Fragmenting the Chieftain - Catalogue

There is a cluster of Early Iron Age (800-500 BC) elite burials in the Low Countries in which bronze vessels, weaponry, horse-gear and wagons were interred as grave goods. Mostly imports from Central Europe, these objects are found brought together in varying configurations in cremation burials generally known as chieftains' graves or princely burials. In terms of grave goods they resemble the Fürstengräber of the Hallstatt Culture of Central Europe, with famous Dutch and Belgian examples being the Chieftain's grave of Oss, the wagon-grave of Wijchen and the elite cemetery of Court-St-Etienne. The majority of the Dutch and Belgian burials were found several decades to several centuries ago and context information tends to be limited. They also tend to be published in Dutch or French or otherwise difficult to access publications. This research went back to the original reports and studied the objects found in these graves in detail. This generated new and evidence-based insights and interpretations into these exceptional burials and allowed for the reconstruction of the individual burial rituals. Fragmenting the Chieftain - Catalogue presents the first comprehensive overview of the Dutch and Belgian elite graves (in English) and the objects they contain. The results of an in-depth and practice-based archaeological analysis of the Dutch and Belgian elite graves and the burial practice through which they were created can be found in Fragmenting the Chieftain. A practice-based study of Early Iron Age Hallstatt C elite burials in the Low Countries. Contents C1 Introduction C2 Terminology and typology C3 Revealing restorations C4 Baarlo C5 Basse-Wavre C6 Court-St-Etienne C7 Darp-Bisschopsberg C8 Ede-Bennekom C9 Flobecq-Pottelberg Tombelle 78 C10 Gedinne-Chevaudos C11 Haps grave 190 C12 Harchies-Maison Cauchies C13 Havré C14 Heythuizen-Bisschop C15 Hofstade-Kasteelstraat Sp. 16 C16 Horst-Hegelsom C17 La Plantée des Dames C18 Leesten-Meijerink grave 1 C19 Limal-Morimoine C20 Lommel-Kattenbos Tombelle 20 C21 Louette-St-Pierre Fosse-Aux-Morts C22 Maastricht-Heer C23 Meerlo C24 Meppen C25 Neerharen-Rekem tombe 72 C26 Oss-Vorstengraf C27 Oss-Zevenbergen C28 Rhenen-Koerheuvel C29 Someren-Kraayenstark C30 Someren-Philipscamping C31 Stoquoy Tombelle 5 C32 Uden-Slabroek C33 Venlo C34 Weert-Boshoverheide C35 Wijchen Bibliography CA1 Hallstatt period textile finds from the Netherlands CA2 Inventory Chieftain's grave of Oss through three restorations