Archaeologists have unearthed an exceptional settlement from the La Tène period rich with amber, luxury ceramics, gold and silver coins near the city of Hradec Králové in the northern Czech Republic. Covering 25 hectares (62 acres), it is by far the largest Celtic settlement found in Bohemia, and unique in its features and scale as a trade and manufacturing center that grew and prospered on the ancient European Amber Road.
The site was discovered during an excavation along the route of planned highway construction. By fortunate happenstance, the site had never been subject to agricultural activity or to metal detectorists, leaving an great density of artifacts just a few inches into the topsoil. Archaeologists recovered an astonishing 22,000 bags of finds, one of the largest collections of artifacts ever found in Bohemia.
The team of archaeologists discovered hundreds of gold and silver Celtic coins, coin dies, fragments of ceramic vessels and a particularly rich collection of jewelry, including bronze and iron fibulae, armlets, metallic fixtures from belts, glass beads and amber. Structures found include the remains of homes, industrial production facilities and religious sanctuaries. It reached its peak in the 2nd century B.C., preceding the era of the oppidia, large fortified settlements with centralized administrative functions.
Tomáš Mangel, an archaeologist from the University of Hradec Králové, explains:
“The settlement was active from the very end of the 3rd century BC and ended in the early 1st century BC. It represents what we call a ‘central agglomeration’, a settlement with key economic and social functions.
“We’ve identified several pottery kilns, signs of glass processing, and finds of amber, which was a major trade commodity at the time. There’s also a large number of gold and silver coins, some of which were even minted right here on site.”
One particularly exceptional find is a ceramic shard engraved with a simple image of a horse, small enough to fit in the palm of a hand. According to experts, such finds are extremely rare in Europe.
The excavation is now complete and the artifacts are currently at the Museum of Eastern Bohemia where they are being cleaned, catalogued and studied. A small selection of artifacts will go on display within the next few months, but the more comprehensive exhibition will have to wait until all the objects have been analyzed and recorded.
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