- The Social Implications of Celtic Art -
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/0'--, , ..Figure 21.7 Plan of chieftainly residence under Talhau mound IV, close by the Heuneburg.
(From Bittel et at. 1981: 124.)Sitz (residence) of a subchief (Bittel et at. 1981: 294-5), whose insignia might have
been a fine dagger (d. Moscati et al. 199 I: 79, 84). Indeed it is quite spacious
compared with the private quarters appropriate to a medieval knight (e.g. Jope and
ThrelfaU 1959: 270-3; Jope in Colvin 1963: I29f.). The stone house at Ascot Doilly
was built in the early thirteenth century AD, probably as a short-stay residence for
the use of the d'Oilli family and of their successors, the earls of Warwick Gope and
Threlfall 1959: 223, 224, 214). This is an instructive example of how the detailed
interlocking of medieval archaeological and documentary evidence can be used by
analogy to help interpret the evidence of prehistoric archaeology. The overlord of the
supposed Celtic sub chief at the Heuneburg was perhaps the individual buried in
mound IV with appropriate honours such as gold items and a vehicle. Whether such
a subchief had additional personal accommodation within the fortress we may never
know. The prime overlord must surely have had some establishment a little more like
apalatium.
Another Herrensitz (chief's dwelling) of this age (early fifth century Be) was
found at Kyberg just south of Munich (Patzold 1963). A palisaded enclosure about
80 m square was set on the end of a spur; there were several short-lived building
phases; in a later phase was a half-sunk house 6 x 7 m. But there were few objects.
The site still most quoted as an early Celtic chieftain's dwelling (H errensitz) is the
Goldberg, on a 100 ft rise near Aalen, 60 km east of Stuttgart, well known through
the plan Bersu gave to Childe (Childe 1950: 224; Piggott 1965: 199-200; d. Bittel