Propylaeum

In 1959, a complex was discovered in Aquitaine near the Oppidum Agen, which could be identified as a rich grave; a re-excavation by R. Boudet confirmed this in 1990. The grave can probably be assigned to a rex of the Nitiobrogens, who was buried c. 50-35 BC. The pottery includes amphorae (Dressel 1B, Lamboglia 2), Italic (Campana B among others) and local forms. The metal finds are exceptionally rich. A four-wheeled ceremonial wagon, with a construction similar to that of Dejbjerg, could be reconstructed. Chariots have been important components of rich graves since the Bronze Age. Chariot finds from Latène C/D were collected for Central Europe and methodically analysed; the graves were placed in their context.

Relationships between people have always been the basis of social coexistence. Kinship – whether it is biological or social – has a very special significance. In archaeology, these immaterial connections have rarely been proven beyond doubt. In recent years, however, the field of archaeogenetics has developed methods and techniques that, given good DNA preservation, make it possible to determine the degree of genetic relatedness between two people who lived in the past.
The studies collected in this book, draw their knowledge on kinship from the fields of anthropology, archaeology, genetics, and the historical and social sciences. They demonstrate, on the basis of recent or previously known sites, which conclusions the new scientific insights allow on the one hand, but on the other hand also point out their limitations in the interpretation of (pre-)historic societies.

By epigraphical evidence the sanctuary of the Thessalian Koinon is located near the village Philia, nomos Karditsa (Thessaly). In 1960 deep ploughing in this area teared open the soil until the natural ground, a big quantity of objects was looted by the villagers and part of it reached European and American museums. There were only small places with undsisturbed stratigraphy left, when in 1963-67 D. Theocharis excavated the sanctuary. Therefore it’s mainly the the chronotypological classification of the small finds discussed in this study. Their function – votive, ritual equipment, tool etc. - are also analysed. A diachronical reconstruction of the cult activities refers to the archaeolocical material as well as to the literary tradition.

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.

The volume contains fifteen essays by students and (former) colleagues of Achim Arbeiter, who celebrates his 65^th birthday in 2023 and at the same time also his 25^th anniversary as Professor of 'Christian Archaeology and Byzantine Art History' at the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen. The contributions deal with iconographic and iconological aspects of pictorial works, with stylistic, typological and iconographic aspects of architecture, with settlement archaeology, music, ancient traditions in Christian saint cults and the multiple occupation of graves. Chronologically, the studies range from Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages; geographically, they lead from the Levant via North Africa, the Balkans and Italy to the Iberian Peninsula.

The Etruscans were excellent bronze craftsmen: this is proven both by numerous archaeological finds and ancient written sources. Especially between the 6th and 5th centuries BC, the Etruscan bronze workshops reached a very high level of craftsmanship and specialised in the production of household goods and banquet accessories, which were exported to all corners of the Mediterranean and north of the Alps.

Among the most valuable creations of the Etruscan bronze craftsmen were the staff trivets, a kind of stand assembled from several cast pieces and decorated with small figurative decorations. As one of the most important and significant elements of banquet accessories, they were often part of lavish funerary furnishings inside and outside Etruria, and because of their symbolic value they were even consecrated in sanctuaries. Their peculiarity emerges above all from the figural representations that adorned them and at the same time marked them as bearers of mythological stories.

A detailed study clarifies the typological connections of these Etruscan works of art with their models from the Near East and Greece by carefully examining all their technological and stylistic aspects. Thus, the significance of the staff triforms and their nature of prestigious objects for the Etruscan and non-Etruscan elites is fully revealed.

Many recent publications have dealt with medieval town squares as public spaces and stages to assert political power, and as “theatres” of ritual and social interaction. This volume comprises 16 presentations held at a conference in Zurich in 2017.
Researchers have, at times, lost sight of the genesis and materiality of public squares in the towns and cities concerned. Rarely have they asked when, where and by whom were the squares created; what components were used to demarcate them; how were they accessed; how were the surfaces reinforced; and how did their physical appearance change over the centuries?
The theme of the conference was the public square as a physical component of the fabric of a medieval town or city. Individual towns and cities were looked at as separate units of study whose undeveloped areas were then compared in terms of their genesis and how they functioned within the urbanistic context. It goes without saying that both archaeological contexts and historical sources were consulted.

The book focuses on the stuccos and painted decoration of the Laurentina Necropolis in Ostia. The necropolis was almost exclusively used by slaves, liberti (freedman) and their families, and is of particular interest for its long occupation (1^st century BC-3^rd century AD). The iconographic and iconological analyses of the decorations are supported by a catalogue of the different burials, where they are thorough described also including archival documentation of lost pieces of evidence. Furthermore, the results of multispectral imagery and 3D reconstruction conducted on selected burials enrich and integrate the description and study of the necropolis. Ultimately, the book shed new light not only on the history and evolution of the Necropolis Laurentina, but also allows to investigate existing relations of economic, social and cultural dependencies between freedmen and aristocrats.

