Kühonner Celtic Burial Mounds

Celtic barrow field "Kühonner" near Farschweiler part-1The round artificial mounds are burial mounds. In the early Celtic period in the period 560-250 BC, all graves were located under such mounds. In this country, cemeteries are the most important sources of information on the Celtic era. The greater part of a cemetery has been preserved under forest cover to this day. The hills are 6 - 25 m in diameter. and are still unusually well preserved with a height of up to 2.5 m. Each burial mound was newly laid out for a dead person and was often used for a few subsequent burials after that. The oldest and youngest graves in the hill cemeteries are always cremations. However, the acidic low mountain range consumed the bones of the unburnt buried dead. There are only traces of wooden coffins and the location of additions from the burial. Originally the burial ground continued with at least 9 hills in the subsequent arable land. A total of 51 burial mounds are known over an extension of 700m. 5 burial mounds were excavated in 1913, 1935 and 1938 before they were destroyed. They all belong to the more recent record period around 300 BC. Many of the burial mounds located in the forest also show typical burials from recent attempts at robbery. Source: Text Heimat und Verkehrsverein Farschweiler e.V.

Celtic barrow field "Kühonner" near Farschweiler part-2Celtic burial mounds almost always lie on extensive ridges or plateaus. At the time of occupation, these areas had undoubtedly already been cleared and used as arable and pasture land. In the course of a progressive occupancy over 300 years, these cemeteries with up to 120 loosely distributed hills reach a total extent of 800 - 1900 m. Neighboring barrow fields of the same time are only 2.6 and 3.3 km away near Osburg and Bescheid. The forest area of the Osburger Hochwald to the south was unsuitable for settlement at all times. With the sharp valley incisions to the north, the settlement area belonging to the cemetery can be roughly determined. The settlement community can be calculated with 4 - 9 young people and adults. The average life expectancy at birth was only about 22 years, for adults only 31 (women) 38 (men) years. A girl's grave from one of the examined hills gives an idea of a grave equipment that is already above average. An iron meat knife and 3 clay bowls are part of the usual food. The typical female jewelry set included arm rings, a neck ring and two brooches (clasps) made of bronze, plus an iron choker with blue glass beads and an amber pendant. Only the location and the small size of the jewelry indicated a child's grave, since the skeleton had passed away. Two more recent burials in the same mound were cremation graves. Source: Text Heimat und Verkehrsverein Farschweiler e.V.