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| 0:01 | · | In the little town of Lavau in the Champagne area, an archaeological excavation |
| 0:07 | · | has shed light on the grave of an illustrious character, dormant underground for over 2,000 years. |
| 0:18 | · | This is an exceptional discovery. When he was found, the deceased was surrounded by a bronze banquet service. |
| 0:28 | · | Certain items of Greek and Etruscan origin had traveled hundreds, maybe thousands of kilometers. |
| 0:39 | · | The archaeologists had discovered a princely tomb from the era of the Hallstatt Celts, |
| 0:45 | · | dating back to the sixth and fifth centuries before Christ. |
| 0:51 | · | Such tombs can be found throughout Central Europe. |
| 0:57 | · | The burial of important figures of the community, among an abundance of jewels and objects of great value, |
| 1:04 | · | was a customary tradition in Celtic societies. |
| 1:15 | · | What of this society that buried its dead with such splendor? |
| 1:26 | · | Where did these magnificent objects come from? How did they get here? |
| 1:31 | · | Who were these Hallstatt Celts, and where did their opulence come from? |
| 2:09 | · | The Celts were first mentioned in writing by the Greeks. Indeed, as the Celtic people did not have a written tradition, |
| 2:17 | · | they have left no written testimony of their civilization. We don't even know the name they gave themselves. |
| 2:24 | · | The name Celts was found in the texts of Herodotus, a Greek historian, who was the first to write about them. |
| 2:32 | · | Stéphane Verger is an archaeologist who specializes in the relations between the Greek and Celtic societies. |
| 2:41 | · | Amongst the travelers who visited the sanctuary during the fifth century BC was Herodotus, the first Greek historian. |
| 2:49 | · | Herodotus is responsible for the transformation of the way we understand geography in Europe. |
| 2:55 | · | He re-established the location of the Hyperboreans to the northeast, and in their place at the source of the Istros River, |
| 3:02 | · | he located a people that we knew nothing about, the Celts, Κελτοί in Greek. |
| 3:10 | · | There is a well-known phrase of his on the subject, which constitutes the first mention of the Celts. |
| 3:18 | · | The Istros River begins in the land of the Celts, near the town of Pyrenees, and crosses Europe through the middle. |
| 3:25 | · | The Celts are beyond the Pillars of Heracles and beside the Phoenicians, the last people of Europe on the side of the setting sun. |
| 3:33 | · | The Istros River meets the Pontic Sea, where the Istrians are. |
| 3:40 | · | The Pontic Sea, where Herodotus situates the Greek settlement of the Istrians, corresponds to the Black Sea. |
| 3:47 | · | The Istros River, which meets the Black Sea, is now the Danube. Today, if one were to follow the Danube upstream to the source, |
| 3:56 | · | to the place where Herodotus placed the Celts, one would reach the southwest of Germany. |
| 4:03 | · | There, in the Baden-Württemberg, one can find the site of the Heuneburg. |
| 4:09 | · | During the Celtic area, the plateau was inhabited and surrounded by imposing graves. |
| 4:15 | · | Some homes of the Heuneburg have been reconstituted by the archaeologists. |
| 4:21 | · | Dirk Krausse is among those who have worked there many years. |
| 4:35 | · | Here, below we can see the Danube. Herodotus mentions in book two of his histories |
| 4:41 | · | that the Istros River, that is to say the Danube, has its source on Celtic land near the city of Pyrenees. |
| 4:52 | · | This is the first mention ever made of a place or a city outside the Mediterranean sphere. |
| 5:00 | · | Everything seems to indicate that the Heuneburg is the Pyrenees. |
| 5:06 | · | In Lavau, the digs continue. The deceased was a contemporary of Herodotus' description. |
| 5:13 | · | He was found in the center of a necropolis that was used for thousands of years. |
| 5:19 | · | However, none of these graves equal the sumptuousness of the princely tomb. |
| 5:25 | · | They were buried beneath an immense funerary monument measuring almost a hectare. |
| 5:33 | · | Bastian Dubui is in charge of the excavation. At his side is Emilie Miller, |
| 5:39 | · | a specialist in metal objects whose job is to unearth a large bronze cauldron. |
| 5:53 | · | Right now I'm clearing the fourth handle of the cauldron. You can see the metal part of the handle with Achelous's head. |
| 5:59 | · | The Greek god of rivers with his horns, his mustaches, and his beard. |
| 6:06 | · | Each of these segments is decorated with animal faces, felines, cheetahs, and leopards. |