The civil vici show different characteristics in building forms and settlement structures in the western provinces than those in the eastern provinces. Pannonia had to be of special importance as a link. Here one finds rather village settlements with strong pre-Roman roots next to the "traditional" small-town settlements.
Based on the results of the numerous recent excavations, this study sheds light on the role of the Zivilvici in the economic life of the province, the characteristics of building and settlement structure or their social composition. With regard to the Romanisation process, the survival of various pre-Roman elements in the vici and the changes in pre-Roman settlement structures were also investigated.

This volume is a revised study of the Early and Middle Helladic tombs excavated by W. Dörpfeld in 1903-1913 on the island of Leukas/Levkada. In addition to his publication “Alt-Ithaka” (1927) his diaries, note books and photographs could be used. There are new results concerning tomb architecture, tomb offerings, the organization of the cemeteries and sozial structures. Imports from the Cycladies, the Greek mainland, the Black Sea region and the Adriatic coasts indicate long distance connections. How to explain hierarchy and wealth on a small island at the periphery of the EH II Aegean?

The volume includes papers with individual contributions by the authors dealing with taphonomic processes as well as post-funeral practices and reuse of graves, which could be determined. It is shown that besides the state of preservation, the methods of investigation are enormously important in order to be able to recognize, for example, multiple burials. Likewise, the phenomenon of a closed context, as is quickly assumed in the discovery of a grave, is not a matter of fact in the case of the examples presented. The scientific analyses and evaluations help to understand both the biological and the cultural processes that occur or are carried out after the death of an individual.

The double volume “Theory | Archaeology | Reflection. Controversies and approaches in German-language discourse” is dedicated to the diversity of approaches that shape archaeological theoretical discourse today and in the near future. To this end, it brings together groundbreaking contributions, exciting thought experiments and initial theoretical approaches across the archaeological spectrum. Both established and young academics contribute new impulses and approaches to the discourse or discuss existing approaches. The articles of the first volume focus on disciplinary definitions, standpoints and positioning, as well as on questions of ethics and responsibility in archaeologies.

Using the example of the Italian helmets, the area of influence of the Etruscans in Picenum, in Upper Italy and in the Alpine region as well as the interactions between the different cultural groups can be traced.
The Etruscans developed the helmet type with a circumferential brim in the 7th century BC; in the course of the 6th century a throat was added to secure the crest. The Negau helmet was typical of the Archaic period. It disappeared in Central Italy in the 4th century, but remained in use in the Alpine region until the 1st century BC. In the Tyrolean region and in eastern Switzerland, the helmets were not found as prestige goods in graves, as was usually the case, but in sacrificial sites, often badly damaged by fire. Similar to Greece, such helmets captured in war were a high-value consecration gift.he Italian helmets, the area of influence of the Etruscans in Picenum, in Upper Italy and in the Alpine region as well as the interactions between the different cultural groups can be traced.

Vol. 1, see.

Using the example of the Italian helmets, the area of influence of the Etruscans in Picenum, in Upper Italy and in the Alpine region as well as the interactions between the different cultural groups can be traced.
The Etruscans developed the helmet type with a circumferential brim in the 7th century BC; in the course of the 6th century a throat was added to secure the crest. The Negau helmet was typical of the Archaic period. It disappeared in Central Italy in the 4th century, but remained in use in the Alpine region until the 1st century BC. In the Tyrolean region and in eastern Switzerland, the helmets were not found as prestige goods in graves, as was usually the case, but in sacrificial sites, often badly damaged by fire. Similar to Greece, such helmets captured in war were a high-value consecration gift.

Vol. 2, see.

From 1973–1980 excavations were conducted by the the Hessian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments at the site of "Alt-Geismar" near Fritzlar in northern Hesse. The settlement covered arguably up to 7 hectares and was continuously inhabited for more than one and a half millennia. Andreas Thiedmann’s scientific study presents and evaluates the settlement features of this important site for Hesse’s settlement archaeology. The comprehensive treatise illuminates the various aspects of living in a rural settlement and provides detailed insight into its development and supra-regional interactions from the Iron Age to the high Middle Ages.

The studies were carried out as preliminary work for an investigation of the Bronze Age river finds from the northern Upper Rhine. Based on the Late Bronze Age chronology advocated by the author since 1987, on the Hallstatt B chronology of Swiss research (limited to Switzerland and its immediate surroundings) and on dendrochronological data also for Bronze Age D, the possibilities of the stage division, the time approaches of the stage boundaries and the supra-regional validity of these stages and stage boundaries were again explored. It is not a matter of a systematic description of the contents of the stages, but rather of proving in principle that the close-meshed sequence of stages in stages of mostly 60 years, which can be found on the Rhine, Moselle and in Switzerland, can be transferred to the Urnfield Culture over a wide area, and can also serve as a standard for the chronology of the Atlantic Bronze Age.

Dieser Band enthält Berichte über Ausgrabungen und architektonische Untersuchungen auf der Burg Fracsteingrotte in Seewis/Prättigau bei Landquart und der Burgruine Schiedberg in Sagogn/Sagens. Er enthält auch zahlreiche Fotografien und Zeichnungen.

