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The Hochdorf Chieftain’s GraveOne of the high points of the exhibition is the display of the rich grave furnishings from the burial mound of the Celtic chieftain at Hochdorf, already described as the “Celtic Tutankhamun”: just as undisturbed by tomb robbers as was the Pharaoh’s tomb, the Celtic chieftain’s burial chamber near Stuttgart only came to light in 1978 following archaeological excavations. The grave goods accompanying the dead man were regal: the insignia of his high rank are either made of gold or gold-plated; a torc round his neck, a bracelet on his right arm, dagger and belt, brooches and drinking cups. Even his shoes were trimmed with gold. The chieftain’s far-flung trading relations are revealed by a large bronze cauldron imported from Greece, which was filled with 350 litres of mead (a fermented drink made from honey): sufficient to provide hospitality to his large clientele.
The grave furnishings from the burial chamber of the Celtic chieftain at Hochdorf will for the first time leave Germany and travel abroad for the exhibition in Bern. Even the four-wheeled wagon, on which the dead man was transported to his burial mound, will be displayed in Bern. Completely sheathed in iron, it is itself an outstanding example of the high quality of Celtic craftsmanship.
Reconstruction of the bronze couch The precious bronze couch, on which the chieftain was laid in his grave, cannot be shown in its original in Bern. But during the exhibition a replica of it will be forged in the Museum Park before the eyes of the public in a reconstructed early Celtic metal workshop.
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