PrefaceSasja van der Vaart-VerschoofPART 1 | ORIGINS & DEVELOPMENT OF ELITE GRAVESObserving objects and fascinating fragments. How practice-based research changed our understanding of the Chieftain’s grave of Oss and elites in the Early Iron Age Low CountriesSasja van der Vaart-VerschoofSwords and shrouds, rings and razors. Late Hallstatt B and early Hallstatt C metal-bearing graves of the Low CountriesEugène WarmenbolWhere are all the ‘Elites’? Hallstatt C metalwork from Britain and connections with the ContinentMatthew G. Knight & Brendan O’ConnorPART 2 | ELITE IDENTITY, STATUS & PRESTIGEThe Power of Iron. Fealty and the Means by which the Celtic Aristocracies of Western Europe Carried Their Memory Forward (4th to 8th century BC)Laurent OlivierA marker of the elite? Thoughts on Early Iron Age burials with anthropomorphisationMaria KohleOstentatiously dressing the dead. Burial rites and textiles in the Early Iron AgeKarina Grömer, Sasja van der Vaart-Verschoof & Robert SchumannPART 3 | THE SPREAD OF ELITE GRAVES: NETWORKS & MOBILITYThe Early Iron Age (Ha C-D1) elite in Bohemia as evidence of the mobility of the contemporary communitiesMartin Trefný, Jana Doležalová & David DaněčekRich female graves of the Iron Age in southwestern GermanyDirk Krausse, Leif Hanse & Nicole EbingerHallstatt Period hoards from Slovakia. Evidence of supra-regional contactsErika MakarováThe spread of Early Iron Age elite graves. Networks and mobilityGuy De Mulder, Martine Vercauteren, Mathieu Boudin, Eugène Warmenbol, Giacomo Capuzzo, Kevin Salesse, Charlotte Sabaux, Sarah Dalle, Elisavet Stamataki, Amanda Sengeløv, Marta Hlad, Rica Annaert, Barbara Veselka & Christophe SnoeckAn Iron Age Spider’s Web. Trans-regional Elite Communication at Dürrnberg ‘Salt Metropolis’Holger WendlingWays to and from Mitterkirchen. Rich Hallstatt C Graves and ‘Elite Mobility’Jutta LeskovarAcross Europe, from the British Isles to Central Europe, archaeologists have uncovered the lavish burials of Early Iron Age elites—powerful figures who shaped the continent’s protohistory through vast networks of influence and exchange. Yet, modern borders and linguistic divides have long hindered a truly comprehensive understanding of their role during this pivotal period in Europe’s past.Elite Mobility and Funerary Practices in Early Iron Age Europe presents the results of the first Joseph Déchelette Colloquium, held in 2022 at the Musée d’Archéologie Nationale in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France. Leading specialists unite to explore princely burials and elite power structures from the Late Bronze Age (Ha B2–3) to the dawn of the Late Hallstatt period (Ha D1–2). By placing these remarkable burials within their wider geographic and chronological context, the contributors shed new light on the long-term transformations that defined the first millennium BC—an era in which Europe took shape.Through cutting-edge research and fresh perspectives, this book offers a milestone in the study of European Iron Age archaeology, redefining our understanding of early elite networks and their lasting impact on the continent’s history.