Hallstatt Culture - Hallstatt Type Site

Hallstatt Type Site

In 1846, Johann Georg Ramsauer (1795–1874) discovered a large prehistoric cemetery near Hallstatt, which he excavated during the second half of the nineteenth century. Eventually the excavation would yield 1,045 burials.

The community at Hallstatt exploited the salt mines in the area, which had been worked from time to time since the Neolithic period, from the eighth century to fifth century BC. The style and decoration of the grave goods found in the cemetery are very distinctive, and artifacts made in this style are widespread in Europe.

Stratigraphy at the type site, extending from about 1200 BC until around 500 BC, is divided by archaeologists into four phases:

Hallstatt A-B are part of the Bronze Age Urnfield culture. Phase A saw Villanovan influence. In phase B, tumulus (kurgan) burial becomes common, and cremation predominates. The "Hallstatt period" proper is restricted to HaC and HaD (8th to 6th centuries BC), corresponding to the early European Iron Age. Hallstatt D is succeeded by the La Tène culture.

Hallstatt C is characterized by the first appearance of iron swords mixed amongst the bronze ones. Inhumation and cremation co-occur. For the final phase, Hallstatt D, only daggers are found in graves ranging from c. 600–500 BC. There are also differences in the pottery and brooches. Burials were mostly inhumations.