UB palynologists study the exceptional textile remains of the Celtic Hochdorf grave, in Germany

The excellent preservation of the grave made possible to confirm that it contained some rich textile grave goods.
The excellent preservation of the grave made possible to confirm that it contained some rich textile grave goods.
(06/02/2013)

The UB researchers Yolanda Llergo and Santiago Riera, palynologists from the Prehistoric Studies and Research Seminar of the UB (SERP), led by the UB professor Josep Maria Fullola, have set off a study of the textile remains of a prince grave from the 6th century BC in Hochdorf (Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany). The importance of this archaeological discovery is stressed by the rich grave goods (jewellery, arms and furniture made of wood, bronze and gold) preserved on it which belonged to a Celtic figure who held a high position in the Hallstatt society, a Central European culture who experienced the transition from Brozen Age to Iron Age. The excellent preservation of the grave made possible to confirm that it contained some rich textile grave goods. These remains characterize the discovery as exceptional because textiles are scarcely preserved in archaelogical sites.

 

The excellent preservation of the grave made possible to confirm that it contained some rich textile grave goods.
The excellent preservation of the grave made possible to confirm that it contained some rich textile grave goods.
06/02/2013

The UB researchers Yolanda Llergo and Santiago Riera, palynologists from the Prehistoric Studies and Research Seminar of the UB (SERP), led by the UB professor Josep Maria Fullola, have set off a study of the textile remains of a prince grave from the 6th century BC in Hochdorf (Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany). The importance of this archaeological discovery is stressed by the rich grave goods (jewellery, arms and furniture made of wood, bronze and gold) preserved on it which belonged to a Celtic figure who held a high position in the Hallstatt society, a Central European culture who experienced the transition from Brozen Age to Iron Age. The excellent preservation of the grave made possible to confirm that it contained some rich textile grave goods. These remains characterize the discovery as exceptional because textiles are scarcely preserved in archaelogical sites.

 

The grave, discovered in 1978 in Hochdorf, was under a six-metre high tumulus; evidences show that up to eight people had a dinner to honour the deceased. They drank, from horns with gold foil ornament, the mead contained by a 500 litres cauldron. In the case of textile remains, it was proved that the deceased wore a blue dress and was wrapped in several light clothes of strong colours. Moreover, the walls and floor of the chamber were entirely covered with woven and embroidered textiles and all was decorated with flowers.

 
The textiles samples are already at the UB, so SERP researchers could begin to carry out the process of pollen extraction. Yolanda Llergo and Santiago Riera have already extracted in a successful way some pollen grains from burial textiles. Their studies reveal that pollen analyses of archaeological textiles can provide useful information about the burial uses of plants. Plants were used for their aromatic properties, as a tribute, or to decorate. In 2011, these studies were presented in the North European Symposium of Archaeological Textiles (NESAT XI) and they whetted the interest of the researcher Johanna Banck-Burgess, from the State Agency for Conservation of Baden-Wurttemberg (Germany). This researcher, who is currently developing a unique project for the study, preservation and restoration of the textiles found in Hochdorf grave, proposed to UB researchers to carry out pollen analyses of the textiles found on this archaeological site.
 
At the moment, Hochdorf grave is part of the special exhibition “The World of the Celts”, which can be visited in Stuttgart until 17th February.