in the southeast corner of the citadel. After the 530 BC destruction of the mudbrick wall, the internal arrangements underwent some changes. The workshops were moved to the north. A very large house () was built in the southeast corner. This is sometimes interpreted as a ''Herrenhaus'', i.e. the dwelling of a local ruler. The Heuneburg yielded many finds marking it as a rich site, operating both as a local centre of production and as a hub for long-distance trade. These included a full bronze workshop, a high proportion of Greek vases (in fact, the fragments make up about a dozen Greek pots, indicating a larger amount than contemporary sites but also a very limited elite access to such material), and other imported raw materials like tin and amber. Much of the exotic material dates from after 530 BC. There was also a local tradition of producing painted and decorated (incised or stamped) pottery.


Settlements outside the citadel

Recent work in and around the Heuneburg has produced groundbreaking information regarding the full extent of the settlement. It now appears that the citadel was only a small, if focal, part of the overall complex at most times.


The ''Aussensiedlung''

The ''Aussensiedlung'' (german: exterior settlement) was located downslope, immediately to the west and northwest of the citadel. It was probably occupied from the 7th century (Hallstatt period) to the 5th century BC. It appears to have existed as a separate fortified settlement. The ''Aussensiedlung'' covered up to 100 hectares, many times the area of the citadel proper. It appears to have consisted of separate fenced or palisaded lots, each containing a main dwelling, storage areas and much terrain for fields. It is suggested that each of the lots functioned as a separate farmstead, supporting an extended family. A population of 5,000 to 10,000 individuals is estimated just for the ''Aussensiedlung''. The area enclosed could never have sufficed to produce the amounts of food necessary to feed such a population.
The Giessübel mounds (see below) are erected on top of the remains of part of the ''Aussensiedlung'' and must thus postdate it.


The ''Südsiedlung''

The ''Südsiedlung'' ("south settlement") further south appears to have been similar to the ''Aussensiedlung'' in character and chronology and may indeed have been contiguous with it.


''Vorwerke'' (lower fortifications)

The huge fortifications recognised in the 19th century, but then misinterpreted as medieval, are also part of the Celtic complex. They have been partially obliterated by erosion and ploughing. A triple system of several hundred metres of banks and ditches enclosed and subdivided the lower terrain just west of the Heuneburg proper. Since they partially overlay the ''Aussensiedlung'' houses, the walls must have been erected in a later phase. They survive to a height of over 6 m; the ditches were originally deep.


The gate

Recent excavations have revealed a monumental gate in the westernmost wall. Measuring , it was a massive construction. Its walls had a core of limestone set in a fine clay mortar, and were faced on each side with fine limestone
ashlar Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruv ...
masonry. Like the mudbrick wall on the citadel, this feature is exceptional in the Celtic world and resembles contemporary Mediterranean architecture.


Iron Age cemeteries

Several burial areas surround the Heuneburg. They consist of clusters of earthen
tumuli A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones buil ...
or burial mounds. More than 50 such monuments are known in the area. Not all have been excavated. Some date from the Hallstatt period, but most are probably La Tène. The relationship between prominent fortified sites and elaborate burials is also known from other important Celtic centres, like
Glauberg The Glauberg is a Celtic oppidum in Hesse, Germany consisting of a fortified settlement and several burial mounds, "a princely seat of the late Hallstatt and early La Tène periods." Archaeological discoveries in the 1990s place the site among ...
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 ...
and grave, the Hochdorf Grave near the
Hohenasperg Hohenasperg, located in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg near Stuttgart, Germany, of which it is administratively part, is an ancient fortress and prison overlooking the town of Asperg. It was an important Celtic oppidum, and a number of ...
settlement and the Vix grave near Mont Lassois.


Giessübel

The Giessübel cemetery is located northwest of the Heuneburg. It was built on top of the then abandoned west part of the ''Aussensiedlung''. By the 19th century, four mounds remained here, each measuring c. in diameter and in height. First excavations were undertaken in the 19th century (mounds 2 and 3), but more systematic work took place between the 1950s and 1980s.


