Where did the Roman catapult tip come from?

Arnold Czarski points to the black part lying in a glass case.

In the room next door are more famous pieces from before the birth of Christ.

But the rather inconspicuous catapult tip is still a mystery many years after its discovery in the former Celtic settlement on Dünsberg near Giessen, as it has an "X" engraved on it.

The character does not stand for the letter of the same form - what is meant is the Roman numeral.

So the ten.

Thorsten Winter

Correspondent for the Rhein-Main-Zeitung for central Hesse and the Wetterau.

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"Usually such a sign indicates the Roman legion in question," explains Czarski.

The catch: "This legion was never up here in our area," says the chairman of the Archeology Association in Gleiberger Land and keeper of the Celtic cellar in Rodheim-Bieber.

Romans settled just a few kilometers from Dünsberg before the turn of the century.

There is Waldgirmes today, where a famous bronze horse's head was found.

However, the place did not house a fort with soldiers at the time, Roman civilians lived in a city.

Nevertheless, according to Czarski, it is clear: Someone shot the forged small war equipment into the settlement called Oppidium in Celtic times.

But who?

This question awaits an answer and may continue to occupy archaeologists and historians.

And not just in the remaining days of the Hessian Celtic year that is coming to an end, but beyond.

There is a lot to learn

Other finds from Dünsberg have long been freed from their secrets.

But they still immediately arouse curiosity and cause astonishment.

And yes, there is a lot to learn along the way.

Visitors just have to listen carefully to Czarsky in his little kingdom next to the town hall.

When he is enthusiastic about the large number of finds "which represent the everyday life of the Celts better than the objects from the Glauberg", on which the museum with the Celtic prince stands.

When he talks about the peculiarity of a single-edged Germanic slashing sword.

When he shows tiny decorative glass beads - "worked so finely that no craftsman today dares to copy them".

Or when he reports on counterfeiting from that time.

Anyone who drives to the Dünsberg these days will see a wooded hill almost 500 meters high with a transmission tower on top.

At the time of the Celts there was a fortified settlement there.

It covered about 90 hectares, which corresponds to almost 130 football pitches.

This oppidum was fenced and housed up to 5000 women, men and children along with farm animals.

Farmers, charcoal burners and iron smelters still lived in front of the city fences, as Czarski explains.

The charcoal burners used trees cut down from the region to provide the coal that the iron smelters needed for their trade.

The Celts needed other wood for building their houses, for cooking and heating, as Czarski says.

According to this, the Celtic culture on the Dünsberg flourished about 250 years later than their ancestors from the Glauberg, which was settled around 500 BC and later.

On the Dünsberg, a replica and largely accessible farmstead is reminiscent of those days.

Celtic people already wore finely worked metal combs.

What their hairstyles looked like is of secondary importance in this context.

Because the combs were not used to untangle and straighten the hair.

Rather, they are amulets.

They were intended for the soul, which the Celts had settled in their heads.

And these amulets were only found in central and northern Hesse.

Horses, although more of a work tool than a pet, were said to have had amulets on their temples.

The bronze from which they were made shone golden at the time.

Nowadays, some dress up their motorcycles in a similar way, says Czarski and laughs.

The Kelten-Keller also has such finds.

These are not just loans – the pieces belong to the museum and its sponsoring association.

The showpieces of the exhibition include the rainbow bowls.

Coins of this type come in bronze, silver and gold.

They were minted on the Dünsberg by Celtic mints - with washing gold from the Rhine.

"Rheingold," beams Czarski.

The coins have their peculiar name because, firstly, they are shaped like a little bowl and, secondly, antique pieces were found in fields after rain in the sunshine - which is why they shimmered like a rainbow.

The Dancing Little Man is also from the Dünsberg.

This is also a coin.

Their name goes back to the embossing.

It shows a lively figure in miniature.

Archaeologists also discovered coins of this type on the Black Sea.

This shows how far the Celts traded.

Czarski is certain that three editions of the Dancing Little Man were definitely not used for trading in goods.

These three coins were unearthed on the sacrificial site on the Dünsberg.

As the detailed examination showed, they consist only of copper that had been coated with silver.

Namely embossed on the original stamp of the traditional regional Celtic currency of that time.

According to the Biebertal amateur archaeologist, archaeological research assumes that the forgeries were intended as sacrificial offerings.

Not spectacular from a technical point of view, but worth seeing is a blade from Celtic times that was literally incorporated into a tree root from Dünsberg.

Tugging at it doesn't do anything.

The hard piece of wood no longer gives up the slender piece of metal.

The Kelten-Keller in Biebertal opens with free admission on the first and third Sunday of the month and by arrangement.

Guided tours in the museum and to the excavation sites, digital presentations and lectures are possible by prior arrangement with Arnold Czarski, 0 64 09/23 38.