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of roughly 100 by 100 m size was located in an elevated area in the Altmühl delta. It was discovered in 1909. In 1978 or 1979, before its destruction by the canal, some excavations were conducted. By that time, the interior had already been completely destroyed by use as a gravel pit. The moat was up
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There was not much room on the plateau for dwellings. Much of the area protected by the outer rampart was given over to prospecting and smelting activities, precluding its use as living areas. By contrast to
Manching, only a fraction of the walled area likely was occupied by buildings. The oppidum's
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The area between outer and inner rampart is covered by prospecting pits and mine dumps, both Celtic and
Medieval in origin. These occupy more than half of the plateau. Remains of ovens and charcoal indicate that smelting took place right there. Among slag heaps behind the inner rampart, excavations
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to the southern bank of the Altmühl, a distance of 3.3 km. It likely was built in three separate stages and at some places reached a height of 6 m, averaging around 2 to 3 m. A moat was present only at some points, which has raised questions about its defensive character - it might simply have
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Along the southern bank of the Altmühl a 3.3 km long wall was added during the latest period of construction. This was the structure that was destroyed by canal construction in the nineteenth century. Excavations uncovered evidence of one gate (added later), however, and this wall had been of
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settlement near the Altmühl delta. Numerous storage cellars have been found, interpreted to have been part of three farms with at least 15 buildings from the period of 450 to 380 BCE. For the middle La Tène period (380 to 150 BCE) few signs of local settlement have been discovered: a grave yielded
544:
design: tree trunks of roughly 60 cm diameter were pushed into the earth at least 1 m deep and roughly 2 m apart. On the outward-facing side, the space between the wooden beams was closed with limestone sheets from nearby quarries to a height of at least 5 to 6 m. The earthen ramparts which
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graveyards dot the woods around
Alcimoennis, and likely hold deceased residents of the city. Despite their frequency, the graves are far too few to house the many inhabitants the city once had, which indicates that the city normally used alternative means of interment such as cremation for the
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to 8 m wide and up to 3.2 m deep. To the east of the structure, a small burial site of 19 late La-Tène graves has been discovered. To the north of the viereckschanze remains of buildings have been found, but their use is unknown, they could have been used as dwellings or as warehouses.
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supported the back were around 10 to 11 m wide. An estimate puts the need for construction materials at more than 8,000 trees, 17,000 cubic m of limestone, and 35,000 cubic m of earth. It would have taken at 50 workers at least 70 years to build such a wall. The remains of four
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tribe that moved in from the north. This nearly destroyed the
Vindelici as a people and left their infrastructure in a shambles. In 15 BCE the Romans defeated and incorporated what remained of the Vindelici tribe and the area south of Arcimoenis became the province of
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at the foot of the
Michelberg. Scientific excavations were conducted in 1959 and 1960, directed by K. Schwarz and between 1964 and 1972 by F.-R. Hermann. Further discoveries were made in the 1980s during the construction of the
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from around 200 BCE. Most of the known graveyards consist of groups of 1-to-2-meter-high (3.3 to 6.6 ft) grave mounds that still are quite visible today, notably around the nearby village of
Altessing.
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on an island in the Altmühl. Otherwise, few housing units or graves have been discovered. The oppidum was secured by at least three sectional wall-and-moat defences. All the walls followed the same
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majority of residents and reserved burial for important members of society. These graveyards have been the source of many discoveries, including many impeccably-preserved and elaborately-decorated
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The inner rampart, also connected the cliffs overlooking the Danube to the Altmühl. It is 930 m long and extant to a height of up to 4 m. On its outer side is a moat (2 m deep, 7 m wide) and a
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The reasons for the abandonment of the city remain unknown. If the supposition that
Alcimoennis belonged to the Vindelici is correct, then the city may have been abandoned after war with the
615:, both at the foot of the hill. Some of those showed signs of having been destroyed by fire. Evidence was found to identify one of the houses as the workshop of a bronze founder.
493:(1836–45) through the Altmühl river valley destroyed the surviving bits of the northern wall as well as any evidence of the waterfront activities the settlement had engaged in.
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the settlement from the second and first century BCE now referred to as
Alcimoennis was located. It is the second largest such site in southern Germany after
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307:, only mentioned the name and described the location of the settlement. There is some controversy over the identification of the Kelheim remains with
432:, and other settlements farther downstream on the Danube, together with the ample supply of wood and iron, likely were the basis for its existence.
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Some archaeologists think that the site is better thought of not as a city, but as a walled "industrial" complex, specializing in iron production.
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dates to the late La Tène period, however, and it is estimated that it was abandoned some time around the middle of the first century BCE.
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The exterior wall of the late-Celtic oppidum surrounded the whole
Michelsberg and Hirschberg. Inside the area of roughly 600
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gave access to the
Michelsberg. In construction the inner rampart resembled the outer one. It was completely rebuilt once.
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shafts and pits. The valleys around the city contained vast fields for farming as well as livestock, most notably
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Die Wallanlagen des Oppidums Alkimoennis/Kelheim. Zur Baugeschichte und Typisierung spätkeltischer Befestigungen
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688:. This also contained a spear head and a sword. Several other items were found in a grave in the so-called
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process. The landscape to the west of the settlement literally, is covered in pock marks left by shallow
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is unclear. It could have been the central settlement of an unknown tribe, possibly a sub-tribe of the
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Overall very little remains of the settlement; stone construction was foreign to the Celts and their
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The outer rampart crossed the peninsula, connecting the cliffs above the Danube near the later
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have found the remains of at least one La-Tène period and three Medieval smelters.
