Steffen , Christoph

Jörg Biel (Ed.), Erwin Keefer (Ed.)

Hochdorf X: Das bronzene Sitzmöbel aus dem Fürstengrab von Eberdingen-Hochdorf (Kr. Ludwigsburg)

More than four decades after its excavation, the presentation of the sitting bench, used in its last function as a funeral rest, completes the basic publications on the inventory of the Late Hallstatt period (c. 530 BC) chamber tomb of Hochdorf. The centrepiece of the volume is a catalogue of the overall appearance of this unique piece of furniture, which is based on digital imaging techniques. This is complemented by descriptions of the findings, the recovery, the restoration and production techniques, which close with the presentation of a replica of the piece. Detailed textile archaeological analyses of the rich adhesions on the funerary couch complement the picture. A further focus is on archaeometallurgical examinations of the furniture’s components and its iron substructure. Questions related to the origin of the object are discussed in a cultural-historical study on its southern and italic connections and on the interpretation of the pictorial programme. The volume is completed by bioarchaeological analyses of the deceased from the central grave as well as other burials from the mound area.