Late Celtic round shrine Horres

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The late Celtic round sanctuary on the Horres corridor is located on Landstrasse 105 between the Saarland community of Gersheim and its district of Reinheim . It was discovered in 2006 during geomagnetic investigations, only about 20 meters from Mound 1 of the Horres Celtic burial mound , which was uncovered in 2005 , between the side wings of a Roman building.

Finding

A circular trench approx. 4 meters wide and approx. 1.5 meters deep was exposed 0.40 meters below the surface , which, taking into account soil erosion and the removal of soil by arable farming, was approx. 1.70 to 1 , Must have been 80 meters deep. The trench was worked 1 meter deep into the limestone rock. It surrounds a limestone pedestal with a diameter of 9.5 meters. In the south, the circular moat was partly built over and partially destroyed by a Roman water basin, which is embedded 0.10 meters into the brine of the circular moat. Part of the platform was also destroyed during this construction project. The complex is located between the two side wings of a Roman building that was built after the 1st century AD. Both the walls and the floor of the circular moat were only roughly worked out. A 0.15 meter deep, 7 meter long and 2 meter wide recess, which runs in the WSW-OSE direction, and three post pits were found in the platform .

After the floor of the water basin and the backfilling of the circular trench had been removed, 16 post pits were found on the inside of the circular trench, with three post pits located under the wall of the water basin and could not be examined in more detail. On the outside of the circular trench, 22 post pits were found, 26 of which can be postulated as four post pits are located under the wall of the basin and were also not examined in order not to damage the masonry of the basin. The originally used wooden posts, with an estimated 0.25 to 0.30 meters in diameter, were wedged with limestone after they were found. After the posts were removed, some were filled with stones. 16 Celtic potin coins were found in 13 of the 35 post pits examined . In the area of ​​the water basin, a halved ace and an antoninian were found in two other post pits . In addition, other coins as well as numerous Roman ceramics, four fibulae , a fragment of a perforated belt hook and an oil lamp were found in the backfill layer of the circular ditch and in the water basin .

Objects

Finds from the backfill layer of the circular trench
designation material description Dating number
Nauheim Primer bronze With quadruple spiral and lower tendon. The bracket is decorated with a notched bar. LT D1 until early Augustan 1
Hinged brooch bronze With iron axis and offset head plate Early 2nd century AD 1
Hinged brooch bronze With lateral extensions and iron axis Early 2nd century AD 1
Hinged brooch bronze Cross-profiled. Bracket decorated with a transverse bead. 1st half of the 2nd century AD 1
oil lamp bronze With a rounded snout 1st century AD 1
Fragment of a perforated belt hook bronze 1st century BC Chr. 1

Coins

Due to the location of most of the coins, it is not possible to say how or why they ended up in the circular moat and the water basin. The potin coins in the post pits of the circular trench are an exception. It can be assumed that these coins were deliberately deposited in the post pits (whereas the two Roman coins were only introduced when the water basin was built). This is supported by the fact that 16 potin coins were found in 13 of the post pits examined. It is unlikely that the 16 Celtic coins all got into the pits by accident, for example through loss. Rather, a construction sacrifice can be assumed here. This type of ritual building sacrifice is from the 1st century BC. To be observed in the 1st century AD. Dating of Celtic coins is usually only possible within a period of 25 to 50 years. Based on the Celtic coins found, the construction of the circular moat can be traced back to between 150 and 80 BC. Until the turn of the 2nd to the 1st century BC To be dated.

Some of the potin coins found in the backfill layer of the circular ditch, the water basin and the post pits are rarely or not at all in the region. So the potin coins LT 5284 are not known in southwest Germany and Lorraine . So far, only three of the LT 7396 have been found in Trier and one in Alsace , and Scheer's 186 Class II is not at all known in Germany and Alsace. Scheer's 187 is also documented in Lorraine, but has not yet been found in Germany or Alsace. This suggests important supra-regional contacts. Based on the evidence, it can be assumed that the various groups were in contact with one another over a longer period of time. In addition to the ″ Horres ″ district moat, this applies to the entire Reinheim settlement area. Another peculiarity is the fact that none of the coins found can be assigned to the tribe of Mediomatricians , although the Reinheim region belonged to their territory. Found in the post holes potin coins of the type LT and LT 7376 7417, all the root of the senones are attributed. The Scheers 186 Classe II and Scheers 187 coins found in the post pits are widespread in the area between the Maas and Seine , while LT 5284 can be found west of Paris and Scheers 193 belongs to the Remer tribe . A total of 34 Celtic coins and six Roman coins were found in the post pits, the circular moat and in the water basin:

