Hoard of ancient treasures uncovered near 2,200-year-old Celtic ‘sanctuary,’ photos show
More than 20 years after the discovery of an Iron Age settlement in the Czech Republic, archaeologists have found new evidence of what life was like for ancient humans.
Experts have now identified an ancient glass workshop teeming with ancient Celtic coins and glass artifacts, sunken huts and a possible ritualistic sanctuary at the site of Němčice — which dates to the La Tène age, specifically between about 250 B.C. and 150 B.C., according to a study published June 29.
Here’s what was discovered.
The ‘first and oldest’ glass workshop in Transalpine Europe
During previous excavations, archaeologists said they repeatedly discovered “semi-finished products and rejects of glass beads and production waste” within the same circular area.
While experts assumed that this indicated that the glass was being produced on-site, there was never any evidence of a workshop — until now, the study said.
Archaeologists identified traces of production features and equipment necessary for processing glass, according to the study. These finds confirmed that production did take place at the settlement and it gave insight into production methods.
Previous surveys used metal detectors to reveal more than 2,000 Celtic coins dating to the first and second centuries B.C Archaeologists also found glass bracelets and beads and a variety of bronze artifacts.
Experts said that the glass workshop is the earliest one known in Transalpine Europe — the areas now known as France and Belgium, along with parts of Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
A possible ‘sanctuary’
Archaeologists also identified a square structure at the site.
Similar discoveries at comparable sites have been identified as ritualistic places, according to the study. Experts believe that the possible “sanctuary” likely served a similar socio-cultic role at Němčice, indicating that the site was not only a trade and production hub, but it also was a place for sacred rituals.
The discovery of the workshop and the sanctuary attest to Němčice’s place in a part of a sprawling network of Central European settlements along the Amber Road — an ancient trade route linking the Baltic coast to the Adriatic region, experts said.
Němčice is in Moravia, which is in the eastern Czech Republic.
This story was originally published July 26, 2023 at 2:07 PM with the headline "Hoard of ancient treasures uncovered near 2,200-year-old Celtic ‘sanctuary,’ photos show."
