Archaeologists have just made an important discovery concerning the culture of Hallstatt. Towards the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age, the Hallstatt culture was predominant in the western and central part of Europe. Exactly, the discovery of archaeologists relates to a clay figurine. Further research reveals that this artifact dates from the 8th to the 5th century BC, during the Iron Age. This figurine was discovered near a colony that lived during the Hallstatt period. The site was therefore in a lakeside village in the Austrian Salzkammergut, southeast of Salzburg.
Saving artifacts from the Hallstatt era
Work was carried out in anticipation of the construction of the Mönchstokheim bypass. This is the reason why the archaeologists decided to proceed with the excavation of the site. Among the discoveries made appear the clay figurine, pieces of glass, pottery, tools made from bones and a clay stamp. The site ends in a ravine and it is here that archaeologists discovered these various objects. They found that these objects had been intentionally placed in the ravine. Moreover, they did not discover any cracks or breaks on these objects.
They concluded that the objects served asofferings. Most impressive was the clay figurine. The latter is 19 cm tall and is missing legs as well as some front parts at the top of her body. Archaeologists have also claimed that his head has 5 holes located at the height of the bottom of the chin to above the line of the eyes perhaps representing a hood decorated with metal rings.
The representation of the goddess of water
Researchers from Bavarian State Department of Monuments and Sites asserted that it is probably a figure representing the goddess of water. Moreover, the local population was known to carry out cults towards nature and they even built figurines for it. The ravine where the objects were discovered served as a place of ritual and all these objects would be offerings for the alleged goddess.
The water goddess is not the only figure known from Western Europe. Indeed, archaeologists have already discovered similar figurines in the same region. However, they do not date from the same era. Indeed, they date back to the 5th millennium BC.
