Das Kleinaspergle - Celtic Burial Mound
N 48° 53.845 E 009° 08.576
32U E 510475 N 5416062
The Kleinaspergle sheltered the youngest princes grave in the region around Hohenasperg and also the youngest early celtic princes grave in Southwest Germany.
Waymark Code: WM14R5
Location: Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Date Posted: 01/14/2007
Views: 127
In 1879, the tumulus at Kleinaspergle ("little Asperg"), only 1000 m south of the great fortified hill, the Hohenasperg, was partly excavated by Oscar Fraas. A tunnel was dug into the enormous hill, which still stood to a height of 7.6 m and was approximately 60 m in diameter. The central, wood-clad chamber was discovered to have been robbed, but a secondary chamber to its west, measuring 2 x 3 m, was found intact.
This secondary chamber dated to the second half of the fifth century BCE. Numerous pieces of jewelry and a drinking service were found in it. A definitive publication did not appear until Kimmig 1988.
The delicately fashioned gilded fittings of a garment clasp counted among the most valuable jewelry pieces. The most important objects used in dating were two greek drinking bowls made of clay, which were made in Athens around 450 B.C. A Celtic artisan had overlain them in gold leaf. The indigenous artworks of the Kleinaspergle mark the beginning of the early Celtic Latene style and are therefore world reknown.
From the recorded evidence, it is not clear whether the tomb contained an inhumation at all -- a small heap of ashes was unfortunately not preserved or analyzed, but may indicate a cremation burial. There is no agreement in the literature on the sex of the tomb occupant, and Jacobsthal, for example, could not conceive of a woman's burial containing large vessels, Attic kylikes and drinking horns. No weapons of any kind were found, and the rest of the tomb assemblage is consistent with female burials.
Admission Fee (local currency): Free
Opening days/times:
24/7
Web Site: [Web Link]
Condition: Fully Reconstructed
|
Visit Instructions:
No special requirements.