| 6:13 | · | The few fragments that have already been revealed testify to the exceptional nature of the object. |
| 6:21 | · | The figures of the Achelous God point to the cauldron's distant origins, |
| 6:26 | · | which were probably made in Etruria or Magna Graecia. |
| 6:37 | · | Inside the cauldron, an object emerges little by little. |
| 6:44 | · | It's really quite amazing. Pieces like this heightened with gold. |
| 6:49 | · | It's really very rare. This object is called an oinochoe. |
| 6:56 | · | A Greek jug that is typical in the Athens region and which is often decorated with well-known Greek myths. |
| 7:05 | · | There we are. We have the bottom section. It's also decorated with gold. |
| 7:13 | · | For the archaeologists, the presence of this large cauldron and of the oinochoe confirm that they are looking at one of the most sumptuous princely tombs |
| 7:22 | · | ever to be discovered. |
| 7:31 | · | This grave does indeed date back to the time of the Hallstatt Celts. |
| 7:36 | · | The Hallstatt territory extends to the Alps in the south over part of today's France in the West, |
| 7:42 | · | up to the Cen and the Loire rivers. Finally, in the east, it reaches the Danube. |
| 7:49 | · | The Lavau grave is representative of what is often called the princely phenomena. |
| 7:55 | · | The Hockdorf grave in Germany already met the qualifications for princely tombs. |
| 8:00 | · | The presence of a cart of imported pottery from Greece and Italy, and golden finery mostly made by the Celts themselves. |
| 8:10 | · | Then the Vix grave was unearthed, with its large Greek krater and a golden torc, |
| 8:16 | · | an incredible piece of jewelry. |
| 8:29 | · | Let's go back in time. The startling revelation of these sumptuous funerary deposits |
| 8:34 | · | began in the 19th century. In 1846, in the Burgundy region, |
| 8:40 | · | scholars unearthed the beautiful cauldron from Anatolia. A few decades later, in Germany, near the Heuneburg site, |
| 8:47 | · | funerary deposits were discovered in the grave of the Giessuebel-Talhau. They clearly testify to a very prosperous culture. |
| 8:56 | · | German scholars then suggested the idea of a princely civilization. |
| 9:02 | · | Then, in 1953, in the French region of Burgundy, the Vix grave was discovered. |
| 9:09 | · | It contained, among other things, a large vase, 1.65 meters high and 1.20 meters wide. |
| 9:17 | · | It is the largest Greek vase known to mankind. During almost two centuries of archaeological research, |
| 9:25 | · | the princely phenomenon has manifested itself in hundreds of graves. However, it is the Vix grave, |
| 9:32 | · | the Hockdorf grave, and now the Lavau grave that are considered the most remarkable. |
| 9:47 | · | The Lavau site rests by the River Seine, 70 kilometers downstream of the village of Vix. |
| 9:53 | · | It is in this village that the grave of the Lady of Vix was discovered. |
| 10:02 | · | Archaeologist Bruno Chaume has been searching this plateau for over 20 years. |
| 10:09 | · | Twenty-five hundred years ago, inhabitants covered Lassois Hill, and the Lady of Vix was buried in the valley below. |
| 10:33 | · | We're on the top of the burial mound of the Lady of Vix. Underneath our feet was the central grave. |
| 10:40 | · | The Lady of Vix was buried under an important mound, a tumulus elevated over her grave |
| 10:46 | · | in order to mark its place in the landscape, surrounded by objects of great value, including the renowned vase of Vix. |
| 10:55 | · | She rested upon a cart covered in jewelry and a golden torc. |
| 11:01 | · | Princely tombs are often discovered near rivers. It would seem that these rivers played an important role |
| 11:07 | · | in the thriving situation of the Celtic civilization. |
| 11:13 | · | The Senne, which flows at the foot of the Mont Lassois, has its source upstream |
| 11:19 | · | and flows towards the channel, 700 kilometers downstream. |
| 11:25 | · | This privileged position can easily be linked to the wealth of the Celts of Vix. |
| 11:39 | · | Much like the Vix site, the Heuneburg site in Germany is perched atop a plateau |
| 11:45 | · | that overlooks a river, the Danube. What part did the river play in the development of the Celtic city? |
| 11:58 | · | Yes, perfect here. |
| 12:07 | · | We are at the foot of the Heuneburg. Here, the Danube has already run about 80 kilometers. |
| 12:15 | · | It takes its source in the west in the Black Forest, and continues over 2, 500 kilometers towards the southeast |
| 12:22 | · | to join the Black Sea, where at the time there were Greek colonies. |
| 12:31 | · | The Heuneburg is at an important crossroads between various rivers snaking through Europe. |
