The Hallstatt period represents a revolution in prehistoric society. Spanning from 900 BC until 400 BC, it represents a culture that spread from Austria to the British Isles. Named after the area of Hallstatt in Austria, the culture is distinguished by its previously unseen burial style and high-quality ironworking.
Hallstatt culture marks the beginnings of the Iron Age and has become known as the first recognisable phase of Celtic culture.
What is Halstatt Culture?
The area of Hallstatt, close to Saltsburg in Austria, was known as a salt mining region since the prehistoric Urnfield period. Salt was a valuable commodity traded as far as the Mediterranean, along with iron. This trade led to the spread of ideas as well as goods. These newly discovered technologies led, in their turn, to the development of Hallstatt culture.
The finds that defined the period were discovered in a prehistoric graveyard on a hill close to the area’s prehistoric salt mines. While the evidence of the mines point to the hard existence of the miners, the finds in the Hallstatt graveyard tell a different story. They point instead to the development of a sophisticated elite who developed a unique, late prehistoric European culture.
Defining Features of Hallstatt Culture
Hallstatt culture had several defining features:
- The use of iron. Never before had iron been used on such a large scale or to such a high level of craftsmanship. The finds in the Hallstatt graves included swords, decorated vessels, and horse trappings of a quality and artistry never seen before.
- Burial methods. Hallstatt is the first place to see the rise of a new type of mortuary practice: burial in wagon graves, where the body was placed in a wagon interred in a wooden mortuary house.
The Hallstatt Period and the Celts
By the 6th century BC, these distinctive burial styles and ironworking craftsmanship had crossed Austria, reaching Germany, Switzerland and France. By the 4th century BC, they had reached Ireland and the UK. Hallstatt was a brand new European cultural phenomenon that formed the foundation for later iron Age developments such as La Tene Culture.
The Hallstatt period also provided the first archaeological evidence for a group of central European people, previously only known from the descriptions of Greek, Roman and Etruscan authors. These people were known as the keltoi or the Celts.
Resources
Delany, Frank (1993) The Celts. HarperCollins: London
The Illustrated Dictionary of Archaeology
Laing, Lloyd (1984) Celtic Britain. Paladin: Granada Publishing