Grave 1

This mound contained a rectangular wooden chamber (). Its main occupant was a man aged around 50. There were also remains of two women. It had been robbed in antiquity, but modern archeological finds nevertheless included weapons, gold and bronze attachments for garments, and some amber plaques that probably once adorned a
kline Kline may refer to: * Kline (surname) Places * Klinë, a.k.a. Klina, in Kosovo United States: * Kline, Colorado * Kline, Iowa, in Des Moines County, Iowa * Kline, Louisiana, in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana * Kline, Pennsylvania, in Clarion ...
(couch) imported from the Mediterranean. Twenty further burials were later placed in and on the same mound.


Grave 4

Grave 4, also robbed, contained a single individual, accompanied by the remains of metal attachments from a wooden chariot.


Hohmichele

A cluster or
necropolis A necropolis (plural necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'', literally meaning "city of the dead". The term usually im ...
of burial mounds, the so-called ''Hohmichele Group'', is located west of the Heuneburg. It consists of at least 36 burial mounds. The group is named after its largest mound, the ''Hohmichele''. It is located near Altheim ( Biberach district). Most of the mounds are not visible any more due to natural erosion and ploughing. The 14 or so that remain are located in forests.


Excavation

The first excavation of the main Hohmichele mound took place from 1936 to 1938, directed by
Gustav Riek Johannes Gustav Riek (May 23, 1900 in Stuttgart − November 1, 1976 in Feldstetten) was a German archaeologist from the University of Tübingen who worked with the SS Ahnenerbe in their excavations, and led the teams that excavated the Vogelher ...
as part of the research programme of the '' SS-Ahnenerbe''. Only about a third of the mound was removed during that project; the central burial chamber was located. After the war, from 1954 to 1956, Siegwalt Schiek undertook further excavations.


The Hohmichele mound

With a diameter of and a height of over , the Hohmichele is one of the largest Celtic tumuli in Europe. Excavation has mainly concentrated on its central and eastern portions. The mound was used from the late 7th to the late 6th century BC. 13 burials were located within the mound, several of them accompanied by grave offerings. The mound was restored to its original dimensions in 1960. Today, it is visible as a vegetation-covered landmark in a small forest clearing. A modern war memorial is located on its summit.


Grave I

The centre of the mound contained an oak-built main chamber (Grave I), built on the original ground level. It measured and was c. high. This grave, containing a man and a woman, had already been plundered shortly after the burial. The remaining finds, reflecting its original riches include horse trappings, nearly 600 glass beads from a necklace, pieces of amber, and fine gold threads that were originally part of a
brocade Brocade is a class of richly decorative shuttle-woven fabrics, often made in colored silks and sometimes with gold and silver threads. The name, related to the same root as the word "broccoli", comes from Italian ''broccato'' meaning "embos ...
-like fabric. The floor had been covered with cowskins. A central mound, high and in diameter covered this chamber.


Grave VI

southeast of the central chamber and about above the old ground surface lay an unplundered wooden chamber (grave VI). It measured and was high. This grave also contained a man and a woman. Their equipment included a four-wheeled chariot with trappings for two horses, bronze eating and drinking vessels, a quiver with 51 iron arrowheads, an iron knife and many amber and glass beads (from necklaces), including 2,300 green glass beads. The woman had been laid in the chariot, the man on the floor. The bronze vessels were placed by their feet and heads. There were also remains of embroidered fabrics.


Grave IX

Grave IX, a so-called pyre grave, was located above VI. Its occupant was a woman who had died between 18 and 30 years of age, her remains accompanied by two bronze armlets and over 20 pottery vessels with incised and stamped decorations and red paint.


Other graves

Six further graves (II-V, VII, VIII) were inhumations. 22 fireplaces found within the mound are probably connected to cult activity. Some or all of them may represent funerary pyres.