| 12:37 | · | To the east, the Danube is used to transport goods from Western Europe to the Black Sea and, in return, |
| 12:44 | · | to import goods from Southern Europe. To the west, the Rhine opens the way to the Northern Sea, |
| 12:49 | · | the send to the channel and the British Isles and the Northern Rivers give access to the Baltic space. |
| 12:56 | · | By land, the alps to the south of the Heuneburg, and finally Italy on the other side. |
| 13:01 | · | To the southwest, the Rhône leads to the Mediterranean. For someone looking for a place from which to control commerce along the Danube |
| 13:10 | · | from north to south and from east to west, the Heuneburg is the ideal place. |
| 13:22 | · | The top of the plain was full of inhabitants, textiles, and metallurgy workshops, and surrounded by prosperous farms. |
| 13:31 | · | At its apogee, the Heuneburg's population is estimated to have reached 5,000, |
| 13:37 | · | an exceptional concentration for the time and for this region. |
| 14:00 | · | Due to the geographical location and the economic situation of the Heuneburg, it was very important to control this place and to secure it. |
| 14:11 | · | The fortifications around the Heuneburg were built for this reason. He who settled here and controlled this place of transit |
| 14:19 | · | had great power and could accumulate much wealth. |
| 14:26 | · | The development of princely sites such as the Heuneburg or Mont Lassois, is directly linked to their strategic locations. |
| 14:34 | · | Via the rivers, all sorts of materials would come through as they traveled across Europe. |
| 14:47 | · | Near the Vix site is a town by the name of Châtillon-sur-Seine. |
| 14:54 | · | There, the wealth of objects found in 1953 during the excavation is kept in the Museum of the Châtillonnais Country. |
| 15:04 | · | Félicie Fougère, archaeologist and conservator of Cultural Heritage, is the director of the museum. |
| 15:13 | · | Also found in the grave was jewelry made of amber, a fossilized vegetal resin that was widely sought out |
| 15:20 | · | during antiquity. Amber was found in the bracelets that we have here, |
| 15:27 | · | bracelets that were worn by the lady of Vix herself. |
| 15:33 | · | It was also found in the shape of large beads on a necklace that was most probably around her neck. |
| 15:43 | · | Amber is a material that is systematically found in the best-endowed graves of the time and even earlier. |
| 15:51 | · | It is a material that attracted the attention of the entire social elite, contemporary to the Lady of Vix. |
| 16:01 | · | What is notable in a grave such as the one found in Vix is the presence of amber, |
| 16:06 | · | a material that comes from the Baltic Sea, very far from the region of Burgundy. |
| 16:12 | · | This suggests that the material must have traveled across vast distances. We can also find fibula, a type of brooch or safety pin. |
| 16:22 | · | Finally, there are even fragments of coral in the fibula, which decorated the torso of the Lady of Vix. |
| 16:28 | · | Since coral is Mediterranean, we are looking at a trade network that crossed Europe from the north to the south, |
| 16:34 | · | which is absolutely considerable. |
| 16:41 | · | This map represents the princely residences. Archaeologists have found amber on all of these sites, |
| 16:47 | · | even though amber comes from the coast of the Baltic Sea all the way to the north of Europe. |
| 16:55 | · | The rivers that lead to Central Europe begin their journey on these coasts. |
| 17:01 | · | From Central Europe and along the Danube, amber could be scattered all across Europe |
| 17:06 | · | as well as throughout the Mediterranean world via the Black Sea. Amber has enabled the development of trade across long distances, |
| 17:15 | · | whether from north to south or west to east between the various centers of power of the time. |
| 17:25 | · | Although the large crater remains the main piece of the grave of Vix, other banquet pottery was found by its side. |
| 17:37 | · | This oinochoe of Etruscan origin was used to collect the beverage from the crater for the service. |
| 17:45 | · | Together with the basin, both come from Etruria, surprisingly far from the Mont Lassois, and are made of bronze, a material of capital importance during antiquity. |
| 17:58 | · | Bronze can be used for prestigious pottery such as banquet pottery as we have here, |
| 18:04 | · | but really its most important use in Greek society at the time was probably in military equipment. |
| 18:13 | · | In fact, that's exactly what is illustrated in the frieze around the neck of this face, as the characters represented here are Greek soldiers, |
