Huge Celtic settlements found in the Czech Republic – History

Archaeologists excavated special settlements from the La Tène period near the city of Hradec Králové in the Northern Czech Republic. It covers an area of 25 hectares (62 acres), and is by far the largest Celtic settlement found in Bohemia, with its unique character and scale as a trading and manufacturing center for growing and thriving on the ancient European Amber Road.

The site was found during excavations of the planned expressway construction route. By luckless accident, the site was never bound by agricultural activities or metal detectors, with only a few inches of artifact density in the top soil. Archaeologists have collected an astonishing 22,000 bags of discovery, one of the largest collections of artifacts ever in Bohemia.

The team of archaeologists discovered hundreds of gold and silver Celtic coins, coin molds, fragments of ceramic vessels, and a particularly rich collection of jewelry, including bronze and iron fibula, armbands, armbands, metal fixtures from belts, glass beads and Amber. The structures found include the remains of houses, industrial production facilities and religious reserves. It peaked in the 2nd century BC, and before the Oppidia era, large-scale fortified settlements with centralized administrative functions.

Tomáš Mangel, an archaeologist at the University of Hradeckrálové, explained:

“The settlement began at the end of the 3rd century BC and ended at the beginning of the 1st century BC. It represents what we call the “central agglomeration”, a settlement with key economic and social functions.

“We have identified several signs of pottery, glass processing and the discovery of amber, which was the main trade commodity at the time. There were also a large number of gold and silver coins, some of which were even minted on site.”

One particularly outstanding discovery is a ceramic fragment engraved with a simple horse image, small enough to hold in the palm of your hand. According to experts, this discovery is extremely rare in Europe.

The excavation is now completed and is currently being cleaned, classified and studied at the Eastern Bohemia Museum. A small portion of the artifacts will be on display in the next few months, but a more comprehensive exhibition will have to wait until all objects are analyzed and recorded.