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north of the Danube. Since the Altmühl river was known in the Middle Ages as
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been holes dug to gain construction materials. The wall also was built in
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and another a sword with scabbard from the third or second century BCE.
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The peninsula has been inhabited more or less constantly since 13,000
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Notable findings include a bronze wine jug (probably imported from
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Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde, Band 1 (German)
551:(gates) have been discovered as entries though the walls.
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Rieckhoff, Sabine; Biel, Jörg; Abels, Björn-Uwe (2001).
684:) discovered in 1863 in a grave near the centre of the
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Mining continued on the plateau until the Middle Ages.
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was the first to identify the Kelheim location with
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probably played an important role in everyday life.
859:(German), Dissertation Universität Erlangen, 1996,
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46:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
518:Reconstruction of a pfostenschlitzmauer at Kelheim
510:Remains of the outer rampart near Weltenburg Abbey
428:location at the two rivers and between Manching,
607:The remains of dwellings have been found in the
489:During the same period, the construction of the
358:and the Celts built there as early as 500 BCE.
476:of the early nineteenth century, the Bavarian
388:centered in the nearby (and equally sizeable)
697:by B. Engelhardt, B.-R. Goetze and M. Hoppe.
408:on all sides delivered adequate fuel for the
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852:(German), Verlag C.H.Beck oHG, München 1998.
466:Following victory over the French forces of
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361:Findings indicate the presence of an early
259:Michelsberg hill, in the nineteenth century
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400:Economically, the Alcimoennis thrived on
106:Learn how and when to remove this message
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563:style, pierced in only three places by
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44:adding citations to reliable sources
590:, west of the old town of Kelheim.
311:, but it is still widely accepted.
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898:Former populated places in Germany
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790:Die Kelten in Deutschland(German)
272:is the name widely attached to a
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31:needs additional citations for
701:Identification of the site as
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913:Settlements in Germania Magna
878:Archaeological museum Kelheim
491:King Ludwig Main-Danube canal
722:as a settlement in southern
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502:Michelsberg fortifications
338:at the confluence of the
285:above the modern town of
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817:Hoops, Johannes (1973).
695:Rhine–Main–Danube Canal
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297:. The name comes from
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903:Hill forts in Germany
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459:Later use of the site
346:rivers near Kelheim.
334:hill, dominating the
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202:48.91889°N 11.86000°E
153:Alternative name
821:. Walter de Gruyter.
658:Steer of Michelsberg
40:improve this article
848:Alexander Demandt,
542:pfostenschlitzmauer
480:had the monumental
390:Oppidum of Manching
328:was located on the
198: /
144:Location in Germany
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908:Kelheim (district)
667:in the shape of a
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380:Who inhabited the
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207:48.91889; 11.86000
865:978-3-89646-481-1
855:Matthias Leicht,
835:The Ancient Celts
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594:Prospecting pits
588:Radlmüllergraben
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55:"Alcimoennis"
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51:Find sources:
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38:Please help
33:verification
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744:Alcimoennis
736:Alcimoennis
714:Alcimoennis
703:Alcimoennis
676:Excavations
574:(5 m). Two
497:Description
439:Abandonment
331:Michelsberg
309:Alcimoennis
269:Alkimoennis
264:Alcimoennis
205: /
181:Coordinates
156:Alkimoennis
119:Alcimoennis
887:Categories
850:Die Kelten
750:References
712:mentioned
690:Mitterfeld
639:Graveyards
613:Mitterfeld
609:Altmühlaue
576:Zangentore
565:Zangentore
532:Mitterfeld
448:Marcomanni
193:11°51′36″E
96:April 2016
66:newspapers
837:, 1997,
746:in 1924.
719:Geography
643:Numerous
603:Dwellings
386:Vindelici
336:peninsula
315:Geography
304:Geography
283:hill fort
190:48°55′8″N
724:Germania
682:Campania
665:figurine
656:and the
649:Iron-age
620:thatched
611:and the
468:Napoleon
445:Germanic
430:Berching
410:smelting
342:and the
320:Location
244:Cultures
161:Location
732:Alcmuna
728:Alcmona
716:in his
710:Ptolemy
686:oppidum
470:in the
422:Fishing
406:forests
396:Economy
382:oppidum
375:oppidum
368:fibulae
350:History
344:Altmühl
326:oppidum
299:Ptolemy
295:Germany
291:Bavaria
287:Kelheim
278:Oppidum
238:La Tène
233:Periods
228:History
222:Oppidum
175:Bavaria
165:Kelheim
80:scholar
893:Oppida
863:
841:
800:
794:Theiss
662:bronze
647:- and
645:Bronze
534:and a
453:Raetia
340:Danube
274:Celtic
171:Region
82:
75:
68:
61:
53:
669:steer
418:swine
281:, or
248:Celts
236:Late
87:JSTOR
73:books
861:ISBN
839:ISBN
798:ISBN
660:, a
654:urns
582:the
572:berm
414:mine
402:iron
373:The
324:The
218:Type
59:news
730:or
356:BCE
289:in
266:or
42:by
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