| 18:21 | · | otherwise known as hoplites. They are wearing helmets, breastplates, and greaves, |
| 18:29 | · | which are shin protectors, all made of bronze. |
| 18:34 | · | Hence the conclusion that bronze was a crucial necessity in the art of war. |
| 18:47 | · | The funerary bronze objects of Mediterranean origin traveled throughout Europe during the Hallstatt period, |
| 18:53 | · | Brought over by merchants in exchange for goods and services. |
| 19:00 | · | Lavau presents many notable examples of this. |
| 19:05 | · | By its style and its craft, archaeologists believe that the cauldron found in a Lavau grave |
| 19:11 | · | was made in a workshop in what is now Italy. |
| 19:18 | · | The excavation site shows multiple objects and shards of pottery from various parts of Europe. |
| 19:37 | · | The presence of imported ceramics, particularly Etruscan pottery, is a phenomenon that spread in the fifth century, |
| 19:44 | · | at a time when the number of pieces imported and buried in princely tombs quadruples. |
| 19:57 | · | The very fact that there are a dozen imported Etruscan objects in a grave dating back to the fifth century, |
| 20:03 | · | or even further from Greece, is a remarkable aspect, already well-known about princely tombs from the late Hallstatt period. |
| 20:18 | · | Concerning the medal ware, where there is true originality due to the presence of multiple pieces of silverware, |
| 20:24 | · | which is a very remarkable and rare characteristic. |
| 20:40 | · | The precious artifacts were assembled in the section of the grave. Thus we found the oinochoe |
| 20:46 | · | with the black figures inside the cauldron. |
| 20:54 | · | Certain objects undertook a long journey before being buried in the grave with the deceased. |
| 21:01 | · | The oinochoe contains black figures that come from the Athens region. |
| 21:08 | · | The cauldron with the Achelous heads, the origin of which is not yet known, was either made in Magna Graecia |
| 21:15 | · | or in Etruria. This small jug and bucket called Cista has Etruscan origins. |
| 21:22 | · | Amber found around the neck of the deceased comes from the Baltic Sea. The coral that decorates the pins holding the clothes together |
| 21:31 | · | comes from the Mediterranean. For approximately two centuries, |
| 21:36 | · | luxury items, including some pieces of artwork, traveled hundreds, maybe thousands of kilometers |
| 21:43 | · | in order to end up in the hands of the Hallstatt elites. What value did the elites give to such objects? |
| 21:51 | · | We know that they did not participate in a monetary economy. The Hallstatt Celts never made use of money. |
| 21:58 | · | What type of exchanges were they involved in? |
| 22:11 | · | At the National Museum of Archaeology in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, archaeologist Laurent Olivier is a curator of the Iron Age collections. |
| 22:20 | · | He is particularly interested in social relations between Celts. |
| 22:26 | · | These two objects are Mediterranean luxury objects. Here you have an object that was made in Etruria. |
| 22:31 | · | We call this a stem nose. It's a large vase, a beverage recipient. Then there's this small object that's a kantharos, |
| 22:38 | · | meaning a drinking cup with two ceramic handles that were made in Greece. |
| 22:45 | · | We think these were gifts that were given by Mediterranean traders to local patrons |
| 22:51 | · | in exchange for exclusivity over certain markets or access to certain raw materials. |
| 22:59 | · | Therefore, to reward them, they are given objects that are of extraordinary value for indigenous people to possess such objects. |
| 23:06 | · | To use them is to show one's social status to one's social circle. It is beyond a unitary object, a luxury object. |
| 23:15 | · | It is truly an object of prestige that travels through the Celtic world. |
| 23:21 | · | The stamnos and scales come from the princely tomb of Castel in the Aube region. |
| 23:27 | · | These are imported pieces. Inside the tomb, there are also objects of prestige |
| 23:33 | · | that are made locally, such as these magnificent objects of gold found in the tomb of Celle-sur-Seine. |
| 23:42 | · | Circulating in the Celtic world, these objects are also given the function of prestige goods, |
| 23:48 | · | and are attesting to the social status of those in their possession. |
| 23:59 | · | During this period, the Celts didn't use coins as a form of currency. These objects were not bought. |
| 24:04 | · | They were not produced to be sold. They were gifts. In these archaic societies, economies were based on the exchange of gifts. |
