Research into religious symbolism in rich graves of the early iron age necropolis of Hallstatt, Upper Austria

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The necropolis at Hallstatt, Upper Austria, is the eponymous site for the Early Iron Age in Europe ("Hallstatt Period", 750-430 B. C.) and one of the richest prehistoric cemeteries. While the opulence of these graves has hitherto been considered the expression of prosperity gained by salt trade, this research project will pursue an approach of religious archaeology and investigate the grave goods as manifestations of time-transcendent religious concepts. Notions of the character of the world, the order of things and the transition to the afterworld were visualised in graves by means of grave goods, a behaviour connecting the Hallstatt tombs to other sumptuous graves (not only) of that period. A fundamental prerequisite for their construction, namely contact between societies of different cultural levels, was particularly true for Hallstatt, because of its salt-based mercantile connections with most different partners in all directions. Which of the relevant religous and cosmological themes, displayed in other contemporaneous sumptuous graves and objects of so-called "situla art" (such as charioteering, symposium, hierogamy, weaving etc.), are represented in individual graves at Hallstatt by means of grave goods, images, sculptures, and symbols? Can we observe local characteristics as to the choice of topics and the mode of their representation? Which conclusions can be drawn with regard to the religious way of thinking at Hallstatt and in other Early Iron Age communities beyond?