Glauberg Celtic Settlement

Glauberg

Germany · Hesse, Wetterau

SettlementIntermittent excavation
Approximate period5,500 BCE — 1,300 CENeolithic–Middle Ages; prominent phase in the Early Iron Age See on the map ↓

In brief

Excavations on and around the Glauberg plateau have revealed settlement and defensive remains from different periods. Grave excavations in the 1990s yielded rich burials and the famous sandstone statue.

What was found?

  • 1Sandstone warrior statue

    This is a life-size human statue depicted with weapons, jewelry and a distinctive headdress. It shows in detail how an elite individual was represented.

  • 2Three elite warrior graves

    These are burials furnished with rich grave goods. They reveal that Glauberg was an important center for early Celtic elites.

  • 3Fragments of other statues

    Fragments of other human statues were found around the famous statue. They show that monumental human representation at the site was not limited to a single example.

  • 4Gold neck ring

    This is one of the valuable ornaments among the grave furnishings; a similar example is also depicted on the statue. It allows actual objects to be compared with their representation in stone.

  • 5Bank and ditch system

    These are large-scale earthworks traced through investigations around Glauberg. They show that the site formed a monumental complex extending beyond the graves and statues.

What does it point to?

The graves, statues and landscape arrangements indicate that elite status was made visible through both objects and monuments. According to researchers, the statue's equipment may be associated with warrior, ruling and religious roles; the precise scope of these roles is unknown.

What did it teach us?

  1. It revealed an important elite center associated with rich graves on the northern boundary of the Celtic world.
  2. It made direct comparison between the grave goods and the equipment depicted on the statue possible.
  3. It showed that monumental statues and large earthworks were parts of the same site.

Images

Grabhugel Glauberg
Hannibal21 (D. Herdemerten) at de.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Record

Culture
Multiple periods, primarily Hallstatt and early La Tène
First modern dig
1933
Team / historical
Keltenwelt am Glauberg Research Centre; hessenARCHÄOLOGIE
Coordinates
50.3053°, 9.0086°

Sources

  1. keltenwelt-glauberg.de
  2. publications.dainst.org
  3. keltenwelt-glauberg.de
  4. en.wikipedia.org
  5. Keltenwelt am Glauberg — Heykel

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12.000

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