| 24:11 | · | How did it work? The powerful accumulated wealth in order to give it away. By giving, they secured the allegiance of those who received the items. |
| 24:19 | · | These objects circulated through the trade networks and functioned as alliance networks in order to make friends and allies. |
| 24:27 | · | It also creates a subordinate power relation, a relationship of debt. The economy is one of gifts and counter gifts. |
| 24:35 | · | Such gifts are never altruistic, but used to create a link through debt. |
| 24:46 | · | These magnificent objects, the beauty of which has survived for centuries, had an important role in establishing power relations |
| 24:54 | · | between Celtic tribes. They also embody a fondness for garish objects |
| 24:59 | · | that confirms to all the importance of their position within the community. |
| 25:13 | · | A few kilometers away, in the basement of the Louvre, is the center of research and restoration of French museums. |
| 25:32 | · | The particularity of the Lavau oinochoe are the gold and silver decorations with which it was decorated. |
| 25:44 | · | Why did the Celts add these ornaments to the oinochoe? To repair it? To embellish it? |
| 25:50 | · | To reappropriate it? |
| 26:02 | · | The improvement and enhancement of imported objects are traits that reoccur frequently in the wealthiest graves. |
| 26:09 | · | This customization is particularly common on vases that were used to distribute beverages. It was a vase to be shown as it was passed along between guests. |
| 26:33 | · | In Germany, in the Museum of the Landesmuseum Württemberg in Stuttgart, other Mediterranean objects can be found, |
| 26:39 | · | also embellished by the Celts. |
| 26:45 | · | Thomas Hoppe is an archaeologist and the curator of the Celtic collection for the museum. |
| 27:01 | · | Here we have objects that were found at Klein Asperg, where there's a large tumulus near Hohenasperg, |
| 27:08 | · | an ancient center of power from the early Celtic era. There are notable personal objects of interest, |
| 27:16 | · | such as utensils for beverages, a large cauldron and a ribbed bucket. |
| 27:26 | · | Nearby there are drinking vessels. Two magnificent cups from Athens. |
| 27:33 | · | What's exciting here is that these two cups had broken near the coves during antiquity, probably through use. |
| 27:40 | · | What is remarkable is that these cups were so valuable that the local Celtic artisans had prepared them with gilded sheets, |
| 27:47 | · | and then decorated them. |
| 27:53 | · | In order to repair these cups, the Celtic artisans were not content to simply consolidate the object |
| 27:59 | · | and attempt to respect its original appearance. Their gesture goes far beyond. |
| 28:04 | · | It consisted of bestowing it with more value and beauty. |
| 28:11 | · | In another room of the museum, there is another Mediterranean object, also repaired by the Celts in an unusual way. |
| 28:20 | · | Here's the renowned lion's cauldron that comes from the Hochdorf grave in Eberdingen. |
| 28:26 | · | It's the lion figures in particular that we're interested in. It is clear that these artifacts came from Greek workshops. |
| 28:34 | · | However, what is even more remarkable is the third lion. It is in the place of a Greek lion that was lost. |
| 28:42 | · | It is very different to the Greek lion sculptures. Its outline and size of 30 centimeters |
| 28:47 | · | are almost identical, but its style is considerably simplified. |
| 29:02 | · | This means the Celtic artisans have chosen to reproduce it in their own style. |
| 29:07 | · | To them, it would have been just as easy to create an exact copy of the original, but they chose to simplify this shape. |
| 29:24 | · | The cauldron from Hochdorf contained, according to the scientists, 300 liters of mead. |
| 29:32 | · | As for the immense Vix cauldron, the biggest in the Celtic world, it could contain up to 1,100 liters of liquid. |
| 29:40 | · | Most scientists agree that it probably contained wine. |
| 29:59 | · | Alcohol held an important role in Celtic society, meaning that, most probably, to drink alcohol together |
| 30:06 | · | was to belong to one and the same community. The person who organized the banquet |
| 30:13 | · | was also the one who distributed the alcohol, and the one who held the power to distribute this alcohol. |
| 30:27 | · | In Hallstattian cultures, Greek and Etruscan practices were adopted, |
| 30:32 | · | but specifically adapted to the requirements of the society. For instance, the Greek banquet, or at least the symposium |
| 30:41 | · | where alcohol was consumed, was a male banquet. |
| 30:47 | · | In the Celtic world, women participated in banquets alongside men. |