Gallery

File:Heuneburg (Hundersingen)-6033.jpg, Reconstructed wall and buildings File:Freilichtmuseum Heuneburg (Rekonstruierte Gebäude und Lehmziegelmauer).jpg, Reconstructed buildings File:BW Heuneburg 08.jpg, Reconstructed buildings File:BW Heuneburg 05.jpg, Reconstructed buildings File:Heuneburg (Hundersingen)-5555.jpg, Reconstructed fortification wall exterior File:Heuneburg (Hundersingen)-5599.jpg, View of the fortification wall File:Freilichtmuseum Heuneburg (Rekonstruktion Aufstieg zum Wehrgang).jpg, Reconstructed fortification wall interior File:Heuneburg (Hundersingen)-6065.jpg, Inside the fortification wall ramparts File:Freilichtmuseum Heuneburg (Rekonstruktion Donautor).jpg, Side entrance gate File:2014.07.20.110051 Keltenmuseum Heuneburg Herbertingen.jpg, Large reconstructed building File:Freilichtmuseum Heuneburg (Rekonstruktion herrschaftlicher Großbau).jpg, Large reconstructed building File:BW Heuneburg 02.jpg, Main entrance gate foundations File:Vorburg-Eingang.jpg, Frame showing main entrance gate dimensions File:Sonntag 4. Juli 2021 (29).JPG, View from the Heuneburg File:BW Heuneburg 01.jpg, Burial mounds File:Hohmichele Grabhügel Pic1.JPG, Hohmichele burial mound File:Landesmuseum Württemberg-Hohmichele-Grabbeigaben-Frau602.jpg, Jewellery from the Hohmichele burial mound File:Gold necklace - Heuneburg Tomb - Landesmuseum Württemberg - Stuttgart - Germany 2017.jpg, Gold necklace from a Heuneburg burial File:Necklaces and bracelets.jpg, Gold artefacts from a Heuneburg burial File:Heuneburg Tomb - Landesmuseum Württemberg - Stuttgart - Germany 2017.jpg, Gold and iron artefacts from a Heuneburg burial File:Gefässe Hohmichele.jpg, Celtic pottery from the Hohmichele mound


Interpretation and significance

There can be no doubt that the Heuneburg and its associated monuments are one of the most important centres of the early Celtic Iron Age in Central Europe. It is also clear that the site should be seen in a context with other prominent centres of its time, the so-called ''Fürstensitze'' (
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
: "princely seats" - see below).


Social/economic development

The Heuneburg settlement reflects important sociopolitical developments in early Celtic Europe. It appears to be the case that after 700 BC, in some regions, wealth and population became concentrated in relatively small areas, a development that further accelerated after 600 BC. A growing differentiation in terms of wealth that is visible among settlements sites but especially among burials, indicates the development of social
hierarchies A hierarchy (from Greek: , from , 'president of sacred rites') is an arrangement of items (objects, names, values, categories, etc.) that are represented as being "above", "below", or "at the same level as" one another. Hierarchy is an important ...
. This is illustrated by the discovery, in 2005, of the burial of a 2-year-old child near the Heuneburg, accompanied by imported (
Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *The Etruscan language, an extinct language in ancient Italy *Something derived from or related to the Etruscan civilization **Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities ** Etrusca ...
) jewellery. It is clear that a young child could not have earned or gained such wealth, hence the individual must have been born rich. There is probably also an element of political centralisation involved in these processes. The fact that the Heuneburg and ''Aussensiedlung'' were not able to locally produce enough food to support their own populations implied quite clearly that they must have been able to receive and maintain the support of a much larger surrounding area. The ongoing social and professional specialisation had led to the development of specialised workshops, perhaps even artisanal quarters that did not just produce to serve local needs.


