# Celtic woman's grave in Senden, Bavaria: bronze jewelry and lamb or kid bones, c. 250 BC

- Published: 2026-11-07 19:09 UTC
- Section: Science › Research
- Tags: Celtic grave Senden, La Tène burial, Iron Age Bavaria, bronze knotted rings, sapropelite bracelet, BLfD excavation, Celtic woman grave, funerary offering lamb
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-c66ce437300042facfea8f13_celtic_woman_s/

**Rescue excavations in Senden uncovered the grave of a Celtic woman aged 40–60 with bronze and sapropelite jewelry and animal bones, a rare find among about a hundred La Tène graves in Bavaria.**

![Celtic woman's grave in Senden, Bavaria: bronze jewelry and lamb or kid bones, c. 250 BC](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/363c393fb031c151.jpg)
*Connaissance des Arts*

Archaeologists have found an Iron Age grave about 2,300 years old in Senden, in the Neu-Ulm district of Bavaria, Germany. According to Connaissance des Arts, it holds the remains of a Celtic woman buried around 250 BC, during the La Tène period, the second Iron Age (450 to 50 BC). She was wearing bronze jewelry, and the bones of a small animal lay beside her [1]. The find was presented at the annual conference "Archaeology in Bavaria" on 30 October and 1 November.

The grave was found in 2024 during rescue excavations on the site of a future business zone on Saint-Florian street. Staff of the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments (BLfD) also recorded Roman and Merovingian graves and a large early medieval settlement there [1]. Stefanie Berg, head of the BLfD archaeology department, said the site shows traces of occupation from the Celtic period to the Roman imperial era.

## Jewelry and burial of the woman

An anthropological study indicates that the woman died between the ages of 40 and 60 [1]. Two large knotted bronze rings lay around her ankles. Her arms and wrists carried two thinner knotted bracelets and a ring with a hollow boss and a closure mechanism. Inside one of the rings the researchers found a tiny textile fragment, whose study could yield information on weaving techniques of the time.

The set also included a bronze brooch and a smooth bracelet of sapropelite, a fossilized organic sedimentary rock that probably came from Bohemia. The authors suggest the jewelry reflects the wealth of its owner and possibly a certain social status [1].

## Animal bones in the grave

Near the woman's hip lay the remains of a small animal. Matthias Leicht, excavation director at ADA – Archäologie GbR, identified it as a lamb or a kid [1]. It may be a food or ritual offering made at the funeral. Another hypothesis is that the deposit points to a personal bond between the animal and the woman.

Such graves are relatively rare in Bavaria: about a hundred La Tène graves are recorded in the region to date [1]. The find raises new questions about the funerary practices, religious beliefs and social relations of Iron Age communities there. The conference was organized by the BLfD and the Bavarian Archaeological Society.

## Sources

1. [Connaissance des Arts](https://www.connaissancedesarts.com/monuments-patrimoine/archeologie/archeologie-une-decouverte-exceptionnelle-en-baviere-la-riche-tombe-dune-femme-celte-revele-une-surprenante-offrande-funeraire-11218229)

---

Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-c66ce437300042facfea8f13_celtic_woman_s/