Bettina Arnold
The Landscape of Ancestors project in southwest Germany is associated with the important early Iron Age (600-400 BC) Heuneburg hillfort, which has been a focus for cooperative international investigations since the 1950s. Burials in the vicinity of the hillfort include the Hohmichele tumulus, the second-largest early Iron Age burial mound in western Europe. Since 1999 we have been working on the mound group surrounding the Hohmichele, combining excavation and genetic analysis within a holistic landscape context. This continues to contribute to our understanding of the structure and formation of tumulus cemeteries, social structures and gender representation, the role of mortuary monuments, and regional dynamics among early Iron Age power centers. Support for the project has come from the National Geographic Society, the Baden-Württemberg State Monuments Office, the UWM Graduate School, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
