Hundreds of minuscule bronze objects have been found by archaeologists from Leiden University in the unusually rich grave of a prehistoric monarch. The grave is located south of Oss under one of the largest burial mounds in the Netherlands. The young monarch was buried here 2600 years ago in the middle of a unique and extensive ritual landscape from late prehistoric times with a lot of show. The finds will be presented in Museum Jan Cunen in Oss on Thursday 5 November.
Crime Scene Investigation
The finds are unique and so is the CSI-like method of investigation. The remains have not been excavated on site, but the grave has been lifted in blocks. The archaeologists from Leiden University and restorers from Restaura then examined the blocks in a laboratory. By means of X-ray examinations, they found no fewer than 525 tiny and very fragile bronze objects that would normally be almost impossible to salvage. One by one the objects are prepared and preserved. In this way they were able to reconstruct the details of a prehistoric burial from the early Iron Age in a way that is rarely possible.
Prehistoric burial
A large pyre was built from oak, after first removing the vegetation at a higher point in the landscape. With poles they marked a small processional path. The deceased – a young man between the ages of 25 and 40 – was burned at the stake along with the bridles of a team of horses, richly studded with bronze and tin. After the cremation, his descendants cleared the processional path and covered the remains of the pyre and the horse harness with carefully arranged heather sods. They collected his remains in an urn which they placed between the sods. Eventually the site became a round funerary monument of almost 40 m in diameter and at least 1.5 m high.
Ritual landscape
The burial mound is located in a vast ritual landscape, which also includes the famous Prince's Grave of Oss. The monarch in this grave was excavated in 1933. It was located under the largest burial mound in the Netherlands. The archaeologists suspect that a third monarch lies under a burial mound that was examined in 2004. It is remarkable that this monarch was apparently buried with a minimalist burial ritual. The occurrence of several royal graves from the early Iron Age is unique to the Netherlands, as are the tens of meters long rows of piles that have been erected between the burial mounds, the function of which is difficult to determine.
Seven Mountains
The spectacular find was made along the A50 at the Oss-Paalgraven traffic interchange, in an area traditionally referred to as Zevenbergen. The burial mounds sandwiched between highways have been restored after the investigation. In the near future, the unique piece of prehistoric landscape will be made accessible to visitors.