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The Vorstengraf (''
grave A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as grav ...
of the king'') in
Oss OSS or Oss may refer to: Places * Oss, a city and municipality in the Netherlands * Osh Airport, IATA code OSS People with the name * Oss (surname), a surname Arts and entertainment * ''O.S.S.'' (film), a 1946 World War II spy film about ...
is one of the largest
burial mounds 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 built ...
in the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...
. The hill was 3 metres high and had a diameter of 54 metres.


First, second and third Vorstengraf

In 1933, the so-called Vorstengraf was uncovered during the construction of a trailer park on the
heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler a ...
. It contained a bronze bucket containing a curved iron sword from 700 BC. The find was transferred to the
Rijksmuseum van Oudheden The (English: National Museum of Antiquities) is the national archaeological museum of the Netherlands, located in Leiden. It grew out of the collection of Leiden University and still closely co-operates with its Faculty of Archaeology. The ...
in
Leiden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration w ...
. The site of the hill was later a junkyard. The mound is now partly restored, a portion of the circumference of the hill is marked with poles. In 2009, a second Vorstengraf was discovered a few hundred metres from the first Vorstengraf. The finds from this tomb are displayed in the Jan Cunen Museum in Oss. In 2011, it was announced that a third ''Vorstengraf'' was discovered in
Uden Uden () is a town and former municipality in the province of North Brabant, Netherlands. Since 2022 it has been part of the new municipality of Maashorst. History Uden was first recorded around 1190 as "Uthen". However, earlier settlements h ...
.


Pile graves

The Vorstengraf is located at the interchange ''Paalgraven''. This node is named after the pile graves that have been found in the immediate vicinity. These tombs were built in the period of the Early
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 ...
to the Early
Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly ...
(
Hallstatt culture The Hallstatt culture was the predominant Western and Central European culture of Late Bronze Age (Hallstatt A, Hallstatt B) from the 12th to 8th centuries BC and Early Iron Age Europe (Hallstatt C, Hallstatt D) from the 8th to 6th centuries ...
), between 2000 BC to 700 BC. To the east of Oss a new highway was built to connect the A50 and A59 from
Emmeloord Emmeloord is the administrative centre of the municipality of Noordoostpolder, Flevoland, Netherlands. In 2019, it had a population of 26,055. Overview At the heart of the Noordoostpolder, where the three main drainage canals Lemstervaart ...
to
's-Hertogenbosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a city and municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 157,486. It is the capital of the province of North Brabant and its fourth largest by population. The city is south of ...
(formerly the junction with the N265
Eindhoven Eindhoven () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of North Brabant of which it is its largest. With a population of 238,326 on 1 January 2022,ritual A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized ...
function. One of the hills is surrounded by a ditch. To the east and south of the Vorstengraf an urnfield was found dating back to the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age. Cremated remains are interred in an urn or cloth. Soon after the establishment of the Vorstengraf the burial ground was closed.


Seven Mounds

The area ''De Zevenbergen'' - ''Seven Mounds'' - was examined in 1964 and 1965 and seven burial mounds were found. When the junction was later modified the area had another investigation. Trial slots revealed that there had been a line of poles over a length of at least 100 meter in the area. In 2004 began the actual excavation of the multiple burial hills. In the 13th century a gallows was built on one of these hills. This was at a crossroads of continuous ruts on the heath and the remains of two victims were found nearby.


Myths

There are folk tales associated with the mound, local historian Jan Cunen (1884-1940) once recorded that a prince must have been buried in the heath. The hill is also called Hansjoppenmountain. There are several stories about the
Gnome A gnome is a mythological creature and diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature. Its characte ...
Hans Joppen.


Gallery

File:Vorstengraf.JPG, Vorstengraf Oss File:Vorstengraf Oss.JPG, Vorstengraf Oss File:Vorstengraf3.JPG, The Vorstengraf with
replica A 1:1 replica is an exact copy of an object, made out of the same raw materials, whether a molecule, a work of art, or a commercial product. The term is also used for copies that closely resemble the original, without claiming to be identical. Al ...
s of the finds File:Paalkransheuvels.JPG, File:Kringgreppel en vlakgraven.JPG,


See also

*
Vix Grave The Vix Grave is a burial mound near the village of Vix in northern Burgundy. The broader site is a prehistoric Celtic complex from the Late Hallstatt and Early La Tène periods, consisting of a fortified settlement and several burial mounds. ...
*
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 ...
*
Graves of Sainte-Colombe-sur-Seine The Graves of Sainte-Colombe-sur-Seine are several burial mounds dating from the 6th century BC, located near the town of Sainte-Colombe-sur-Seine in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France. Description The burials are associated with the Iro ...
* Lavau Grave *
Heuneburg The Heuneburg is a prehistoric hillfort by the river Danube in Hundersingen near Herbertingen, between Ulm and Sigmaringen, Baden-Württemberg, in the south of Germany, close to the modern borders with Switzerland and Austria. It is considered ...
* Glauberg *
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 o ...
*
Ipf (mountain) The Ipf is a primarily treeless mountain ( high), near Bopfingen, Ostalbkreis, Baden-Württemberg, Germany with a prehistoric hill fort on its top. The fort is situated on an isolated hill, with a flattened summit surrounded by a stone wall, dit ...
* Burgstallkogel * Alte Burg *
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 tom ...
* Grafenbühl grave * Reinheim grave * Princely Grave of Rodenbach


External Links

{{commons category, Vorstengraf, Oss European archaeology Burial monuments and structures Archaeology of death Archaeological discoveries in the Netherlands History of North Brabant Oss 1933 archaeological discoveries