Celtic coin finds in circular moats, post pits and water basins
Coin type Embossing reference Location number
Potin coin au taureau: MA LT 5284 Circular trench 1
Potin coin au taureau or au taureau et lis? Scheer's 187? / LT 5284? / DT 229? Post pit 1
Potin coin au cheval et globules LT 7396 Post pit 5
Potin coin au cheval et globules LT 7396 Post pit 5
Potin coin à tête d'india LT 7417 Post pit 1
Potin coin au sanglier Scheer's 186 class Ic? Circular trench 1
Potin coin au sanglier Scheers 186 class II / DT228 Circular trench 1
Potin coin au sanglier Scheers 186 class II / DT228 Post pit 3
Potin coin au taureau et au lis Scheers 187 Circular trench 8th
Potin coin au taureau et au lis Scheers 187, DT 229 Post pit 3
Potin coin au taureau or au taureau et lis? Scheer's 187? / BMC 284? Post pit 2
Potin coin Remi Scheer's 191 Wall of water basin 1
Potin coin Remi Scheers 193 / LT8135 Post pit 1
Bronze coin not assignable not assignable Water basin 1

Notes on the abbreviations in the references

  1. ^ Henri de la Tour: Atlas de monnaies gauloises . E. Plon, Nourrit et Cie, Paris 1892 ( digitized version ).
  2. ^ Simone Scheers: La Gaule Belgique. Traite de numismatique celtique. 2nd edition, Peeters, Louvain 1983, ISBN 2-801-70209-9 .
  3. ↑ Louis-Pol Delestree, Marcel Tache: Nouvel atlas of monnaies gauloises . 4 volumes, Editions Commios, Saint-Germain-en-Laye 2002–2008.
  4. ^ Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum . Trustees of the British Museum, London 1923–1962.
Roman coin finds in circular moats, post pits and water basins
Coin type Embossing reference Dating Location comment number
As republic Craw 173/1… 196/1 169 to 158 BC Chr. Circular trench 1
As republic Craw 50 / 3-219 / 2 209 to 146 BC Chr. Circular trench halved 1
Triens / Quadrans republic not assignable 2nd century BC Chr. Circular trench halved 1
As Transition period RPC 517 36 BC Chr. Post pit halved 1
Antoninian Gallic emperor Elm A.D. 260 to 275 Post pit Gallic mint; barbarized 1
Follis Constantinus I / Sons of Constantine Elm A.D. 335 to 340 Water basin Inscription: GLORIA EXERCITUS 1

Notes on the abbreviations in the references

  1. ↑ Michael H. Crawford : Roman Republican Coinage. 2 volumes, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge et al. 1974, ISBN 0-521-07492-4 .
  2. ↑ Andrew Burnett, Michel Amandry (Eds.): Roman Provincial Coinage (RPC) . British Museum Press / Bibliothèque Nationale de France, London / Paris 1992 ff.
  3. ^ Georg Elmer: The coinage of the Gallic emperors in Cologne, Trier and Milan . In: Bonner Jahrbücher . Volume 146, 1941, pp. 1-106.

Ceramics

Since the ceramics found in the filling layer are known vessels, their analysis serves to determine when the circular trench was filled with them and thus to determine when the system was destroyed. The ceramics found consisted of the genera Terra Sigillata , gray-Belgian goods or Terra Nigra , rough-walled clay-ground goods, smooth-walled clay-ground goods and a piece of red Belgian goods. Since almost all the forms of plates and vessels found in the backfill layer of the circular ditch are also available in the Hofheim warehouse , which is a reference for provincial Roman ceramics , it is possible to determine the date of manufacture. In addition, the pottery temple of Lucundus was on a Terra Sigillata plate, which could be almost completely assembled. Under certain circumstances it can also be the stamp of several potters with the same name. Terra Sigillata dishes with this stamp are common. It is assumed that dishes with this stamp were made between 30 and 80 AD. For the Terra Sigillata goods of the Kreisgraben, by comparing them with the Hofheim camp, it can be determined that the ceramics were made in the Claudian to Neronian times. For the Belgian goods, the rough-walled clay-ground goods and the smooth-walled clay-ground goods, there are comparative finds from the Hofheim camp, which identify them as early forms from the 1st century AD. Overall, these findings and the comparisons with the finds from the Hofheim camp show that the pottery found was produced in the two decades in the middle of the 1st century AD in the Claudian to Neronian times. It cannot be clarified how long the dishes found in the circular ditch were in use. Due to its nature, Roman crockery could not have been used for much longer than ten years. Then it was unusable due to wear and tear.

