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A remarkably well-preserved 6th-century burial chamber has been discovered near Riedlingen, in south-west Germany.
The burial chamber lies beneath a huge burial mound, which measures 65m in diameter and currently survives to a height of 2m, although it probably once stood over 6m tall. These dimensions place it alongside a small group of other ‘princely burials’ from this region dating to between the 7th and 5th centuries BC. Excavations began last year, and archaeologists were amazed to find that the 2,600-year-old wooden burial chamber inside the mound was still perfectly intact, thanks to the site’s waterlogged conditions. Only one other example preserved to such a degree has ever been found, in 1890 in the Black Forest, and that was not properly documented or fully conserved.
Further investigations have revealed the Riedlingen burial chamber to be a solid construction, 3.4m wide and 4.05m long, made of strong oak planks, with walls that were c.1m high. The heavy ceiling, once supported by a large crossbeam, has since collapsed into the chamber under the weight of the burial mound. Dendrochronological dating of the chamber’s timbers is under way, but analysis of a wooden tool left behind by the builders, as well as other factors, suggests that it was constructed in 585 BC.
Unfortunately, like most other princely tombs from this period, the Riedlingen tomb was looted in antiquity and no surviving grave goods have been unearthed so far. Archaeologists have, however, discovered decorative bronze nails that reflect the presence of rich burial ornaments, as well as iron nails thought to have come from a four-wheeled chariot like those found in other early Celtic graves.
Several human bones have been recovered from the burial chamber; initial analysis suggests that they belong to young man, between 15 and 20 years old and 160-168cm tall. Excavations have also uncovered another partially preserved skeleton, close to the surface at the edge of the mound, believed to be a secondary burial inserted around 500 BC. A few metres away, another small pit was found containing two cremation urns dating to c.600 BC, around the time of the mound’s construction.
It is hoped that ongoing archaeological investigations and post-excavation analysis will reveal more about this impressive burial site and the high-status individual for whom it was constructed.
Text: Amy Brunskill / Image: Landesamt für Denkmalpflege im Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart, Jörn Heimann
