Waldalgesheim chariot burial
| Waldalgesheimer Fürstengrab | |
Jewelry from the burial site
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 Location in Germany
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| Location | Waldalgesheim, Germany |
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| Coordinates | 49°57′19″N 7°49′47″E / 49.955156°N 7.829601°ECoordinates: 49°57′19″N 7°49′47″E / 49.955156°N 7.829601°E |
| Type | Chariot burial site |
| History | |
| Founded | 4th century BC |
| Cultures | Celts |
The Waldalgesheim chariot burial (German: Waldalgesheimer Fürstengrab) was a 4th-century BC Celtic princely chariot burial site in Waldalgesheim, Germany, discovered in 1869. It has given its name to the "Waldalgesheim Style" of artifacts of the La Tène culture, a more fluid and confident style of decoration than early Celtic art, with Greek and Etruscan influences. The objects from the burial site were dug up by the farmer who found them on his land. The site was not investigated by archaeologists, and has recently been covered by a housing development.
Waldalgesheim is in the middle Rhine valley to the west of the point where the Rhine is joined by the Nahe. The first objects were found there by the plowman Peter Heckert on 18 October 1869 while digging holes to plant beets. He did not attach any importance to them at first, but a passer-by said they could be historically important. Eventually a Bingen antique dealer bought the pieces for 450 Thaler. Heckert continued to explore, and eventually found over 30 pieces. It was not until the 20th century that it was recognized that the objects dated to the 4th century BC. Objects from the site including gold rings and a bronze pot are held in the Rheinischen Landesmuseum in Bonn.
After the objects had been found the exact location was forgotten and no effort was made to preserve the site. In 1997 Professor Michael Schönherr tried to organize an investigation of the arable area where the site was presumed to be located, based on fragmentary records. He received no response from the state archaeologists apart from a request not to publish the location since that could attract looters. In 2002 it emerged that there were plans to build housing over the plot.
The Waldalgesheimer chariot burial is one of the most important finds from the early Celtic period. The grave dates from about 330 BC. It was a wooden chamber under a barrow mound, with the fragments of a two-wheeled chariot to one side. The burial dates from the La Tène Iron Age of the Rhineland. Form the absence of warrior equipment and presence of jewelry the burial is presumed to be of a woman. Based on the rich array of grave goods, it is thought to have been that of a Celtic princess. The objects mostly belong to the La Tène B period, apart from a spouted flagon, which is older.
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