The term ''Fürstensitz''

The traditional term ''Fürstensitz'' ("princely seat") to describe sites like Heuneburg has been criticised recently, especially by the
archaeologist 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 ...
Manfred Eggert (
University of Tübingen The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (german: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; la, Universitas Eberhardina Carolina), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Wü ...
). It could be argued that the phrase implies a potentially misleading interpretation of power structures, potentially distracting from more complex realities.


Interaction with other sites

Several other hilltop sites came into existence in the broader region at the same time as the Heuneburg, about 700 BC. Initially, they may have been similar in size and population. Strikingly, most of them were abandoned around 600 BC, i.e. when the Heuneburg settlement was reorganised. It is possible that the Heuneburg had become so powerful as to attract population at the expense of other sites. It has long been suggested that the Hohenasperg settlement, some to the North of the Heuneburg, was somehow involved in the destruction of the Heuneburg after 500 BC and profited from its demise (see "abandonment" below). There is no clear evidence for such an interpretation, especially as the abandonment of the Heuneburg area is now in doubt (see below).


Destructions, abandonment, and continuity

The traditional view that the two main destructions of the citadel fortifications are the result of violent destruction, and that the Heuneburg was abandoned after the second destruction, which may have been part of a power struggle with Honenasperg, have lost some ground recently. It remains likely that the mudbrick fortification was indeed destroyed violently, but there is no exact evidence to indicate whether this may have been the result of external warfare or of internal difficulties. The renewed economic flourish after this event may argue against a wholesale destruction of the site. The second destruction, in the 5th century, is even more problematic. It has been argued that the fire or fires could be accidental. It is also important to note that although the Heuneburg plateau is mostly abandoned at this time, as is the ''Aussensiedlung'', smaller settlements develop in the surrounding area and burial activity continues, perhaps suggesting a change in the focus of settlement activity, possibly connected with sociopolitical changes at that time.


Climate

It has been proposed that the flourishing of Celtic cultures between the 7th and 5th centuries BC is connected with a warm phase that coincided with that period. A milder climate would have permitted more successful agriculture, which would, in turn, have allowed for larger populations, and thus for the development of more complex political, social and artisanal specialisations. The end of this mild period would have led to population losses and to a collapse of the established economic systems. The demise of centres like the Heuneburg, but also the 4th century Celtic migrations could be connected with such events.


Trade, contacts with the Classical World

The importance of the Heuneburg, like that of other contemporary centres, is closely connected with its location in relation to several important trade routes. Placed just north of the
Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
and on the
Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
, the site had access to important land routes across the mountains from Italy and
Southern France Southern France, also known as the South of France or colloquially in French language, French as , is a defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi ...
(especially the
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
colony In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the ''metropole, metropolit ...
of
Massalia Massalia (Greek: Μασσαλία; Latin: Massilia; modern Marseille) was an ancient Greek colony founded ca. 600 BC on the Mediterranean coast of present-day France, east of the river Rhône, by Ionian Greek settlers from Phocaea, in Western An ...
), and, by river, to the
Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
and the
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...
. It was involved in long-distance trade between northern and southern Europe, involving luxury goods (as found in the burial mounds) and probably wine from the south, and amber, metals, as well as probably perishables like leather and fur, from the north. The Mediterranean (Greek and/or Etruscan) influence on the Heuneburg is especially strongly reflected by its mudbrick fortification and the newly found
ashlar Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruv ...
masonry.


Pyrene?

In the mid-5th century BC, the Greek historian
Herodotus Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus, part of the Persian Empire (now Bodrum, Turkey) and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria ( Italy). He is known f ...
(Book 2.33) made a brief passing reference to a Celtic city called by the Greek "Pyrene": "For the
Ister Ister, The Ister, or Der Ister may refer to: *The Danube river, known as the Ister in Ancient Greek (Ἴστρος) and Thracian *The Dniester river, known as the Ister in Thracian *"Der Ister", a poem by Friedrich Hölderlin **''Hölderlin's Hymn " ...
flows from the land of the Celts and the city of Pyrene through the very middle of Europe..." Since the Heuneburg is roughly in the right location and was a major regional centre just before that time, it is possible that it is the settlement referred to by that name.Herodotus, ''Histories'' ii.33


