Celts Hallstatt vs La Tène

bY nICOLAS masson

start

the celts

chapter ii

4. Summary

3. The La Tène culture

2. The Hallstatt culture

1. Chronology

plan

Christiane ELUÈRE, The Celts. First Masters of Europe, London, 1993, Thames & Hudson.

Celtic citadels and merchant princes The birth of this new society was marked by the establishment of citadels* on high places that overlooked a vast area of land. Among the most important of these places, a dozen* were probably residences of princes who played a key role in the economy and politics of the area. Archaeologists give the name ‘prince’ to powerful chiefs of tribes whose tombs were particularly luxurious. Next to almost every citadel were found tumuli*. Their content proves that the princes were in contact with the Greeks and the Etruscans*. They controlled and taxed the trade with the Mediterranean people.

Vocabulary *citadels: castles or forts *a dozen: twelve *tumulus: plr. tumuli. A mound of earth and stones raised over a grave (tomb). *Etruscans: people living in Italy before the Romans took power

THE HALLSTATT CULTURE

CELTIC CITADEL Modern-day animation of a Celtic citadel in Heuneburg (Germany) c. 600 BC

This is a tumulus found in Hochdorf (Germany) CLICK ON IT to see what's inside!

Reconstructed funeral chamber of a Celtic prince. It dates to 530 BC, was discovered in 1968 by an amateur archaeologist and excavated from 1978 to 1979 form the Hochdorf tumulus (Germany). This tumulus was located not far from a celtic citadel.

A tomb! CLICK onthe various objects in the funeral chamber to learn about the Hochdorf prince.

Christiane ELUÈRE, The Celts. First Masters of Europe, London, 1993, Thames & Hudson.

The Celtic oppida Between the third and first centuries BC the first Celtic towns (oppidum, pl. oppida), protected by a rampart (murus gallicus), developed almost everywhere in Gaul. A central oppidum served as capital of a region while smaller oppida created a network of land and river communications. The urban settlements were strategic centres of warfare, power and commerce controlled by powerful warriors. From the oppida, mass-produced craft goods (like fibulae ) were exported while the Mediterranean products (such as wine and oil) came into general use. In the rural areas the Celts mastered agriculture.

THE LA TÈNE CULTURE

CELTIC OPPIDUM Modern-day animation of a Celtic Oppidum, Central Europe 1st century BC

Warrior tombs

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