by NEOnline | GK A giant tomb of an Iron Age Celtic prince discovered just 100km from Paris in Champagne, with the tomb being larger that the cathedral in nearby Troyes. Archaeologists from French national agency Inrap discovered the Iron age Tomb on the edge of a business park at Lavau. The tomb is covering nearly 7,000 m2 and the 5th century Celtic Prince is being buried with his chariot, a decorated bronze cauldron, a wine vase depicting the ancient Greek god Dionysus, a giant knife, and other important artifacts. The French archaeological agency INRAP said in a press release: “In the center of a tumulus 40 m in diameter, the deceased and his chariot lay in the center of a vast, 14 metre square funerary chamber, one of the largest recorded by archaeologists for this period at the end of the Iron Age (Hallstatt period). Under the levels of the collapsed tumulus, the tomb contained grave goods representative of the highest status of Hallstattian elites.” The researchers said on their Facebook page that the Celtic prince and his chariot were found “at the heart of a vast funeral chamber of 14m2.” The Iron Age tomb It is likely to be “one of the most remarkable finds from the so-called Hallstatt period [from 800BC-450BC],” researchers stressed. According to France24, the most exciting find has been the large bronze-decorated cauldron that was used to store watered-down wine. The cauldron was decorated with four circular handles decorated with the head of Greek god Acheloos and eight lioness heads. Inrap said the cauldron appears to have been made by Etruscan craftsmen in what is now northern Italy. Buried inside the cauldron was a very well preserved ceramic wine pitcher made by Greeks. The pieces “are evidence of the exchanges that happened between the Mediterranean and the Celts,” INRAP president Dominique Garcia recently told journalists on a field visit. Although parts of a skeleton have been found, the diggers have not so far identified the prince’s body. Other graves and funeral urns have also been found on the site.
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