Kinding-Ilbling burial ground

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Long from Kinding

The Hallstatt period (approx. 800–450 BC) cemetery of Kinding-Ilbling is located in the Upper Bavarian district of Eichstätt near the A9 motorway . For the most part, it lies on an irregularly flooded low terrace that is largely covered by floodplain sediments. The optimally preserved hills are located under the sediment .

the initial situation

The burial mound field , with several 100 mounds on an area of ​​around five hectares , was discovered in aerial photographs in May 1995 . At those places where there are stone packings and stone circles in the subsoil , the usual "negative growth marks " appeared. The 10-month excavation that took place in 1995 became inevitable due to planned construction work. During the excavations, it became apparent that the aerial photo only showed those hills that come close to today's surface of the earth. Most of the smaller burial mounds, however, were unrecognizable and were only discovered through geomagnetic, geoelectrical and ground penetrating radar measurements.

The excavation findings

On the 2500 m² excavation area, 12 burial mounds with diameters between five and 35 m were documented, eight of them with stone packings or stone wreaths. Next to a small fire grave with stele were found between the hills many details that provide insight into the dynamics of intensively used necropolis permit.

The hills were surrounded by a stone wreath or a wide stone layer. The majority contained a wooden burial chamber in the middle of a central, predominantly rectangular stone pack made of Jurassic limestone . In the center of the floor plans, which range from five to 11 m, were the wooden chambers. In places, sunken stone coverings indicated the location of the original chamber, the fragments of which still existed to a considerable extent. The chambers have a base area of ​​4 to 36 m². Between the hills, which were framed by stones, there were mounds of earth, which, however, were only sketchy.

Burial mound 1

Burial mound 1 is around 36 meters in diameter and is one of the largest in northern Upper Bavaria. The approximately square central stone packing measured approx. 11.7 m, with a height of approx. 1.5 m. The chamber, which was compressed to a few centimeters, had an area of ​​approx. 6.90 × 6.05 m. In addition to calcined human and animal bones, it contained two complete wagon wheels and fragments of two more, each with the remains of the hub fittings . There are also two identical ladles made of reddish clay . The burial was proven to be the remains of burned bones .

As extraordinary additions there were models made of reddish-brown clay, such as:

The only comparison find comes from a Hallstatt burial mound from Prächting in Upper Franconia . While the hand and the "shield object" have no regional parallels, wheels are more common in the Hallstatt period, for example in Beilngries, which is only a few kilometers away .

Burial mound 8

In contrast to Hill 1, hill 8, with a diameter of 10.5 m, was built without stone constructions. In the center, the remains of wood from a rectangular, approximately 2.5 m² grave chamber were discovered. It contained two well-preserved skeletons from a double burial . The anthropological determination resulted in an early mature man and a late adult woman. A total of 16 of the vessels introduced were detectable despite the premature robbery. An iron belt hook was located between the pelvis and chest of the male skeleton , which made it possible to date the burial to the late Hallstatt period.

An extraordinary antenna dagger or a short sword with chord , small remains of the wooden scabbard and an ivory handle are among the exquisite finds from this necropolis . The massive antennas have antithetically arranged, only flat modeled animal heads at the ends, which can probably be addressed as stylized predator heads. The stylization follows Mediterranean influence.

The necropolis also proves the diversity of the Hallstatt funeral customs and the extensive contacts of the location in the Pankeltic area. It contained:

  • Skeleton and cremation burials,
  • bi-ritual multiple burials ,
  • Evidence of pyre (under the hills),
  • Broken plaster and scorch marks
  • Follow-up burials in stone packs

literature

  • G. Meixner / KH Rieder / M. Schaich, the Hallstatt burial mound field of Kinding / Ilbling. Kinding community, Eichstätt district, Upper Bavaria. Arch. Year Bavaria 1996, 90–93.
  • G. Meixner / M. Schaich / S. Watzlawik, excavations on the Hallstatt burial mound field between Kinding and Ilbling. Kinding community, Eichstätt district, Upper Bavaria. Arch. Year Bavaria 1995, 65–68.

Web links

Coordinates: 48 ° 59 ′ 10.4 ″  N , 11 ° 23 ′ 14 ″  E