The Sandberg, a hill ridge in the northwestern part of the Weinviertel region of Lower Austria approximately 70 km north of
Vienna
en, Viennese
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, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
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, timezone_DST ...
, has recently emerged as one of the potentially most important archeological sites of the middle
La Tène culture
The La Tène culture (; ) was a European Iron Age culture. It developed and flourished during the late Iron Age (from about 450 BC to the Roman conquest in the 1st century BC), succeeding the early Iron Age Hallstatt culture without any defini ...
in Central Europe. The settlement which flourished there was not fortified, and therefore does not qualify as an
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 ...
. However, what is known to date suggests that it was not only large (probably covering more than 400,000 square metres) but also a wealthy and powerful center for trade, culture, religion and political power between southern
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
and 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 ...
valley. Its inhabitants are likely to have been
Boii
The Boii (Latin plural, singular ''Boius''; grc, Βόιοι) were a Celtic tribe of the later Iron Age, attested at various times in Cisalpine Gaul (Northern Italy), Pannonia (Hungary), parts of Bavaria, in and around Bohemia (after whom the ...
, or belonged to a Celtic tribe that was under their direct influence.
Location
The Sandberg ridge (situated at ) separates the villages of
Platt and Roseldorf in the
district of Hollabrunn. It consists almost entirely of fertile
Löß soil and has been subject to intense agricultural use for centuries. Its summit, although not high, offers a panoramic view far into the surrounding countryside, suggesting strategic considerations might have played a significant role in the selection of the location. While the inhabited area (as far as it has been delineated by surveys) was situated on the southern slope of the hill on the territory of Roseldorf, Platt has much better logistic connections and traditionally harbors the archeologists' base camp.
Identification and primary characterization
Although surface finds of Celtic coins (about 1,200 have found their way into the
numismatics
Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals and related objects.
Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also includ ...
collection of the
National Museum of Arts in Vienna) and other artifacts had been reported since the late 19th century, the true importance of the site began to be appreciated only by the 1990s. It was not before 1991 that the area was placed under legal protection as a cultural heritage site.
From 1995 to 2000, geomagnetic surveys were carried out which covered 220,000 square metres and identified 450 distinct subterranean structures consistent with the remains of wooden houses, an enclosure in the south, and a cluster of three larger quadratic structures. Results from pilot prospections beyond this characterized area, as well as the history of surface finds and accounts from the local population, suggests that the settlement could have been at least twice as large.
Excavations
Systematic excavations commenced in 2001, and initially probed only a very small (18 x 25 m) segment of what had been interpreted as a residential zone. The sunken foundations of three wooden buildings were confirmed. One was found to have been a barn, the remnants of which contained an appreciable amount of burnt grain which was identified as
Einkorn wheat
Einkorn wheat (from German ''Einkorn'', literally "single grain") can refer either to a wild species of wheat (''Triticum'') or to its domesticated form. The wild form is '' T. boeoticum'' (syn. ''T. m.'' ssp. ''boeoticum''), the domesticated ...
(''Triticum boeoticum''),
Emmer
Emmer wheat or hulled wheat is a type of awned wheat. Emmer is a tetraploid (4''n'' = 4''x'' = 28 chromosomes). The domesticated types are ''Triticum turgidum'' subsp. ''dicoccum'' and ''Triticum turgidum ''conv.'' durum''. The wild plant is ...
(''Triticon dicoccon'') and
Proso millet
''Panicum miliaceum'' is a grain crop with many common names, including proso millet, broomcorn millet, common millet, hog millet, Kashfi millet, red millet, and white millet. Archaeobotanical evidence suggests millet was first domesticated abou ...
(''Panicum miliaceum''). A nearby pit contained an oven, and might have served as a bakery. Grape seeds tentatively suggest that the Sandberg people might have already grown and prepared
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
. Pottery, bracelet glassware and
fibulae
The fibula or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. Its upper extremity is ...
were found in significant numbers, along with coins, a set of three
dice
Dice (singular die or dice) are small, throwable objects with marked sides that can rest in multiple positions. They are used for generating random values, commonly as part of tabletop games, including dice games, board games, role-playing g ...
carved from bone, and several pieces of
Realgar
Realgar ( ), also known as "ruby sulphur" or "ruby of arsenic", is an arsenic sulfide mineral with the chemical formula α-. It is a soft, sectile mineral occurring in monoclinic crystals, or in granular, compact, or powdery form, often in asso ...
, an arsenic sulfide mineral with uses in medicine and as an orange pigment. Most significantly,
minting
Minting is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. The village is situated south from the A158 road. The population (including Gautby) at the 2011 census was 286.
Minting Priory was located here.
Mi ...
equipment offered proof for the suspected role of the settlement as a center for trade and commerce.
From 2005 to 2007, the three quadratic structures (one measuring 25 x 25 m, the other two slightly smaller) were completely excavated, and confirmed to have been Celtic sanctuaries of a Western European type not yet found in Central Europe, with their design closely resembling the cult site at Gournay-sur-Aronde in northern France. They probably date back to the early La Tène period. In two of these structures the surrounding ditches contained large amounts of bones from animal and human sacrifices, ritually damaged weapons, coins, and several fibulae
[Holzer, Veronikia: "Le Sanctuaire celtique de Roseldorf/Sandberg (Autriche)". In: Barral, Philippe, ed. ''L'âge du Fer dans l'arc jurassien et ses marges: dépôts, lieux sacrés et territorialité à l'âge du fer; actes du XXIXe colloque international de l'AFEAF, Bienne, canton de Berne, Suisse, 5-8 mai 2005)''. 2 vols. (891 pp.) Besançon: Presses universitaires de Franche-Comté, 2007 ; pp. 849 ff.] A large, irregular-shaped pit adjacent to one of the two smaller sanctuaries, impressively rich in finds, was opened for excavation in August 2007.
Significance
The excavations at the Sandberg site have probed only a few of the locations which the geomagnetic surveys had identified as containing interesting structures, and the archaeobotanical and other scientific follow-up work has only begun. What is known already indicates that the Sandberg city might have resembled La Tène culture settlements of a type and size known from France and Southern Germany, but so far not believed to have existed in Austria. The Museum for Prehistory in
Asparn an der Zaya
Asparn an der Zaya is a town in the district of Mistelbach in the Austrian state of Lower Austria
Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located i ...
has constructed a life-size model of the large sanctuary.
References
External links
{{Commons category, Sandberg, Platt
Museum of Natural History project website(in German)
ARGE Archäologie website - Sandberg(in German)
Celtic archaeological sites
La Tène culture
Archaeological sites in Austria
Iron Age sites in Europe
Former populated places in Austria
Boii