The Mšecké Žehrovice Head is a male sculpted head from c. 150–50 BC found at the double Viereckschanze site in Mšecké Žehrovice, about 65 km northwest of

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. It is one of the best known works of

Celtic art Celtic art is associated with the peoples known as Celts; those who spoke the Celtic languages in Europe from pre-history through to the modern period, as well as the art of ancient peoples whose language is uncertain, but have cultural and styli ...

from

Iron Age Europe In Europe, the Iron Age is the last stage of the prehistoric period and the first of the protohistoric periods,The Junior Encyclopædia Britannica: A reference library of general knowledge. (1897). Chicago: E.G. Melvin. (seriously? 1897 "Junior ...

, and, along with the

Glauberg The Glauberg is a Celtic oppidum in Hesse, Germany consisting of a fortified settlement and several burial mounds, "a princely seat of the late Hallstatt and early La Tène periods." Archaeological discoveries in the 1990s place the site among ...

"Prince" and the

Warrior of Hirschlanden The ''Warrior of Hirschlanden'' (''Krieger von Hirschlanden'' in German) is a statue of a nude ithyphallic warrior made of sandstone, the oldest known Iron Age life-size anthropomorphic statue north of the Alps. It was a production of the Hallst ...

, one of the few large representations of the human figure. After its discovery in 1943, the sculpture became one of the most photographed, reproduced and published La Tène (cc. 450–50 B.C.) objects ever. The sculpture is now in the Prague National Museum as inventory No. 111938. With its iconic moustache, owl-like eyes, torc ornament and unique hairstyle, the

marlstone Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, clays, and silt. When hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae. Marl makes up the lower part ...

head became an international mascot of 'barbarian' Europe, embellishing the covers of many scientific as well as populist publications concentrating on Iron Age Europe related issues.

Substance

The stone head, sculpted from local Cretaceous

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

, has a maximum height of 234 mm and width of 174 mm. The sculpture was broken into at least five pieces sometime in antiquity. Four pieces have been found in fairly good condition. However, the missing fragment or possibly fragments, a right-hand side of the head including upper part of the ear, have not yet been found. The heavily stylized facial features are projected on an almost flat surface surrounded by braid-like shaped hair. At the back of the head the hair appears to be shaved in a

tonsure Tonsure () is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word ' (meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice i ...

. The most prominent are the bulging oval eyes, contoured by a curvilinear eyebrow matching a similarly imposing curvilinear moustache. The mouth is suggested by a mere downward bending line. The ears are not naturalistic but rather represented as lotus buds, a stylistic form representative of La Tène art. The neck is formed in a shape of a

torc A torc, also spelled torq or torque, is a large rigid or stiff neck ring in metal, made either as a single piece or from strands twisted together. The great majority are open at the front, although some had hook and ring closures and a few had ...

, a traditional Celtic necklace. A similar torc can be seen on the second-century B.C. sculpture of a '' Dying Gaul'' from Pergamon.

Background

The visual imagery of the La Tène period was characterized by an ubiquitous appearance of an anthropomorphic head symbol typical of Central and Western Celtic Europe These images were skillfully entwined in ornaments, handles, jewelry and reliefs fashioned mostly of metals. Anthropomorphic sculpture itself was extraordinarily rare and few examples survive today. The ''Celtic Hero'' was found during a course of 1943 excavation of an

oppidum An ''oppidum'' (plural ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread across Europe, stretchi ...

in Mšecké Žehrovice in central Bohemia, Czech Republic. The sculpture was buried in a pit on a southwest corner of a square enclosure located within the oppidum. Other artifacts found in the pit include burned animal bones that date the feature to late La Tène period LT C2-D1 (approx. 150–50 BC.), pottery

sherds This page is a glossary of archaeology, the study of the human past from material remains. A B C D E F ...

, pieces of saprolite and a piece of iron wire. The dating of the pit is further supported by the typology of the pottery sherds which also place the interment of the sculpture to approx. mid 2nd to mid 1st century BC.Natalie Venclová, ''Mšecké Žehrovice in Bohemia. Archaeological Background to a Celtic Her'', (Kronos B.Y. Editions, 1998:31)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Msecke Zehrovice Head Celtic stone heads