Am Lösskopf |
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 Outline of the site Several grave mounds dating back to prehistoric epochs can still be found today in various stages of preservation in the highlands within the Koblenz city forest. According to present research, most of these date back to the pre-Roman Iron Age. In general, the grave-mound fields are located on the mountain ranges of the mostly still wooded ridges or mountain massifs of the Medium Rheinisch mountain chains. Originally they lined up along the main travel routes at that time, which is in accordance with the respective funeral custom of that time epoch. In the lowlands, grave-mounds are almost completely absent. The accompanying settlements were usually found in those areas close to fertile arable land and on the edge of the low-laying humid meadows.
A good example of this form of the funerals is the small grave-mound group “Am Lösskopf". There are only few examples of graves left as a remainder of probably a formerly bigger graveyard. The grave-mounds have a diameter preserved even today of 12-16 ms and a height of 0.60-0.80 ms. The grave arrangements are preserved except one, which was damaged by a massive predatory shaft.
Even if these grave arrangements were not yet systematically excavated, there is a wealth of knowledge about the construction and the funeral custom from other examples. The hills cover as a rule single funerals. The bodies are buried in an indented grave pit mostly in east-west direction. Wooden leftovers of a coffin or dead person's board are sometimes found. However, one also finds cremation of the dead people from this epoch. Obviously body and fire funerals occurred side by side. Now and then both funeral types were found in the same hill. Within the graves there were the additions, which are those typical of the respective region and time epoch according to the usual burial custom. Mostly one finds few ceramic objects and jewelry in the Medium Rheinisch mountain chains. Aside from rounded pins, rotated cervical rings and temple rings, one can frequently find decorated arm rings. The grave-mounds often have different expansion and equipment and the bigger grave sites are likely to belong to individuals in a prominent position among his/her peers. This is particularly evident with the custom of wagon funerals, which were especially characteristic in Hunsrück and Eifel. A 2-wheeled wagon with in the grave was given to the dead person. However, grave findings containing a wagon are relatively seldom. The grave-mounds themselves are often surrounded with a top ditch and/or a post wreath. The hill foot is also sometimes enclosed by a stone wreath or a low wall. Only now and then they contain grave installations, such as a burial chamber from wooden beam or fieldstones. This small grave-mound group, on the basis of construction, equipment and grave custom in the pre-Roman Iron Age, such as the younger Hunsrück Eifel culture (5th century B.C.) in the Medium Rheinisch mountain ranges is probably a forbearer of the Celts. Thus, these grave-mounds in the Medium Rheinisch mountain are an important type of archaeological site. |
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