The entirety of the ceramic finds in the circular moat suggests that they come from one household and that they reached the circular moat at a certain point in time. These findings allow the conclusion that the circular moat was filled in one go between 70 and 80 AD. A total of 76 fragments of Roman pottery were found in layer 1 of the circular trench:

Finds from the backfill layer of the circular trench
genus shape State of preservation number
Terra Sigillata Plate Edge piece 7th
Terra Sigillata Plate Whole profile 1
Terra Sigillata Bowl Edge piece 10
Terra Sigillata Bowl Bottom piece 2
Terra Sigillata bowl Wall piece 1
Red Belgian goods Plate Edge piece 1
Terra Nigra or gray Belgian goods Plate Edge piece 6th
Terra Nigra or gray Belgian goods Plate Whole profile 1
Terra Nigra or gray Belgian goods Bowl Edge piece 5
Terra Nigra or gray Belgian goods bowl Edge piece 2
Terra Nigra or gray Belgian goods pot Edge piece 5
Rough-walled goods bowl Edge piece 8th
Rough-walled goods Bowl Edge piece 1
Rough-walled goods pot Edge piece 24
Smooth-walled goods jug Edge piece 2

Geoarchaeological investigation

The complex consists of a circular ditch carved into the shell rock and a limestone platform in the middle. The platform was created in one piece by digging the trench. During the investigation six different layers could be found in the circular ditch. The phosphate value of the individual layers was examined in a laboratory analysis . Together with the pedological analyzes, the origin and history of the individual layers can be determined. Phosphate is not washed out or broken down in soils. An entry of phosphate through fertilization can be excluded in layers 4 and 5. If this were the case, the layers above would also have to have corresponding phosphate values. The phosphate values ​​thus indicate a wood structure that has disintegrated in the ditch.

Description and phosphate content of the layers of the circular trench
layer description PO 4 per 100 g of soil
1 Construction rubble, with a high proportion of coarse limestone and bricks, which was introduced in Roman times, as well as washed-in topsoil material with proportions of clay and organic material. 47.4 mg
2 1 to 3 cm thick layer of light clay and limestone. It is not a matter of introduced topsoil material, but of material that comes from the area around the Roman structures. 7.2 mg
3 Clay and loam with a high proportion of sand with very clear boundary lines. Relocated soil material that was brought in and deposited quickly (possibly due to heavy rain). 17.8 mg
4th Greenish tone. More powerful towards the sides of the trench. Possibly material from the walls of the circular trench. The phosphate value indicates a possible mixture with layer 5 or existing organic material. 8.4 mg
5 Dark layer of clay containing charcoal fragments that runs past the edge of the circular ditch. Greatest thickness in the transition from the floor to the walls. Also found in the spaces between the lime sides on the walls. The high phosphate content indicates weathered and rotten organic material. This indicates the presence of a wood structure. 65.9 mg
6th Weathered limestone rock <0.3 mg

Dating

On the basis of the Celtic potin coins found in the post pits, which can be postulated as building sacrifices , and their dating, the origin of the complex can be traced back to the period between 150 and 80 BC. Until the turn of the 2nd to the 1st century BC To be dated. The later dated As and the Antoninian, found in two post pits in the area of ​​the water basin, do not speak against this dating, as they got into the pits in the course of the construction of the water basin. Of the other objects found, only the Nauheim fibula found in the backfill layer from the period between 120 and 50 BC can be traced back. BC, which means that these objects cannot be used to date the complex. Based on the dating of the ceramics that were found in the filling layer of the circular trench, the filling of the trench and thus the destruction of the circular trench system can be dated between 70 and 80 AD.

