Heuneburg

Large Iron Age hill fort on the Danube, 15 km/9 mi downstream of Sigmaringen, western Germany. Its unusual mud-brick rampart and towers show a Greek influence, and evidence from nearby burials indicates that the site was probably a powerful centre during the Hallstatt period, able to import Mediterranean goods and craft skills.

Construction of the fort was attempted in the Greek style, through imitation or possibly by a Greek moving into the area, and used brick on limestone foundations with regular towers. However, the fact that the construction was not continued as a technology suggests that it was not suited to the environment of central Europe. It may indicate a period when the elite living at the hill fort desired Greek culture beyond the importation of Mediterranean luxury goods, such as the Etruscan jugs, Greek figured pottery, wine vessels, and other items identified at the site as stylistically foreign.