The Altkönig: Old King of the Taunus

Vorgeschichtliche Ringwälle auf dem Altkönig. Schlott 1991, 68.

​The Altkönig is one of the most impressive prehistoric sites in the Rhine/Main area. This dramatic hillfort, built on one of the highest peaks  of the Taunus mountains (798 m), reigns over the fertile plains of the Main and southern Wetterau, where the Iron Age tribe that built its massive walls must once have lived. The remains of a double ringwall circles the crest. A walled annexe on the mountain’s southwest flank encloses a still-flowing spring. Archaeologists date the fortifications to around 400 BC - the early La Tène period -  when Celtic culture had spread throughout Europe. A lance point from 800 BC and a coin issued by the Roman emperor Honorius (who reigned from AD 393 - 423) show that the site was visited for centuries before and after the Altkönig was built.

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​The name of the hillfort possibly comes from the Celtic word alkin (high) and could refer to the mountain-top location or the social status of the original occupants. The name “Altkönig” (Old King) was popularised by the humanist philosopher Erasmus Alberus, who taught in Oberursel from 1525 -1527. Erasmus'  Buch der Weisheit (1550) explains it as the castle of a “Teutschen König” (German king) who was driven away by the Roman emperor, Trajan, but was remembered as the Altkönig once the Romans withdrew from the Taunus (von Cohausen & Widmann 1883/84, 216).  A statue of this mythical ruler (author's photo, right) watches over the park in Oberursel's Camp King neighbourhood.

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​The only extensive excavations were conducted in 1882-83 by C. A. von Cohausen, when no evidence of long-term occupation was found. ​Living at this altitude - particularly in the winter - would have been quite uncomfortable. Therefore, it is thought that the central area may have served as a cult and assembly centre, visited for short periods on ceremonial occasions. For me, this calls to mind the Celtic festivals of Lughnasa, held on 1 August and Samhain, celebrated on 1 November - both  associated with gatherings of the tribes (Cunliffe 2018, 279 -81; James 1993, 155). Also, in times of trouble, the hillfort could have sheltered the Iron Age tribe and their livestock. In fact, the Altkönig provided refuge as recently as 1792, when the citizens of Falkenstein fled before an invading French army (ibid. 215). It is conceivable that a princely grave may still await discovery on the mountain. Still, since the site is in a regional park, protected from the threat of farmers' ploughs or modern construction ('rescue digs' are the primary recipients of government support), it is unlikely that new excavations will ever be funded.

Von Cohausen 1883/84, Plate I. Figure 1

Today, heaps of loose stone are the 0nly visible reminder of the once-mighty fortifications. The walls were originally about 5 m high and 5 m across, with drystone facings on the inner and outer sides supported by a wooden framework and filled with loose stones and earth. The vertical slots in the photo on the left (taken during the 1883 excavations) once held timber posts.
The innermost wall is approximately 980 m long, the outer almost 1,390 m long, and the (incompletely preserved) walls of the annexe measure about 1,000 m, for a total length of about 3.37 km. In all, the fortification protects an area of 26 hectares. The massive construction hints at the significance this site must have had for the people of the Taunus.

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From Lorenz, K. (1986) Rundgang durch eine Keltische "Stadt". Pfaffenhoven; W.Ludwig Verlag.

​When you consider the quantities of stone, earth and wood used for the walls  and then factor in the man-hours of labour needed to collect and transport the materials, then you can begin to imagine the power (and managerial talent) commanded by those who ruled the 'Old King.' For example, a section one metre long contained 25 m³ of stone and earth. For a modern comparison, consider that twelve to fifteen wheelbarrow loads equal one cubic metre of material, so 375 wheelbarrow loads would be needed to fill a single metre-long segment.  We know that the stone (Taunus Quartzite) was collected from deposits on the mountain slopes at the Weiße Mauer, 2 km distant. Even though the rock didn’t need quarrying (it erodes naturally into angular blocks), someone had to transport it (uphill !!) and carry it to the top of the wall. Archaeologists estimate that one man, with the help of an ox-drawn wagon, might have been able to shift 1.5 m³ of material per day, so, 56,166 workdays would have been required to collect the necessary stones and earth (25 m³ times 3370 m. wall length = 84,250 m³ material, divided by 1,5 = 56,166). Theoretically, 500 workers could have shifted the stones and earth in four months (500 times 1,5 = 750 m³ material per day. 84,250 divided by 750 = 112 days).  

