WorldWide

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World’s oldest unicyclist? Discovered in a sixth-century B.C.E. tomb in Hochdorf, Germany, this bronze figure provides evidence of the burial practices, rather than the cycling techniques, of Iron Age Europe. The upraised arms of six such figurines (plus two without wheels) supported a 10-foot-long bronze bed, on which the body of a 40-year-old man was laid to rest. Amber and bone originally filled the holes in the figurine, creating a necklace, bracelets, earrings, anklets and belt for this ornate caster. Thin bronze sheets decorated with battle scenes also embellished the upholstered bed.

The raised arms and bowed legs of the stylized figure are typical of metalwork created by the Hallstatt culture, which flourished in central Europe during the seventh and sixth centuries B.C.E. The name “Hallstatt” derives from the site in western Austria where 19th-century archaeologists excavated a 1,300-grave cemetery, full of fine metalwork from this period. The Hochdorf tomb, which lay at the center of a 100-foot-high burial mound in southwestern Germany, contained a hoard of bronze bowls, plates, drinking horns, weapons and horse trappings, apparently for use in the afterlife. Textiles covered the floors and walls, and the 6-foot-tall man buried on the couch, dubbed “the prince of Hochdorf,” wore a golden neckring, belt, armring, brooches and shoes. The abundance of weapons in the tomb and the battle scenes embossed on the bed suggest that this “prince” may actually have belonged to the warrior aristocracy that emerged in Iron Age Europe.

World’s oldest unicyclist? Discovered in a sixth-century B.C.E. tomb in Hochdorf, Germany, this bronze figure provides evidence of the burial practices, rather than the cycling techniques, of Iron Age Europe. The upraised arms of six such figurines (plus two without wheels) supported a 10-foot-long bronze bed, on which the body of a 40-year-old man was laid to rest. Amber and bone originally filled the holes in the figurine, creating a necklace, bracelets, earrings, anklets and belt for this ornate caster. Thin bronze sheets decorated with battle scenes also embellished the upholstered bed. The raised arms and bowed legs of […]