Station: [41] Figure of a Wealthy Woman from the Late Hallstatt Period

This is what she may have looked like – the woman from the Hallstatt period who lived in the Franconian Alps in around 550 BC.

Her jewellery consists of a set of neck rings, two clasps called snake fibulae because of their shape, a plain belt plate as well as various pins and large hollow rings. She also owned an extensive set of bracelets, a decorative amber ring and a rattle pendant in the form of a clay sphere with a single eye bead made of glass.

This Celtic woman is wearing a linen under-tunic, and over it a "peplos", a woollen dress woven as a tube or wrapped in the style of a "chiton". This fashion originated in Greece and spread from the Mediterranean region throughout Europe. Images from Austria and Northern Italy suggest that the woman probably wore a veil – as does the inclusion of hair pins among the grave goods. The long-toed shoes known as “poulaines” are attested by images and by finds of shoemaker’s lasts made of clay.

There’s a girl standing next to the woman. Little is known about children's clothing, since there aren’t many children's graves. So our child is wearing a necklace made of glass beads, like the ones found in Lower Bavaria. She’s holding a small clay figurine that might have been a child's toy.

The first excavations of the tumulus field in the district of Beckerslohe were carried out back in the 19th century. Beckerslohe is near Oberkrumbach, between Hersbruck and Schnaittach. The finds attesting to the woman's wealth can be seen in the display case next to the figure on the right.