Grächwil is a hamlet of the municipality of
Meikirch in the Swiss
canton of Bern
The canton of Bern or Berne (german: Kanton Bern; rm, Chantun Berna; french: canton de Berne; it, Canton Berna) is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. Its capital city, Bern, is also the ''de facto'' capital of Switzerland. ...
. A number of
Hallstatt
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 Salzkammer ...
period artefacts have been found in Grächwil, including an imported bronze vessel known as the 'Grächwil Hydria', found in the princely tomb of a Celtic chieftain in 1851. The hydria is thought to originate from
Laconia
Laconia or Lakonia ( el, Λακωνία, , ) is a historical and administrative region of Greece located on the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparta. The word ''laconic''—to speak in a blunt, con ...
in
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ...
and its production is dated to ca. 600 BC, or the first half of the 6th century BC. The burial is dated to c. 500 BC.
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. ...
*
Lavau Grave
The Lavau Grave is princely burial dating to the middle of the 5th century BC, located by the town of Lavau in the Aube department of north-central France.
The grave was discovered in 2014. Excavations revealed a chariot burial containing a singl ...
*
Grafenbühl grave
External links
* {{HLS, 8324, Grächwil
Landeskarte der Schweiz
Literature
* Martin Guggisberg: ''Die Hydria von Grächwil: zur Funktion und Rezeption mediterraner Importe in Mitteleuropa im 6. und 5. Jahrhundert v. Chr''. Akten, Internationales Kolloquium anlässlich des 150. Jahrestages der Entdeckung der Hydria von Grächwil, organisiert durch das Institut für Archäologie des Mittelmeerraumes der Universität Bern, Verlag Bernisches Historisches Museum, Bern 2004 (''Schriften des Bernischen Historischen Museums.'' Bd. 5).
* Geneviève Lüscher: ''Die Hydria von Grächwil: ein griechisches Prunkgefäß aus Tarent''. Bernisches Historisches Museum, Bern 2002 (''Glanzlichter aus dem Bernischen Historischen Museum''. Bd. 8).
* Herbert A. Cahn: ''Le vase de Bronze de Graechwil et autres importations méridionales en Suisse avant les Romains''. Bernigaud, Dijon 1958.
References
Geography of Bern