The Hunsrück-Eifel culture lasted from around the end of the 7th century BC until about 250 BC, thus running roughly parallel in the time-lime of western Germany to the period of the Hallstatt culture as well as the early La Tène culture. The expression “Hunsrück-Eifel culture” was coined in 1914 by Karl Schumacher, a specialist in the archaeology of the Roman provinces. This replaced the term "Mehren type", which had been in use in the late 19th century for the Middle Rhine Hallstatt cultures. The “Hunsrück-Eifel culture” and its timeline are defined for the most part by pottery found in its grave-sites. The Hunsrück-Eifel culture may be roughly divided into an "earlier" and a "later" Hunsrück-Eifel culture, the earlier corresponding to the Late Hallstatt period, the later to the Early La Tène period. The transition is generally held to have taken place from around 480–470 B.C.: more precise subdivisions distinguish three levels of the earlier and four levels of the later Hunsrück-Eifel culture. The earlier HEK evolved from the preceding early Iron Age "Laufeld culture" and remained firmly rooted in Late Bronze Age traditions until the 6th century BC. In the second half of the 6th century BC, the region increasingly came under the influence of the adjacent Hallstatt culture to the south and was, as it were, "Hallstattized". By contrast, the Later HEK is clearly influenced by the early La Tène culture and can be described as "Celtic". The Hunsrück-Eifel culture is considered a relatively uniform culture, developing without significant interruptions over several centuries. The majority of archaeologists who have studied it believe that there was no significant immigration or emigration among its population. The adherents of the Hunsrück-Eifel culture are also associated with the Treveri, a Celtic tribe clearly documented in later writings. A comparatively large number of burial-grounds and settlements of the Hunsrück-Eifel culture are known, so that it is assumed to have had a high population densityvis-à-vis other regions and epochs. Of particular significance is a series of ceremonial tombs which were constructed from about 500 B.C. on, reaching their zenith toward the end of the 5th and 4th centuries BC. Some of these tombs are among the best equipped tombs of the early La Tène period, being furnished with gold, imported bronzes, chariots, etc.) and are therefore important for the study of Celtic art styles. The sites of certain of these finds lie on or near the "Nahe-Moselle Celtic Path," a long-distance hiking path over the Hunsrück.