| 30:58 | · | Thus, women were associated with the banquet and probably shared in the power. |
| 31:14 | · | Bettina Arnold, archaeologist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, seeks to understand the ways in which the gender of individuals |
| 31:22 | · | was represented in graves from this period. Here it is, perfect. |
| 31:31 | · | In Germany, the Hochmichele mounds contained multiple graves. Their excavation revealed the presence of numerous ornamental elements, |
| 31:38 | · | both masculine and feminine. When they excavated this burial mound, the chamber grave they found, |
| 31:48 | · | grave six contained both a male individual and a female individual, again without skeletal remains, but with grave goods |
| 31:55 | · | that can be gender specifically identified. |
| 32:05 | · | Male burials are identified mainly on the basis of either weapons or razors. |
| 32:11 | · | Weapons are a little more common if they're spears. Very uncommon if they're daggers or swords. Also, arrows and quivers are not that frequent. |
| 32:19 | · | A little more ambiguous is things like the placement of jewelry. Bracelets on only one wrist or an upper arm ring above the elbow. |
| 32:28 | · | Particular kinds of materials are more typically associated with males. The fact that there's an iron neck ring in the male grave here at the Hochmichele |
| 32:36 | · | is a good example of that. Typically, that would not show up in a female grave. Women's graves are a bit easier |
| 32:42 | · | in the sense that they're more likely to show up because they have a lot more jewelry. They're wearing elaborate headdresses, |
| 32:48 | · | enormous belts with staple decorations, bracelets on both arms, and lots and lots of beads. |
| 32:55 | · | Other markers for female graves include symmetrical distribution of jewelry. |
| 33:01 | · | If you have bracelets on both wrists, you've got hair or earrings, pins associated with a veil, or some type of head covering, |
| 33:07 | · | definitively female. The same thing is true for ankle rings, which never show up in male graves. |
| 33:29 | · | Traces of Celtic graves still mark the Cantal landscapes. |
| 33:34 | · | Archaeologist Pierre-Yves Milcent has excavated a certain number of these graves. |
| 33:43 | · | While excavating these monuments, we often realize that the central grave, the one around which the others are organized, |
| 33:50 | · | is generally a woman's grave. |
| 34:09 | · | The female princely tombs contain furnishings that in many ways are very similar to the male princely tombs. |
| 34:25 | · | Elements of adornment, heavy gold ones, in particular, mark the imminent status of these individuals. |
| 34:32 | · | In these Hallstattian princely tombs, there is a hierarchy of sorts according to wealth. |
| 34:45 | · | However, amongst the richest tombs, there is only one that sticks out, the grave of the Lady of Vix. |
| 34:53 | · | In this grave, the most emblematic object is the immense bronze crater. |
| 35:06 | · | There are characters that go all the way around the crater. Then we can see that they prepare to go to war. |
| 35:12 | · | To house station observer, it was reasonable to think that these figurations could be interpreted as the mark of a relationship of submission |
| 35:20 | · | between the troops that went to war, and the female statue that is clearly placed higher |
| 35:25 | · | and seemed to dominate the departure to war. |
| 35:37 | · | Basically, the Vix crater could very easily be understood as the fact that the lady of Vix, through this figure, |
| 35:43 | · | could preside over the departures to war, which means that she could make political decisions that were enormous, |
| 35:50 | · | particularly the power to declare war or on the contrary, make peace with the enemy. |
| 36:00 | · | In many ways, instead of speaking of the lady of Vix, we could say the Queen of Vix. |
| 36:08 | · | The Lady of Vix or the Queen of Vix. Although history hasn't recorded the name of this illustrious woman, |
| 36:15 | · | her grave testifies to the power that she enjoyed within her community of Mont Lassois. |
| 36:23 | · | However, how vast was this community? How far did it extend over Mont Lassois at this end? |
| 36:30 | · | The height of the plateau has been the subject of long excavations. They revealed numerous traces of buildings. |
| 36:37 | · | A large community must have lived here. |
| 36:45 | · | The Mont Lassois has a surface of approximately 45 hectares within the city walls. The upper plateau we're on has a surface of five hectares. |
| 36:55 | · | The most remarkable building on the plateau is within the greatest enclosure. |
