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Origin and history

The Kastelberg is a protohistoric fortified site located in the communes of Koestlach and Mornach (High Rhine, Great East). Its remains cover a period from the final Neolithic (Vth-IVth millennium BC) to La Tene Final (IInd-Ist century BC), with a major occupation during the First Iron Age (Hallstatt, 7th-VIth century BC). The excavations revealed a neolithic enclosure with double limestone trimming, as well as a hallstattian rampart with a talty trim, reinforced by vertical poles. Ceramic, lithic, and metal artifacts (including a copper alloy arrow tip of the Middle-Final Bronze) show continued occupation, although the traces of the Bronze remain difficult to characterize.

Archaeological research, initiated by Karl Sebastian Gutmann (1903-1908) and taken over since 2011 by the Pôle d'Archéologie Indépartemental Rhénan (directed by Michaël Landolt), has clarified the chronology of the site. A double fortification of the First Iron Age was identified, with a main bulwark to the east and a second enclosure dated between 410 and 230 B.C. (The Ancient/Medium Tena). Inside, a limestone plated platform suggests a habitat, while layers of occupancy rich in furniture (fauna, ceramics, tools) confirm a visit to La Tene finale.

The site illustrates the evolution of defensive techniques and lifestyles between the Neolithic and the Second Iron Age. Recent discoveries, such as a ceramic edge of La Tene finale, extend its history until the eve of the Roman conquest. The search reports (2011-2014) highlight its role as a strategic doppidum on Jurassian foothills, linked to the cultural and commercial exchanges of the hallstattian and latenian era.

A special feature of the Kastelberg is the re-use of structures over the centuries: the Neolithic enclosure precedes the hallstattian fortifications, while clues of La Tene final show sporadic occupation. The Bronze copper arrow tip, although found out of context, evokes a human presence during this period, despite the absence of signs of fortification. These successive strata make it a key witness to Alsatian protohistory.

Modern excavations have also brought to light a variety of construction techniques: limestone slab trimmings, internal blockages, and post pits to strengthen ramparts. The shell degreasing ceramics and the tools in petite-quartz or cut flint reveal craftsmanship linked to local resources. The site, studied within the framework of the PAIR (Pôle d'Archéologie Indépartemental Rhénan), benefits from documentation combining ancient archives and contemporary methods (radiocarbon dates, typological analyses).

Finally, Kastelberg was also mentioned in recent publications (2012-2014) as an example of a hallstattian oppidum in Alsace, with possible links to Celtic networks. His study is part of a broader reflection on protohistoric urbanization in temperate Europe, where height sites played a defensive, symbolic and economic role for local communities.

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