Overall view

Due to the potin coins in the post pits and the Roman ceramics found in the backfill layer 1, the construction of the complex can be traced back to 150 to 80 BC. And date of the destruction to 70 to 80 AD. The potin coins found in the post pits can be viewed as building sacrifices. The use of coins as building sacrifices began around 100 BC. And was practiced until around 100 AD. The halved As and the barbaric Antoninian were found in the area of ​​the water basin and probably got there during its construction phase and can therefore not be used to date the construction of the facility. With regard to the fact that in the area of ​​″ Horres ″ already since 700 BC. Chr. Settlement activities can be proven, it cannot be completely ruled out that the place was used earlier. With its 16 inner and 26 outer posts and the resulting 16-sided polygonal structure , the facility has no comparable counterpart in the region .

Celtic cult sites are often surrounded by trenches. These trenches, like that of this complex, fulfill the function of separating the sacred area from the secular environment. Both this and the distance of only 20 meters to the ″ Horres ″ barrow complex allow the complex to be interpreted as a round sanctuary that served the ancestor cult. The post pits with the potin coins deposited as building sacrifices can be seen as a further indication of this assumption. After the posts were pulled, these post pits were not simply left open, but were carefully filled with stone packings, which can be viewed as a cultic act. In Gallo-Roman times, Celtic places of worship were often adopted. This did not necessarily take place for the same cultic purposes as originally, but in the sense of a space continuity. In addition, the Romans used the Interpretatio Romana in the occupied territories , in which the local deities were equated with the Roman gods and were thus assimilated, and as a counterpart, albeit less common, the Interpretatio Celtica used by the Celts . The building was not built until after 100 AD, i.e. at a time when the circular moat was already filled, but the circular moat is noticeably symmetrical between the two side wings of the building, which was also decorated with rich murals on the inside and above one Mosaic floor , which was first documented for this rural region . The water basin, the creation of which can be dated to the 3rd century AD due to the found Antoninan, is not only located symmetrically between the two wings of the building like the circular moat, but also on the southern part of the circular moat and is embedded in its brine. As a further indication of a late Celtic sanctuary, the destruction of the complex in 70 to 80 AD could be postulated. In the middle of the 1st century AD, Emperor Claudius I imposed a ban on druidism . This led to the fact that many late Celtic temple complexes were destroyed.

The question of who built the facility cannot be conclusively clarified. Neither found in the fill layer Nauheim brooches, even a fragment of Loch belt hook from the late Latènezeit provide evidence of this. It is noticeable, however, that no Celtic coins could be found in the complex that could be assigned to the tribal area of ​​the Mediomatrics on which Reinheim is located. However, the majority of the found coins can be assigned to the Senones, who had their tribal area in central France and for whom the knowledge of polygonal structures can be assumed, which could indicate the Senones as builders. Here, however, the question arises as to how the Senones in the field of mediomatrics could build such a sanctuary with their tolerance.

Theoretical reconstruction of the sanctuary

A reconstruction of the round sanctuary can only take place hypothetically . In doing so, comparisons with known systems with a similar floor plan were used and a construction method was chosen that is associated with the least amount of effort. However, the geoarchaeological investigations of the circular moat system also provide information on the possible construction of the system. If you look at the three post pits in the center of the system, a previous building in the form of a four-post temple with the dimensions 4.20 x 3.50 meters could have stood at this point. A fourth post would then have to be assumed here, which would not have reached the rock due to the thickness of the topsoil. However, this four-post temple would not have been completely rectangular, as there is a deviation of 5 degrees from the broad side to the long side.

Both the unevenly worked walls of the trench and the unevenly worked floor speak in favor of wood cladding for the walls and a wooden floor in the trench. The geoarchaeological investigations by Daniela Brück also provide an indication that this wall cladding actually existed. In layer 5, a darker layer of clay, which is stronger towards the walls, was found. This was also found in the spaces between the limestones. In addition, the phosphate value in this layer is much higher than in the other layers (including the arable land). This indicates rotted organic material. In addition, splinters of charcoal were found, which underpin the thesis of the wall cladding and the wooden floor. Indications of rotted material were also found in layer 4.

