The Lady of Schengen (Luxembourgish: Prinzessin vu Schengen; German: Die Dame von Schengen) or the Princess of Schengen or the Lady of the Digging Pond, was a woman who lived c.2,500 years ago, and whose tomb, situated on the banks of the Moselle between Schengen and Remerschen, was discovered and excavated in 1995. It is known for its rich grave goods.

Reconstruction of the grave of the Lady of Schengen, Remerschen, 2019

Discovery

edit

In 1995 the National Research Centre for Archaeology in Luxembourg undertook excavations at a site on the banks of the Moselle - between Schengen and Remerschen.[1] She was found in what became known as grave number 17 in a cemetery.[2] Fifty other graves, dating from the Bronze Age and the Iron Age were excavated at the same time.[3]

Due to the acidic conditions of the soil, all of her body, apart from four teeth, had been dissolved.[2] Based on soil and dental analysis, her age and height could be estimated and it is believed she was approximately 35 years old when she died and that she was 1.54m tall.[3] However, she was buried with a significant assemblage of grave goods, which included: bronze bracelets, two torcs, a chiselled triangular plate, alongside other high status objects.[2] The cremated remains of a man were also buried in the grave, between the woman's feet.[2] Soil samples also demonstrated the presence of wood, potentially a coffin, in the grave.[3]

Exhibition

edit

The jewels and a reconstruction of her tomb were on display from the end of 2018 until May 2019 at the Biodiversum in Remerschen.[1] The exhibition featured replicas of her grave goods, as well as interactive holograms.[4] In 2020 her tomb and its reconstruction was exhibited at Belginum Archäologiepark in Germany.[5]

Foni Le Brun-Ricalens, Director of the National Research Centre for Archaeology, who led the excavations, concluded that the woman may have had a significant place in society; perhaps a Celtic ruler.[1]

Further reading

edit
  • Le Brun-Ricalens, Foni, Die Dame von Schengen - La Princesse de Schengen: Ad vitam aeternam (Archäologiepark Belginum, 2019)[6]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c "Mit der "Dame" auf Zeitreise". Luxemburger Wort - Deutsche Ausgabe (in German). 2019-01-11. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
  2. ^ a b c d "ELO MAT VIDEO - Ausstellung am Biodiversum: Madamm vum Baggerweier oder Prinzessin vu Schengen?". www.rtl.lu (in Luxembourgish). Retrieved 2022-05-24.
  3. ^ a b c Molinaro, Claude; Geboren 1964; Linguistik, studierte; wurde, Germanistik und Russisch in Brüssel und in Moskau Erste Erfahrungen im Journalismus sammelte als freier Mitarbeiter während seiner Schulzeit beim Tageblatt Bevor er 2006 fest dort angestellt; Moskau, arbeitete er als Angestellter der luxemburgischen Botschaft in; Redaktion, als Übersetzer und als Programmierer an automatischen Übersetzungsprogrammen Beim Tageblatt arbeitete er acht Jahre in der innenpolitischen; Kulturredakteur, anschließend vier Jahre als; wechselte, bevor er 2019 in die Lokalredaktion; befasst, wo er sich vor allem mit Ereignissen in und um Luxemburg-Stadt. ""Die Dame von Schengen" – Biodiversum in Remerschen stellt spannende Funde aus". www.tageblatt.lu (in German). Retrieved 2022-05-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "LA PRINCESSE DE SCHENGEN" (PDF). Biodiversum. November 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  5. ^ "Die Dame von Schengen (2020)". museen.de. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
  6. ^ Brun-Ricalens, Foni Le; Cordie, Rosemarie; Meiers, Fabienne; Teegen, Wolf-Rüdiger (2019). Die Dame von Schengen: ad vitam æternam (in French). Archäologiepark Belginum. ISBN 978-3-9811802-9-9.