A Pair of Miniature Clay Wheels from an Infant Burial Ascribed to the Corded Ware Culture Near Wallerstein (Lkr. Donau-Ries / D)

Abstract

A Pair of Miniature Clay Wheels from an Infant Burial Ascribed to the Corded Ware Culture Near Wallerstein (Lkr. Donau-Ries / D)

A pair of pierced clay discs with a clearly formed nave found in an infant burial near Wallerstein (Lkr. Donau-Ries, southwestern Bavaria) evidently represents a pair of miniature wheels and can be ascribed to the Corded Ware Culture. Whereas comparable artefacts of clay and wood in Southern Germany have been found extremely rarely and always without a secure context, these new finds now offer a fresh insight into the possible meaning and use of miniature wheels during the Endneolithic / Chalcolithic period. During the 4th and 3rd millennia BC similar clay miniature wheels and usually four-wheeled clay miniature wagons occur in larger numbers in the Carpathian Basin. There they occasionally appear in graves and are mainly attributed with a symbolic or ritual connection. However, found within the context of an infant burial and with regard to the general absence of other indications for wagons or wheels in contemporary burials, for the pair of miniature wheels from Wallerstein a profane explanation in the sense of a toy should also be considered.