This book gives statistical information about the chronological development of the use of Latin words throughout the history of the language, from the fourth century BCE to the early sixth century CE. Based on the computational analysis of the works of 309 Latin authors, fragmentary and anonymous texts, and 521,532 epigraphs, this innovative resource helps scholars to explore the usage of Latin words across different time periods and linguistic registers, offering statistical insights to support philological, linguistic, and literary analysis.

What are rituals, how do they work, when and why did they emerge in the course of human evolution? These questions are addressed in the present work through an extensive, interdisciplinary synthesis. Approaches from evolutionary biology, cognitive science and cultural anthropology are combined and related to the archaeological record of the Paleolithic period. Communal ritual is explicated as a powerful psychosocial technique for social cohesion with a complex evolutionary history. The work demonstrates that ritual is among the central biocultural adaptations of an ultrasocial species, which, as the only hominin species, managed to spread across the entire planet.

A listed monument since 1962, the ruined castle at Hünenberg is one of the most important monuments of medieval cultural history in Canton Zug. The castle was built as early as 1100. Elaborately worked building blocks, colourfully painted exterior render and precious objects suggest that those who built it were members of the high nobility. The castle was later acquired by the Lords of Hünenberg, who over the course of the 13^th and 14^th centuries advanced their position to become one of the leading families of the minor nobility in the region. The most recent archaeological excavations, mounted over several short periods between 2005 and 2010, were the first to take advantage of modern scientific methods to examine a medieval castle site. The results of the analyses yielded surprising new insight into the castle’s history of construction and the lives of its former inhabitants.

Between 2008 and 2012 hessenARCHÄOLOGIE uncovered a spectacular site of the later Iron Age in the northern Amöneburg Basin near Niederwald – the remains of a 21-metre-long wooden yoke-pile bridge that had served as a river crossing from around the middle of the 3rd to the middle of the 2nd century BC. It proved to be a stroke of luck that in 2011 400 m west of the bridge the remains of a contemporary settlement came to light, whose earliest traces date back to the Hallstatt period. The result of the in-depth interdisciplinary research, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), is a meticulous two-volume study that doesn’t just look at the local Iron Age remains, but draws a picture of the Amöneburg Basin during the 1st millennium BC in terms of landscape and settlement history.

Volume 1, s. hier.

Between 2008 and 2012 hessenARCHÄOLOGIE uncovered a spectacular site of the later Iron Age in the northern Amöneburg Basin near Niederwald – the remains of a 21-metre-long wooden yoke-pile bridge that had served as a river crossing from around the middle of the 3rd to the middle of the 2nd century BC. It proved to be a stroke of luck that in 2011 400 m west of the bridge the remains of a contemporary settlement came to light, whose earliest traces date back to the Hallstatt period. The result of the in-depth interdisciplinary research, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), is a meticulous two-volume study that doesn’t just look at the local Iron Age remains, but draws a picture of the Amöneburg Basin during the 1st millennium BC in terms of landscape and settlement history.

Volume 2, s. hier.

The historic centre of Constance, with its historic buildings and excellently preserved archaeological remains, has been one of the focal points of archaeological heritage preservation in the state of Baden-Württemberg since the 1980s. Large-scale excavations were carried out in 1986–1987 in the backyard area of the most important north-south axis in the city, the Hussenstraße. Originally settled in the second half of the 11^th century, a higher social class neighbourhood had developed here by the 14^th century. The archeological investigations were evaluated in an interdisciplinary approach, starting with the urbanistic and historical context of the residential area and the evaluation of the findings, continuing with the presentation of the finds made of leather, glass, ceramics and metal, and ending with the scientific analysis of the animal bones and insect remains, which allow conclusions about the diet of the inhabitants and the hygienic conditions.

The study of ancient cultic activities has focused largely on architecturally designed sanctuaries in urban spaces. In order to approach ancient ritual activities away from human settlements, this dissertation develops a multisensory analysis model referred to as ‘Multiscapes’.
The model consists of culture-specific narratives (the ‘mindscape’) and the human perceptual potentials of vision (the ‘visionscape’), sound (the ‘soundscape’), smell (the ‘smellscape’), taste (the ‘tastescape’), and touch (the ‘touchscape’).
The model’s practicality is tested in a paradigmatic comparison of conceptual Hittite written sources with implementation potentials on ‘open space’ findings of Late Bronze Age Anatolia.

The custom of giving metalworking tools to a deceased person in the grave has been known since the Copper Age and is widespread in Europe, Asia and Africa. This volume attempts to trace this practice, taking into account the spiritual culture of the respective epoch. The picture of the archaeological legacy is completed by written and pictorial sources.
The work gives an overview from the Copper Age to the Middle Ages of all the graves in which forging tools were found. A few selected examples from the early Middle Ages are treated in more detail in individual studies.
In addition to the archaeological findings, epigraphic, iconographic, documentary and historical sources provide the basis for a new interpretation.

Volume 1, s. here.