Clemency's burial chamber
Coordinates: 49 ° 35 ′ 29 ″ N , 5 ° 54 ′ 6 ″ E
The late Celtic burial chamber of Clemency was discovered in the district of Clemency , within sight of the Treverian oppidum on the Titelberg in Luxembourg .
location
It is the headwaters of the Eisch , on a plateau above the Chierstal. In 1987 amphorae fragments and burned bones were picked up here. The finds suggested that a late Celtic grave complex had been cut. The excavation that was initiated led to the discovery of one of the largest burial chambers of the late Celtic era .
The chamber
The almost square grave pit, about 4.25 meters on a side, the largest Gallic grave ever, had been cut by a contemporary drainage ditch and a structure in the southeast corner was interpreted as the remainder of the manhole of ancient grave robbers.
Under today's surface, vessels were found at a depth of only 0.60 meters, which were originally placed on the ceiling of the chamber and therefore did not belong directly to the grave furniture. The original height of the burial chamber is unknown. In the pit, traces of wood from the chamber had been preserved, the careful recovery of which allowed a precise reconstruction of the construction. Their floor consisted of wide oak planks, some of which lay on sill joists. The corner frame of the walls consisted of four oak posts. Stands mortised in the sill beam formed the axes. This frame carried a double board formwork. Beams and ceiling boards fell onto the additions when the chamber fell apart.
The additions
In addition to two complete amphorae, shards of at least eight others were excavated. In the middle of the room was a small oil lamp made of black Campanian ware, and a bronze basin on the north wall . In addition to these imported items from Italy , three dozen native vessels were placed in the grave of the deceased. The gifts also included four pigs, the skeletons of which were broken down to the remains of their teeth. The corpse burn was probably placed in a container made of organic material in the burial chamber.
The additions allow the burial chamber to be dated to the second quarter of the 1st century BC. BC, just before the start of the Gallic War . They also attest to the high-ranking position of the deceased by Clemency. The analysis showed that the deceased had reached the age of 40 to 50 years and had been cremated while wrapped in a bear skin .
The entire system
An analysis of the environment provided details about the entire system. A large mound could be detected that was almost completely eroded by agriculture and erosion. The tumulus was in the middle of a square area 27 m long, which was surrounded by a ditch. Outside this area, the remains of a pyre as well as remains of corpses and charcoal could be determined. Between the ditch and the funeral pyre was an area that was littered with fragments of deliberately smashed amphorae and may be interpreted in the context of a symposium on the burial mound. Including the grave furniture, 30 to 40 amphorae were found. This could mean that 750 to 1000 liters of Italian wine had been used for the burial equipment or for the funeral ceremonies. 20 small pits in the south-eastern area of the enclosure contained burned bones. Their investigation revealed that apart from a single human sternum fragment (breastbone) it was the bone remnants of horses , cattle and pigs .
The context
The grave of Clemency, the graves of Goeblange - Nospelt and a number of other poorly documented burials with republican amphorae and Italian bronze dishes show a relationship to the oppidum on the Titelberg. The concentration of rich graves suggests that the Celtic aristocracy was primarily based on land ownership. Another source of acquisition, which is indicated by the dumping of the chimney of a shaft furnace on the ceiling of the burial chamber, was possibly iron processing. The site is located in the midst of rich turf ore deposits that were exploited until the 19th century.
literature
- Jeannot Metzler, The late Celtic burial chamber of Clemency. In: Guide to archaeological monuments in Germany, Vol. 24. The Merzig-Wadern district and the Moselle between Nenning and Metz. Pp. 239-243 Stuttgart 1992 ISBN 3-8062-1021-7
- J. Metzler, R. Waringo, R. Bis and N. Metzler-Zens, Clemency et les tombes de l'aristocratie en Gaule Belgique. Dossiers d'Archéologie du Musée National d'Histoire et d'Art 1, Luxembourg 1991
Web links
- Celtic Museum, section on Clemency ( Memento from February 20, 2005 in the Internet Archive )
- TK section from the Bofferdangermoor location south of Clemency