Die 6 ha große Fläche im Norden des Oppidums gibt Einblick in die Siedlungsgeschichte, das diverse Umstrukturierungen aufweist, und erlaubt durch zahlreiche naturwissenschaftliche Analysen neue Erkenntnisse zur Metallproduktion, zur Bauweise und zur Rekonstruktion des Umfeldes von Manching. Der Münzschatz und Strontium-Isotopenanlysen belegen enge Kontakte mit dem boischen (böhmischen) Raum. Qualitätvolle Funde und eine Reihe von Sonderbauten bezeugen die Anwesenheit der Elite in diesem Teil des Oppidums.

The approximately 800 weapons fragments from the oppidum of Manching, which covers over 300 years of settlement history, found their way into the ground for many different reasons. Partly it was through conscious deposits, partly simply due to loss. They stem from small-scale handiworks or are products of military action. A thorough interpretation based on a detailed analysis significantly contributes to the reconstruction of the turbulent history of the Celtic settlement.

The oppidum of Manching yielded one of the largest collections of objects made of sapropelite and related dark rocks in Europe dating to the La Tène period. Especially due to scientific analysis, this find category offers major insights into the economic and cultural relations of Manching during its early stages. Also, the finds are discussed regarding their chronological significance for dating the beginnings of the Manching settlement. The book presents an up-to-date overview of research history and current research into this material and deals with questions of chronology, jewellery, economy and the symbolic meaning of artefacts made of dark stones during the late Iron Age of Continental Europe.

Between 1965 and 1971 the area called „Südumgehung“(southern by-pass) was excavated in the oppidum of Manching. Besides numerous ditches and about 500 pits, circa 3300 postholes representing the traces of the former wooden architecture have been uncovered. More than 50 years after the beginning of the investigations it was possible to assemble the postholes to buildings and to make sense of the settlement development. Thus, not only the expansion of the settlement but also the changes in different functional areas can be traced within the eight building phases of the “Südumgehung”.

Im mittlerweile 21. Band der Reihe „Die Ausgrabungen in Manching“ werden die Grabungen der Jahre 1990–2009 im Süden des Oppidums ausgewertet. Die insgesamt 19 ha Fläche erlauben es, zuverlässige Aussagen über die Besiedlungsstruktur und die Funktion dieser Areale im Gesamtgefüge der 380 ha großen Siedlung zu treffen. Anhand von drei nach modernsten Standards durchgeführten Wallschnitten sowie von 14 weiteren Altgrabungen im Bereich des Ringwalls liefert die Publikation eine Synthese der Architektur und Baugeschichte der monumentalen Befestigungsanlage.