Significant quantities of timber - predominantly oak - also went into the wall’s structure. Von Cohausen determined that vertical posts were set along the outer face of the wall every 1.5 m on average. The vertical supports were anchored to posts on the inner side of the wall by cross-timbers, as shown in this model (author's photo, left) from The Bibracte Museum (Mont Beuvray, France). The posts and cross-timbers were at least 5 m long and had an average diameter of 25 cm, so they must have been cut from mature trees. Roughly 10,000 trees would have been felled to supply this wood - an entire forest! When you consider that the Celts also needed wood for fuel, house construction, and to process the iron they used for their tools, you realise that the mountain on which the Altkönig sits, as well as most of the hills nearby, would have been bare of trees – hardly the virgin forest most people imagine when they think of prehistoric times.

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Kronberg. Early Celtic bronze animal fibula from the Altkönig, From Rieckhoff and Biel 2001, 411.

We can assume that many hundreds of workers and craftsmen were needed for this project. Each worker had to be fed, clothed, and housed through others' labour - a massive organisational task.  Therefore, the authority of the Altkönig’s rulers must have been considerable.
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Finds of a bronze lance-point, gold and silver coins, a coral-inlaid fibula in the shape of an animal with a bird’s head, and, of course, the walls) show the rulers' connection to the people we now call 'Celts', a diverse group that dominated most of central and western Europe from roughly 800 to 50 BC. Known to Greek scholars of the 5th century BC as 'Keltoi', they were seen as trading partners, avid consumers of wine and proficient warriors. Archaeological finds provide evidence of their skilled woodworking, inventive metalwork, varied burial customs and types of settlement - the richest of which dominated riverine or oceanic trading routes.

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Coins from the Heidetränk Oppidum. Photo courtesy of Karl-f. Rittershofer.

​The nearby Heidetränk Oppidum was this sort of wealthy settlement, created around 200 BC when a massive 10-km wall was built to enclose earlier fortifications on the Altenhöfe and Goldgrube. The coins minted here supply evidence for trade connections extending to Austria, central France, and Poland. By the early 2nd century, the Altkönig's walls had fallen into disrepair; I speculate that the oppidum assumed the refuge role while the Old King retained its ritual and ceremonial significance.
Interestingly, it turns out that Erasmus' story about the Altkönig wasn't entirely fantastic: Celtic communities flourished in the Taunus until around 50 BC, after which they seem to have been driven away by the Romans.
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To visit the Altkönig, drive or take the U-3 train to the 'Oberursel-Hohemark' stop (the end of the line). From the nearby Taunus Informationszentrum , follow the marked hiking trail uphill (you will need a map). For a somewhat less-strenuous hike, drive or take Bus 57 from the Hohemark to the 'Große Kurve' bus stop and pick up the marked hiking trail from there. 
Directions and more information at 
taunus.info/angebote/kultur-und-geschichte/kelten-und-roemer/keltische-ringwaelle-auf-dem-altkoenig/2904/

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Sources and further reading
Cunliffe, B. 2018 The Ancient Celts, 2nd Ed. Oxford; Oxford University Press.
James, S. 1993 The World of the Celts. London; Thames and Hudson.
Lorenz, H. 1986 Rundgang Durch Eine Keltische “Stadt". Pfaffenhofen; Ludwig Verlag,.
Rieckhoff, S. and Biel, J. 2001 Die Kelten in Deutschland.Stuttgart; Theiss Verlag.
Schlott, C. 1991 2,000 Jahre Taunus - Aus der Geschichte einer Landschaft. Frankfurt am Main; Terra Incognita.
Von Cohausen, A. & Widmann 1883/84 'Walllburgen (Altkönig).' Annalen des Vereins für Nassauische Altertumskunde und Geschichtsforschung Bd 18  Heft 1,  208 -217.