INTRODUCTION

In recent decades the study of Late Iron Age societies in Gaul and the Rhineland has been at the forefront of discussion in both academic and popular archaeology. The primary focus has been the major social changes that occurred during that period, leading to more complex societies with a more highly developed social hierarchy and the first moves toward urbanisation. The most notable archaeological evidence is the appearance of major fortified settlements or oppida, a rapid rise in the use of coins and the emergence of collective sanctuaries. Such changes are usually regarded as diagnostic of the La Tène cultural region, distinguishing it from regions to the north where they did not occur.

In the Northwest European context, what picture do archaeological texts of today paint of Late Iron Age societies in the Lower Rhine region? The first response is that this region barely rates a mention in the international literature. It is viewed as part of the northern border zone of Gaul, as a region weak in La Tène cultural influences and which saw no structural social change in the Iron Age. Many publications reproduce a map showing the distribution of Late Iron Age oppida (fig. 2.1); the northern border runs through Northern France, Southern Belgium and the German Middle Rhine region towards Central Europe. The Lower Rhine region is thus usually seen as part of the northern zone of rather static societies with relatively egalitarian social structures. This picture stems chiefly from the Lower Rhineland's ‘poor’ material culture, in particular the weak presence of elements associated with elite power, such as major fortified settlements and rich metalwork. Characteristic are the simple burial ritual and the barely differentiated settlement pattern with an absence of oppida. Major social change, the texts suggest, would not occur there until after the Roman conquest. Some authors explain these regional differences by using core-periphery models or social evolutionary perspectives. There is also a long and powerful tradition of explaining the differences in ethnic terms (fig. 2.1). The Lower Rhine region is regarded as part of the northern ‘Germanic’ world, the counterpart of a southern ‘Celtic’ world.