Alte Burg

About

Alte Burg is a large Celtic hilltop fortification, or hillfort, that may have been used as a cult or assembly site for the regional population. It is located 9 kilometers from a major settlement of the Hallstatt and early La Tène period, the Heuneburg. Alte Burg lies in the municipality of Langenenslingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

Location: The Alte Burg lies on a long spur of the hill Burgberg, at an elevation of around 695 m above NN, at the southern edge of the Swabian Jura. It is located almost 3 kilometers north west of Langenenslingen. The Heuneburg, a major settlement of the Hallstatt period overlooking the Danube, is about 9 kilometers to the south east. Another hillfort, Große Heuneburg, lies to the north east.

The remains were originally interpreted in a medieval context, as the border between Langenenslingen and Emerfeld, and between Württemberg and Hohenzollern followed the central wall. In 1894, an excavation was conducted that discovered the pit (see below) which was interpreted as a burial mound. A modern excavation followed in 2006/7 and discovered bone fragments that were dated to the 3rd or 4th century BC. Excavations have been...