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Archaeological site and reasons for the choice

The Iron Age Glauberg is one of the most known Celtic monuments in Germany. It is a typical place of empowerment of a certain Celtic social group, which shows similarity to other places in the middle of Europe. It articulates in a combination of fortified, mostly hilltop settlements together with richly endowed tombs, often embedded into an impressing grave mound or other monuments demonstrating some kind of political power and influence. Imported goods from distant regions like Italy or the Baltic Sea could be interpreted as wide range contacts and trading activities. These sites can be addressed as an example of early complex and highly elaborate structuring of landscape and defining larger territories.



The Glauberg is one of the best researched places in German, geomagnetical surveys of more than 20 km2, field surveys, excavations and meta analysis (like archaeo-botanics, astro-physics, GIS analyses, material analysis during restoration of finds etc.) revealed a great range of answers to many questions but also revealed new questions. And research is still in process. Nowadays the Glauberg is under archaeological and environmental protection. Traces of archaeology can be found in the landscape. Though many questions are still in preparation and some will never be answered, enough information are refined to give ideas of the Celtic Glauberg to the public.

Historical placement

In the 6th and 5th century B.C. Celtic Culture inhabited large parts north of the Alps and their influence reached as far as the lower Rhine and the Main area. The Iron Age usage of the site comprises only about 100 to 150 years, that means about 4 to 6 generations of man, from about 500 to 400 or 350. Three central burials in 2 mounds indicate about two or three generations. Further more dead that have been “buried” or waist in large pits inside the settlements might provide an even wider range. The Glauberg princely site belongs to a phenomenon, occurring first in the southern regions of the so-called “Hallstatt cultures” at about 650 B.C. when people in certain regions start to build huge fortified settlements on hill tops and they also start to bury certain dead in enormous grave mounds with rich grave goods. There is evidence of an early – late bronze age (850 – 800 B.C) - occupation of parts of the plateau in times of the so-called “urnfield culture”, named after their preference of burying the ashes of their dead in urns and vases. A grave of the urnfield culture has been found in the pathway of the procession road (see below), the burial was exactly oriented to this road and to the direction it marks. This fact seems to underline the long tradition of the calendar. This late urnfield occupation of the place seems to have been small spotted and not for long. Except of the grave, some remains of a late bronze age fortification wall and some finds there haven’t been found other traces of this period so far.

Geographical layout of the archaeological site (maps, historical horography,kinds of plants and landscape)

Geography Wide range environment

The extended mountain ridge of the Glauberg, is situated about 30 km to the south-east of Frankfurt, at the eastern rim of the Wetterau-basalt-massif. Here the Vogelsberg slopes of vulcanic origin lower into the valley of the river Main. The ridge rises up to 271 m absolute altitude, relatively it rises above the 150 m lower meads of the rivers Nidder (in the east) and Seemenbach (in the south). Nowadays they are of minor size but in former times they might have been shipped with shallow boats or horse tracked floats. They confluence in the south-east of the Glauberg beneath an upstream knoll called “Enzheimer Köpfchen”. This is incorporated into the whole arrangement of the Glauberg by wide stretched walls and ditches. In the valley the soils are of high quality. Poll diagrams show high agricultural activity for the early Iron Age. Deforestation seems to have taken place in most areas. So during the focussed time of the 5th century except of some single trees and small assembles of trees and bushes the area was completely under agricultural work (stock breeding, crop breeding and gardening). There is evidence of settlement activity in the periphery of the Glauberg. But so far none of bigger villages have been excavated in the flat land. Some smaller farmsteads of an enlarged chronological depth can be located today. The condition of the remaining features in these areas suggests an erosion of larger evidence.

Topography of the Site

The Iron Age Glauberg site – as we know it today - comprises an area of about 7 km2. The hill-fort on the plateau of about 800 m length and 200 m maximum width and the astronomical structures of about 1,5 km2 (see terrain-map above) is of main interest. The plateau can be accessed easily from the east, the northern, southern and western hillsides have got rampant slopes of 30-40 m height. In the western half of the plateau a circular depression (diameter 20 m), the socalled “Weiher”, served as a water reservoir for the inhabitants. Though it has got no dwell, it always contains water (in modern times a drainage empties the basin in times of flood water). The walls include the whole area of the plateau; in the easily accessible north-eastern area a ditch supported the defensive line. In the southwest the wall-front was built into the slope (see further down).



The Annex is a triangular shaped terrace north of the plateau. It also includes a water basin in its fencing walls, which is supposed to have existed in Iron Age times, too. Finds and some (rare) features suggest housing in the annex-area as well. Grave mounds and calendar-structures (see below) belong to the sacral area of the site.

Flora and Fauna

Finds of coaled crop, suggest a herbal variety. Six different kinds of cereals - Emmer wheat, Dinkel wheat, barley, free treshing wheat (naked), millet and Einkorn wheat. Such a variety wasn’t usual. The Celts also used legumes for nutrition, like peas, lenses, bitter vetch and broad beans. As an oil-fruit false flax or gold-of-pleasure seeds have been identified. Next to horticulture the collection of wild and semi-wild plants and fruits completed The menu. Hawthorn fruits, hazelnuts, apple or pear seeds, blackthorn, raspberry, and elderberry. Compared to other Iron Age settlements in this region the evidence of fruits, vegetable and crops is highly versified. This fact might be regarded as an indicator for the richness of some inhabitants of the area.



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