Museums

The Heuneburgmuseum is located in the renovated barn of the former monastery of Heiligkreuztal at Hundersingen. The exhibition explains the importance of the site and displays some of the original finds from the site and nearby burials. In recent years, an open-air museum has been erected on the Heuneburg plateau itself. It includes reconstructions of several houses and of part of the mudbrick wall. Some of the finds from the Hohmichele grave are partially on display in the Württemberg State Museum (
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
).


See also

*
Glauberg The Glauberg is a Celtic oppidum in Hesse, Germany consisting of a fortified settlement and several burial mounds, "a princely seat of the late Hallstatt and early La Tène periods." Archaeological discoveries in the 1990s place the site among ...
* Vix Grave and Mont Lassois *
Hohenasperg Hohenasperg, located in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg near Stuttgart, Germany, of which it is administratively part, is an ancient fortress and prison overlooking the town of Asperg. It was an important Celtic oppidum, and a number of ...
*
Hochdorf Chieftain's Grave The Hochdorf Chieftain's Grave is a richly-furnished Celtic burial chamber near Hochdorf an der Enz (municipality of Eberdingen) in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, dating from 530 BC in the Hallstatt culture period. It was discovered in 1968 by an ...
* Ipf * Burgstallkogel * Alte Burg * Bettelbühl burial ground * Grafenbühl grave *
Grächwil Grächwil is a hamlet of the municipality of Meikirch in the Swiss canton of Bern. A number of Hallstatt period artefacts have been found in Grächwil, including an imported bronze vessel known as the 'Grächwil Hydria', found in the princely to ...
*
Oppidum of Manching The Oppidum of Manching (german: Oppidum von Manching) was a large Celtic proto-urban or city-like settlement at modern-day Manching, near Ingolstadt, in Bavaria, Germany. The Iron Age town (or oppidum) was founded in the 3rd century BC and exist ...


External links


Official website of the Heuneburg MuseumHeuneburg Pyrene

Crossing the Alps: Early Urbanism between Northern Italy and Central Europe, 900-400 BC (2020)
* ttp://www.fuerstensitze.de/1063_Heuneburg.html Informationon the DFG project
Detailed article from "Der Spiegel", November 2006Detailed article in "Die Zeit", October 2006November 2005 report from ''Deutschlandfunk''Text of a detailed seminar about the Hallstatt sequence on the plateau. Many illustrations.Recent excavations at the Heunenburg (2000-2020)Der Schatz im Keltengrab (2014) - Documentary with digital reconstructions of the Heuneburg


Bibliography


Further reading (a selection)

