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Approximately 1.3 km east of Bonefeld, on the gently sloping western hillside of Steinkopf, lies a burial mound field from the Early Iron Age (6th-3rd century BC).
Approximately 1.3 km east of Bonefeld, on the gently sloping western flank of Steinkopf, lies a burial mound field from the Early Iron Age (6th-3rd century BC). Archaeologically, it belongs to the so-called Hunsrück-Eifel culture, whose bearers are considered to be the early Celts. Most of the burial mounds are flattened and have been altered from their original form due to forestry operations and the spoil heaps of basalt extraction at Steinkopf. Eleven mounds are still visible in the terrain today. They have a diameter of between 7 - 13 m and a height of up to 1.5 m. A hollow way runs west of the burial mound field, which was presumably already used in prehistoric times. Noteworthy is especially the central, now restored mound 1, which was already archaeologically investigated in 1919. A stone circle made of basalt blocks surrounded the base of the mound. In the center of the mound was the burial pit. No traces of the skeleton were preserved. A bronze needle, a small stone tool, and a ceramic shard were recovered from the burial. The burial pit was surrounded by a small ditch and four postholes. Above it, a massive post pit with wedge stones could be seen in profile. In the center of the mound, a wooden stake was erected to mark the burial site, likely also for cultic-religious reasons. It was probably a tomb stele made of wood crowning the mound. Based on comparable, still preserved stone statues from early Celtic times, it was reconstructed as a figurative sculpture with leaves sitting laterally on the head, known as the leaf crown. Supported by the Nature Park Rhein-Westerwald and the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
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56579 Bonefeld
Contact
(0049) 2634/1307
