Beautiful Iron-Age elite tomb discovered in France

Over the last few months (since October 2014), French archaeologists have been excavating an early Iron Age tomb that contains some exceptional peace of art and funerary goods

Over the last few months (since October 2014), French archaeologists have been excavating an early Iron Age tomb that contains some exceptional peace of art and funerary goods.

Handle of a bronze cauldron representating the Greek God Achelous. © Denis Gliksman, Inrap
Handle of a bronze cauldron representating the Greek God Achelous. © Denis Gliksman, Inrap

The artwork is considered to be of Etruscan or Greek in origin. Inside the cauldron is an Attic ceramic jug decorated with black figures, one of whom is Dionysus depicted in a typical Greek banquet scene.

Decorated Greek wine jug found inside the bronze cauldron © Denis Gliksman, Inrap
Decorated Greek wine jug found inside the bronze cauldron © Denis Gliksman, Inrap

Since October 2014, a team of French archaeologists have been excavating an early Iron-Age princely tomb within an exceptional monumental funerary complex on the outskirts of Lavau (Champagne region).

At the centre of a 40 m diameter mound, the deceased and his chariot lie at the heart of a large burial chamber of 14 m², one of the largest of its kind ever identified by archaeologists, dating to the beginning of the 5th century BCE (Hallstatt period).

The grave contains funerary goods worthy of the highest Hallstatt elite. The centrepiece of the deposit is a bronze cauldron, approximately 1 m in diameter. Its four circular handles are decorated with heads of the Greek river deity Acheloos who is represented here horned, bearded, with ears of a bull and a triple moustache. The edge of the cauldron is also decorated with eight lionesses heads.

Source: Past Horizons

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CW Staff
CW Staff

In the late 80s I started investigating UFOs and crop circles and joined the CCCS (Centre for Crop Circle Studies) and a local group researching strange sightings and reports along the south coast of Dorset (UK). In the early ’90s I started my own research group called SPS (Strange Phenomena Studies), this was renamed in 2004 to Cryptoworld.

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