| 37:00 | · | It was identified as the Palace of the Lady of Vix. |
| 37:07 | · | The first zone to be excavated was that of the apse. The objects found there were fragments of ceramic jugs. |
| 37:16 | · | These jugs were used to cull liquid from a larger vase. It is possible to imagine that the large vase was also in the apse. |
| 37:25 | · | The Palace of the Lady of Vix is a unique building. It is 35 meters long and 22 meters wide, |
| 37:32 | · | and its height is estimated to be around 15 to 20 meters. This represents a four-story building. |
| 37:42 | · | Certain rooms are 500 square meters, and it is possible to imagine that they could hold two to 300 people at a time. |
| 37:52 | · | Around the Lady of Vix's palace, many houses were built, each enclosed by fences that created private spaces. |
| 38:02 | · | As with the Heuneburg, it would seem this plateau was also vastly populated. |
| 38:13 | · | The Vix's dwellings were strategically placed up high and surrounded by a complex system of fortified walls. |
| 38:22 | · | Thomas Pertwieser and his team at the University of Vienna are attempting to visualize the entire system |
| 38:29 | · | that protected the heights of the plateau. |
| 38:46 | · | Here we are in front of one of the city walls of the Mont Lassois. At the time, these fortifications all had one thing in common, |
| 38:53 | · | they were monumental. When we observe other structures on the Mont Lassois |
| 39:01 | · | as the apse houses or the tumulus, we can understand that the monumental aspect is an architectural feature. |
| 39:11 | · | These fortifications were monumental. They were enormous. |
| 39:37 | · | What we have here is a system of fortification composed of a double line of defense |
| 39:42 | · | that as a whole measures several kilometers long. These walls surround the Mont Lassois |
| 39:48 | · | and represent an enormous fortress facing the Cen. |
| 40:04 | · | By their monumental nature, their appearance, and their architecture, these fortifications project a certain image to the outside world. |
| 40:13 | · | Here is an example of a demonstration of power while wealth is proclaimed. |
| 40:20 | · | These monumental walls that surrounded the Mont Lassois were intended to extend into the landscape in a forceful manner, |
| 40:27 | · | in order to instill fear in potential enemies, but also in the people over which the Lady of Vix ruled. |
| 40:56 | · | In Lavau, the excavation is nearing its end. |
| 41:04 | · | In order to determine the gender of the deceased, it was necessary to make the distinction between decorum, objects, and jewelry, |
| 41:12 | · | some of which suggest it was a woman. On the other hand, |
| 41:18 | · | preliminary observations of the skeleton itself suggest it was a man. |
| 41:24 | · | The archaeologists and Lavau made their decision. It was, in fact, a man. |
| 41:35 | · | The wealth of objects assembled in the grave are proof that the deceased was an important individual. |
| 41:57 | · | Such a setup could only be an indication of great power and great wealth. |
| 42:13 | · | For the people on the territory on which the Prince of Lavau ruled was probably very vast and reinforced his power. |
| 42:31 | · | In the Heuneburg, the plateau in which the main dwellings lay dominates the landscape majestically. |
| 42:41 | · | How far did the territories on which he exercised power extend? |
| 42:59 | · | The Heuneburg was a very impressive sight during the sixth century BC, with its silt brick walls coated in bright white. |
| 43:07 | · | It certainly made a lasting impression on the surrounding populations. Today, we know that surrounding the Heuneburg, |
| 43:14 | · | many housing locations fortified and placed at high altitudes, tumuli, were scattered along the Danube. |
| 43:23 | · | I can demonstrate here. Look, the Danube is here. |
| 43:29 | · | The Heuneburg is there. All around, here's a great quantity of other excavation sites, |
| 43:34 | · | graves and villages. |
| 43:40 | · | The site known as Altenberg is on top of a plateau in the middle of a forest |
| 43:45 | · | eight kilometers northwest of Heuneburg. |
| 43:57 | · | The Altenberg is an enigmatic place. The stone remains do not correspond to these types of dwellings. |
| 44:11 | · | The function of this structure, unique in the Celtic world, has given birth to a singular hypothesis. |
| 44:23 | · | This location could have housed a place of worship, a sanctuary. |
| 44:35 | · | On a clear day, the plateau of Altenberg was visible from the Heuneburg. |
| 44:41 | · | The connection between the two sites seems to make sense. |
| 44:48 | · | Vix Lavau, the Heuneburg, and many others, princely sights were not confined to their main habitat. |
