The research project "Migration phenomena in the early La Tène period", headed by the author, is funded by the Austrian Academy of Sciences as a part of the Austrian programme for advanced research and technology (APART). Additional funding is provided by the FWF-project "The Celtic cemetery of Mannersdorf (Lower Austria) in the context of East and West cultural contact", directed by Anton Kern PhD (NHM Vienna). By analysing distributive patterns of find types known from Mannersdorf and contrasting the results against Strontium Isotope analysis of skeletal material from early La Tène cemeteries in Central Europe, we expect to gain firm evidence of to what extent migration played a role in the distribution of La Tène material culture.

Starting out from Mannersdorf and several other early La Tène cemeteries from the Traisen valley to the Neusiedler See (Reference RamslRamsl 2002), situated in a transition zone connecting Central Europe with the Carpathian Basin, numerous finds from the Mannersdorf cemetery point towards long-distance relations with other regions in the European Keltiké.

For instance, a horse fibula (Fig. 1) from the Trentino (Reference AdamAdam 1996) and ceramics from the Fritzens-Sanzeno group demonstrate connections to the Inner Alpine zone; while the well-known Bronze situla (Reference NeugebauerNeugebauer 1991: 298), probably belonging to the Este group, and a silver pendant (from the cemetery of Pottenbrunn, Traisen valley, Reference RamslRamsl 2002: Taf. 39) point towards northern Italy. An Omega needle (Fig. 2) from Mannersdorf serves as evidence for contacts towards the south-east, earlier (Hallstatt period) variants of this type are known from Macedonia and the Peloponnes, while they are concentrated in Bosnia and Albania in the early La Tène period (Vasiæ 1982).

Figure 1.

(Photo: A. Rausch)

Figure 2.

(Photo: A. Kern)

Even stronger links seem to have existed with the far west, especially the Marne area (Champagne), as can be demonstrated by bracelets (Fig. 3) with s-bends on the back (Mannersdorf, one gold and one bronze example), which have their closest parallels in France (e.g. Puisieulx-Taisy), by local pottery, decorated in a style typical for the Champagne area and the well-known openwork spearhead (Reference NeugebauerNeugebauer 1991: 299) which can best be compared with French examples.

Figure 3.

(Photo: A. Rausch)

The huge importance of the Mannersdorf cemetery, and its connection in a wider European context, is also demonstrated by a golden bracelet made of wire with rows of beads with decoration and granulations (Fig. 4), which shows a quality of craftsmenship that can be compared to that of the Vix necklace and the Agris helmet (both France). For the latest point of research, the bracelet, consisting of two parts, looks very similar to earrings from Macedonia (5th century, e.g. Vergina).

Figure 4.

(Photo: A. Rausch)

Of course, artefacts alone cannot tell us about migration, as they might as well have been distributed by trade or as a result of cultural diffusion. As such, is it not dangerous to talk about migration in this first step of the analysis? What does migration in the prehistoric period mean in the first place? Should we expect mass movements, as envisaged by the earlier studies based on the culture-historical paradigm, or is it rather individual migration, or even no migration at all?

To gain further insights into these questions, the second part of the project, carried out in cooperation with the Institute of Chemistry at the University of Agricultural Sciences Vienna and the Department of Anthropology and Archeological Biology (NHM Vienna), analyses the Strontium Isotope ratio in human skeletal material from burials in Lower Austria, Moravia, Bohemia, Switzerland and France (Champagne) based on the distribution of a special variant of the fibula type Duchcov, the metalurgy of the latter being analysed by laser ablation ICP-MS.

Analysis of stable Sr isotope ratios in human bone samples has been shown to be an appropriate method for the reconstruction of human migration processes or for the reconstruction life history. Elemental patterns were used to identify dietary patterns in prehistoric humans. Sr incorporation in human bones undergoes a turnover after about 5-7 years and thus, residential changes during the life of an individual can lead to an altered Sr isotope composition in the bone. Dental enamel on the other hand does not undergo a turnover and thus, Sr in the enamel of the first permanent molar contains Sr that is incorporated from birth to 4 years of age. Difference in the Sr isotope signature between bone and teeth are therefore an indicator for the migration of an individual.

The main goal of this project will be to uncover potential relations between the two components of Strontium Isotope ratio measurements and material as well as stylistic analysis of bronze and other metal artefacts. The results gained from this comparison are likely to allow new, evidence-based interpretations of migrations, their potential scale - or their absence - in Iron Age Europe.