Wednesday 29 April 2020

der goldene hut von schifferstadt

Uncovered in a field near a village not far from Speyer on this day in 1835, the Golden Hat of Schifferstadt is one example of a quartet of headdresses from the Bronze Age and likely date, judging by the intricacy of the metalwork, the gold alloy hammered to the thickness of a sheet of paper, to circa 1300 BC.
This reproduction above is on the shingle of the local museum near the spot where it was excavated, with the delicate original conserved in the larger facility in Speyer—though sometimes ancient artefacts are part of the furniture and become sort of a mascot. The meaning of the insignia and symbols is unknown but researchers speculate that the hats were worn by the high priests of a Sun worshipping cult and may have served as an almanac, marking the days and weeks between planting and harvesting and other rituals.