The Hoard of the Rings. “Odd” annular bread-like objects as a case study for cereal-product diversity at the Late Bronze Age hillfort site of Stillfried (Lower Austria)

Cereals, in addition to being a major ingredient in daily meals, also play a role in the preparation of foodstuffs for ritual purposes. This paper deals with finds that may correspond to such ritual preparations retrieved from the hillfort site of Stillfried an der March. The site, spreading across an area of ca. 23 ha, held a very important position among settlements of Late Urnfield period (particularly during the 10th– 9th c. BCE), acting as a central place where large scale storage of grain as well as textile and metal production took place under the control of local elites. Three incomplete ring-shaped charred organic objects, found together with 14 rings and ring fragments made of clay were discovered in a secondary filled silo pit, excavated among a total of about 100 pits of this kind at the site. The overall good state of preservation of the organic ring fragments suggests that they were deposited intact on the bottom of the pit and covered well so that no re-deposition or damage occurred. This could be indicate their intentional placement in this position. Light and scanning electron microscopy revealed that the charred organic rings are cereal products containing hulled barley and a wheat species. Indications that the objects were shaped from a wet cereal mixture and had been subsequently dried without baking are discussed, as well as the possible significance of the find assemblage. The annular objects are put in context with the contemporary cereal spectrum as well as other cereal preparations from Stillfried, outlining their different chaînes opératoires for handling cereal food.

谷物不仅是日常膳食的核心组成食材，亦可用于制备仪式用食品。本文针对从马尔河畔施蒂尔弗里德（Stillfried an der March）山堡遗址出土的、疑似对应这类仪式用食品制备遗存的考古发现展开研究。该遗址占地面积约23公顷，在晚瓮棺文化期（Late Urnfield period，尤其公元前10至9世纪）的聚落体系中占据关键地位，是当地精英管控下开展大规模谷物贮藏、纺织与金属制作的核心据点。研究人员在该遗址已发掘的约100座同类窖藏坑中，于一座二次充填的窖藏坑内发现三件残损的炭化有机质环形器物，同时伴出14件陶制环及环残片。这批有机质环残片整体保存状态良好，表明它们原本完整铺设于坑底，并得到了妥善覆盖，未发生再沉积或破损。这一现象暗示这些器物是被有意放置于此位置的。光学显微镜与扫描电子显微镜（scanning electron microscopy）分析结果显示，该炭化有机质环形器物为谷物制品，成分包含带壳大麦与一种小麦属物种。本文探讨了该器物由湿谷物混合物塑形、后续未经焙烧直接干燥的相关证据，同时也讨论了此次出土遗存组合的潜在学术意义。研究将这批环形器物与施蒂尔弗里德遗址出土的同期谷物遗存组合及其他谷物制备遗存进行关联考证，梳理出其处理谷物食品的不同操作链（chaînes opératoires）。