Since the wall of the trench in the lower area, towards the post pits, runs diagonally inwards, horizontal cladding is not an option. Nor does it take into account that the boards of the floor lay directly on the unevenly worked rock floor. Rather, it can be assumed (similar to the reconstruction attempts at the sanctuary of Gournay in France) that the posts were connected on the inside and outside with horizontal straight beams. At least three of these were required, which were attached between two posts. One in the lower area, on which the boards of the floor have been placed, and two above, to which the vertically attached boards of the wall cladding were attached. It can be assumed that these wooden beams were straight and not curved according to the circular shape of the trench. This construction creates 26 straight sides on the outside and 16 straight sides on the inside of the circular trench. The floor boards were probably laid across from the outer to the inner wall. With this laying method, the boards had to taper in width towards the inside, but an expensive floor construction was avoided, which would have been necessary if the floor had been laid lengthways, parallel to the walls of the circular trench. The boards of the wall cladding stood up on the floorboards below. In order to prevent water and mud from entering the trench from outside, these boards must have protruded at least a bit over the wall of the trench and have been appropriately covered to protect the cut edges. The space between the casing and the trench wall was filled with greenish clay to protect it from weathering. This was deposited on it after the wall paneling collapsed inward. During the geoarchaeological investigations, this clay was detected in layer 4. Since the outer posts are not in alignment with the inner posts, they cannot have belonged to the roof structure. The only possible roof construction is a 16-surface pyramid roof, in which the 16 inner posts of the circular trench have supported the roof beams. To ensure access to the interior, there must have been a wooden walkway over the ditch. The question of how the building was covered must remain open, as well as the question of whether it was an open construction or whether the interior had walls, windows or doors.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c d Walter Reinhard: The riddle of the circular trench of Reinheim Horres. In: Celts, Romans and Germanic tribes in Bliesgau (= preservation of monuments in Saarland. Volume 3). Bliesbruck-Reinheim European Cultural Park Foundation, Gersheim 2010, ISBN 978-3-9811591-2-7 , pp. 262–286.
  2. ^ Colin Haselgrove: The incidence of iron age coinage on archeological sites in Belgic Gaul . In: Jeannot Metzler, David Wigg-Wolf (ed.): The Celts and Rome: New numismatic research. Fond de Gras / Titelberg, Luxembourg, April 30th – May 3rd, 1998 (= studies of ancient coins. Volume 19). Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 2006, ISBN 978-3-8053-3577-5 , pp. 247-296.
  3. ↑ David Wigg-Wolf: Fund coins from Reinheim ″ Horres ″ and the surrounding area . In: Walter Reinhard: The riddle of the circular ditch of Reinheim Horres. In: Celts, Romans and Germanic tribes in Bliesgau (= preservation of monuments in Saarland. Volume 3). Bliesbruck-Reinheim European Cultural Park Foundation, Gersheim 2010, ISBN 978-3-9811591-2-7 , pp. 291-303.
  4. ^ Martin Frey: The Roman pottery from layer 1 of the circular trench . In: Walter Reinhard: The riddle of the circular ditch of Reinheim Horres. In: Celts, Romans and Germanic tribes in Bliesgau (= preservation of monuments in Saarland. Volume 3). Foundation European Cultural Park Bliesbruck-Reinheim, Gersheim 2010, ISBN 978-3-9811591-2-7 , pp. 304-317.
  5. ^ Daniela Brück: Geoarchaeological investigations on the circular ditch of Reinheim "Horres" . In: Walter Reinhard: The riddle of the circular ditch of Reinheim Horres. In: Celts, Romans and Germanic tribes in Bliesgau (= preservation of monuments in Saarland. Volume 3). Bliesbruck-Reinheim European Cultural Park Foundation, Gersheim 2010, ISBN 978-3-9811591-2-7 , pp. 288-291.
  6. ^ Georg Wissowa : Interpretatio Romana. Roman gods in barbarian lands. In: Archive for Religious Studies . Volume 19, 1916-1919, pp. 1-49 ( digitized version ).
  7. ↑ Helmut Birkhan : Celtic religion. In: Johann Figl (Hrsg.): Handbuch Religionswissenschaft. Religions and their central themes. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2003, ISBN 3-7022-2508-0 , pp. 222-234, here p. 226 ( online ).
  8. ^ Walter Reinhard: The excavations 2005–2009 in the Horres corridor in Reinheim. In: Celts, Romans and Germanic tribes in Bliesgau (= preservation of monuments in Saarland. Volume 3). Foundation European Cultural Park Bliesbruck-Reinheim, Gersheim 2010, ISBN 978-3-9811591-2-7 , p. 256.