* Jörg Bofinger: ''Archäologische Untersuchungen in der Vorburg der Heuneburg - Siedlung und Befestigungssysteme am frühkeltischen Fürstensitz an der oberen Donau, Gde. Herbertingen-Hundersingen, Kreis Sigmaringen''. In: ''Archäologische Ausgrabungen in Baden-Württemberg 2004''. P. 82–86. Theiss, Stuttgart 2005. * Jörg Bofinger: ''Stein für Stein ... Überraschende Befunde im Bereich der Befestigungssysteme der Heuneburg-Vorburg, Gde. Herbertingen-Hundersingen, Kreis Sigmaringen''. In: ''Archäologische Ausgrabungen in Baden-Württemberg 2005''. P. 73–78. Theiss, Stuttgart 2006. * Egon Gersbach: ''Die mittelbronzezeitlichen Wehranlagen der Heuneburg bei Hundersingen a.D.'' In: ''Arch. Korrespondenzblatt.'' 1973, 3, P. 417–422. * Wolfgang Kimmig: ''Die Heuneburg an der oberen Donau.'' Führer arch. Denkm. Bad.-Württ. Stuttgart, Theiss 1983. * Dirk Krausse, Manuel Fernández-Götz, Leif Hansen, Inga Kretschmer, ''The Heuneburg and the Early Iron Age Princely Seats: First Towns North of the Alps''. Budapest, Archeolingua 2016. * Manuel Fernández-Götz, Dirk Krausse, Rethinking Early Iron Age Urbanisation in Central Europe: The Heuneburg Site and its Archaeological Environment. ''Antiquity'' 87(336), 2013, P. 473-487. * Siegfried Kurz: ''Die Heuneburg-Außensiedlung'' (Forschungen und Berichte zur Vor- und Frühgeschichte in Baden-Württemberg vol. 72), Stuttgart 2000 * Siegfried Kurz, Siegwalt Schiek: ''Bestattungsplätze im Umfeld der Heuneburg.'' (Forschungen und Berichte zur Vor- und Frühgeschichte in Baden-Württemberg vol. 87), Stuttgart 2002 * Siegfried Kurz: ''Die Heuneburg bei Herbertingen-Hundersingen, Kreis Sigmaringen, und ihr Umland. Zum Abschluss des DFG-Projektes''. In: ''Archäologische Ausgrabungen in Baden-Württemberg 2003''. P. 62–65. Theiss, Stuttgart 2004.


Heuneburg studies

The excavations have led to the publication of a series of specialised
monograph A monograph is a specialist work of writing (in contrast to reference works) or exhibition on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, often by a single author or artist, and usually on a scholarly subject. In library cataloging, ''monograph ...
s on the Heuneburg. 11 volumes have been published so far: * Gustav Riek: ''Der Hohmichele. Ein Fürstengrabhügel der späten Hallstattzeit.'' Heuneburgstudien 1, Röm.-German. Forsch. 26, Berlin 1962 * Günter Mansfeld: ''Die Fibeln der Heuneburg 1950-1970.'' Heuneburgstudien 2, Röm.-German. Forsch. 33, Berlin 1973 * Amei Lang: ''Die geriefte Drehscheibenkeramik der Heuneburg 1950-1970 und verwandte Gruppen.'' Heuneburgstudien 3, Röm.-German. Forsch. 34, Berlin 1974 * Heinz-Werner Dämmer: ''Die bemalte Keramik der Heuneburg.'' Heuneburgstudien 4, Röm.-German. Forsch. 37, Mainz 1978 * Susanne Sievers: ''Die Kleinfunde der Heuneburg.'' Heuneburgstudien 5, Römisch-Germanische Forschungen 42 Mainz, 1984 * Egon Gersbach: ''Ausgrabungsmethodik und Stratigraphie der Heuneburg.'' Heuneburgstudien 6, Röm.-German. Forsch. 45, Mainz 1988 * Daniela Fort-Linksfeiler: ''Die Schüsseln und Schalen der Heuneburg.'' Heuneburgstudien 7, Röm.-German. Forsch. 47, Mainz 1989 * Helga van den Boom: ''Großgefäße und Töpfe der Heuneburg.'' Heuneburgstudien 8, Röm.-German. Forsch.51, Mainz 1991 * Egon Gersbach: ''Baubefunde der Perioden IVc - IVa der Heuneburg.'' Heuneburgstudien 9, Röm.-German. Forsch. 53, Mainz 1995 * Egon Gersbach: ''Baubefunde der Perioden IIIb - Ia der Heuneburg.'' Heuneburgstudien 10, Röm.-German. Forsch. 56, Mainz 1996 * Wolfgang Kimmig (Hrsg.): ''Importe und mediterrane Einflüsse auf der Heuneburg.'' Heuneburgstudien 11, Röm.-German. Forsch. 59, Mainz 2000


References

{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Sigmaringen (district) Oppida Hill forts in Germany Archaeological sites in Germany Iron Age sites in Europe Tumuli in Germany Former populated places in Germany