| 44:56 | · | Instead, they extended far beyond, but their reign would not last much longer. |
| 45:09 | · | The Heuneburg was burned down, and perhaps it's not a coincidence if in 530 BC the whole Heuneburg, |
| 45:16 | · | the main princely site in the north, had its golden age. |
| 45:23 | · | Certain researchers have interpreted this as the concurrence between two princely centers that ended in the Horsburgh attacking the Heuneburg |
| 45:33 | · | which soon yielded. |
| 45:39 | · | The Heuneburg rose from its ashes for a brief time. However, in the mid-fifth century BC, |
| 45:47 | · | another devastating fire provoked the total desertion of the plateau and its surroundings. |
| 45:53 | · | What's extraordinary is that simultaneously, the other princely sites undergo an analogous destiny. |
| 46:00 | · | This sudden decline marks the end of the Celtic principality phenomenon. |
| 46:07 | · | We do not know the reasons for this collapse, but it is possible that the development of the circulation of Greek |
| 46:13 | · | and Etruscan commerce on the Mediterranean isolated inland principalities from the great commercial |
| 46:19 | · | and cultural routes, precipitating their demise. |
| 46:29 | · | The disappearance of these great houses at the end of the early Iron Age corresponds to the subsiding of social hierarchies and rupture |
| 46:37 | · | of a system that was relatively pyramidal, and relatively vertical. |
| 46:50 | · | In Vix's similarity to the Heuneburg, in fact, there are buildings that caught fire as well as fortifications that were destroyed by the fire. |
| 46:58 | · | However, in Vix, unlike the Heuneburg, an additional element comes into play. The violent destruction of the tatues that represent two elites |
| 47:05 | · | of the population, a woman, probably the lady of Vix, and one soldier. These statues were beheaded. |
| 47:12 | · | It was an attempt to erase the elites that represented the reigning dynasty from the landscape and from the collective memory. |
| 47:29 | · | From the second half of the sixth century, new centers emerged in the western Mediterranean |
| 47:35 | · | that developed and established new trade networks, trade networks that weren't necessarily compatible |
| 47:40 | · | with those of the sixth century, and those that enabled luxury goods to travel to Central Europe. |
| 47:49 | · | That is to say, there are no more Greek imports and no more Etruscan imports and in a sense, we have a society |
| 47:56 | · | that turns its back on a system that used to be very open towards the Mediterranean. |
| 48:02 | · | I think that the end of Mediterranean imports is also indicative of the change in social values. |
| 48:09 | · | This is a society that is isolating itself. |
| 48:19 | · | The level grave marks the transition between two types of societies and cultures. |
| 48:32 | · | Here, we see a transition from a society in which prestige is celebrated with ceremonies and banquets to one that gives importance |
| 48:39 | · | to the military aspects of aristocratic life and war in general. |
| 48:47 | · | The system of values is one which existed during the early Hallstatt period. |
| 48:53 | · | It's as though we are closing the circle in a way and we return to societies that are slightly more traditional. |
| 49:01 | · | An entire experience at the Hallstatt is brushed aside without a future in sight. |
| 49:14 | · | Now, the Prince of Lavau is part of our culture of our history, with equal standing to the Lady of Vix and we could even wonder if they ever met. |
| 49:26 | · | Twenty-five thousand years ago, in the small village of Lavau, a powerful individual was sumptuously buried by his people, |
| 49:34 | · | deposed on a cart, accompanied by banquet pottery and a cauldron full of alcohol, all objects of considerable value |
| 49:43 | · | chosen with care, lavishly dressed and decorated with finely crafted golden jewels. |
| 49:49 | · | He was laid majestically among the possessions that would follow him into the next life. |
| 49:59 | · | The Hallstatt Celts created great and prosperous cities and traded with all the peoples of Europe, as well as the Greeks and the Etruscans. |
| 50:08 | · | They crafted sumptuous objects and gold and gave women an important place in society. |
| 50:14 | · | They built a flourishing civilization, the ruins of which, on occasion, are unearthed for our boundless admiration. |
| 50:22 | · | They left behind an image of a powerful people, precursors of our own cities. |
| 50:28 | · | The real reasons for their demise will remain a mystery forever. |
IMDb: The Enigma of the Celtic Tomb