- Burial and the Other World -
to small villages or hamlets. The provision of grave goods is common and generally
commensurate with a weakly ranked society.
This general tradition becomes elaborated in two distinct regions (during two
phases) into quite extraordinary cultures that have given rise to an enormous amount
of archaeological study (see Cunliffe 1988; Collis 1984; Wells 1980; Frankenstein and
Rowlands 1978, and references there). Much of this information will be reviewed in
other chapters, but some of the basic data will be repeated here to form the basis of
a discussion of religious ideology.
Late Hallstatt South-western Germany and Eastern
France c.600-4S0 BeThe south-western part of Germany and adjacent parts of France witnessed an
explosive growth of late Hallstatt society during the Hallstatt D period. In the most
general terms this was the rise of a centralized, highly hierarchical, complex chiefdom
society. This was focused on the so-called Furstensitze or chiefly residences, defended
hilltop enclosures with evidence of dense permanent occupation and extensive and
intensive craft specialization. In addition, there was evidence of extensive trade
with the Mediterranean world (especially Greece and Etruria), probably by way of
the Greek colony at Massalia (modern Marseilles). In the area surrounding
these Furstensitze is a wide variety of burial barrows, some of which contained extra-
ordinary richness - the Furstengraber, or chiefly graves (Kimmig 1969, 1975).
At the pinnacle of the chiefly complexes are the centres of Mont Lassois, with its
associated burials at Vix and Ste Colombe, the Heuneburg with its Hohmichele
burials, and the Hohenasperg with Grafenbiihl. These are often interpreted as the
residences and burials of 'paramount chiefs'. The paramount chief burials are
characterized by inhumation in wooden chambers, accompanied by a four-wheeled
wagon and horse trappings (van Endert 1987). In addition there is a wide range of
prestige luxury goods, including Greek and Etruscan bronze and silver vessels
for wine-drinking, gold (usually as jewellery such as torques, bracelets and leg-rings),
glass, amber, coral and lignite (again as decoration or jewellery) and silk fabrics
(Figure 26.6).
Surrounding these barrows is a periphery of less wealthy barrows, interpreted as
vassal chiefs and subchiefs. These burials lack the imports; instead there are weapons
with the men and jewellery with women, often of very high quality but probably
produced at the Furstensitze. Less wealthy village chiefs may also be distinguished.
The possible social ramifications of this pattern have given rise to a number of strictly
socio-economic interpretations, particularly variations on the 'prestige goods
economy' model of Frankenstein and Rowlands (1978).
Inserted into the barrows of all levels of chiefly status are secondary burials
(almost always inhumations). These burials are always far less well provided -
men occasionally have weapons and women jewellery, but there are few pretensions
about these mundane objects. Barrows occur in groups of 4 to 10, but one massive
cemetery of 100 barrows is known. The numbers of secondary burials per barrow
average 30 to 40, with the Magdalensburg (with 126 later burials) representing the
upper limit.