Nouvelle hypothèse de restitution des bâtiments de plan dit circulaire à La Tène finale. Réflexions à partir des temples A et C de Manching (Allemagne)

Abstract

This paper raises the issue of the interpretation of circular buildings in continental Celtic Europe. Those buildings are quite rare and are usually associated with some specific functions which can’t be clearly determined. In the case of the temples of Manching, the artifacts discovered are plainly displaying a ritual role of the construction. The architectural form of the temples is, thereby, associated with the religious nature of the edifice. New elements based on a geometric analysis of the buildings plans offer a new point of view on the circular-based plans of some buildings. This analysis allows us to suggest a new hypothesis concerning the restitution of the form of those buildings in the form a square or rectangular building with offset walls instead of a circular building.

Keywords

• architecture
• iron Age
• settlement
• planning
• geometry
• Manching