HRADEC KRÁLOVÉ, CZECH REPUBLIC
northeastern/central Bohemia
In 2023, archaeologists discovered a culturally significant site while they were surveying the land for a future highway project. This site, located in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic, became an archeologists’ and historians’ dream. The excavation of the site proceeded over the course of the last two years. During that time, thousands of artifacts were found. In an interview with Czech Television, the lead archaeologist Matouš Holas said, "When we started doing the first work, we came across artifacts that indicated that we had come across something big". “If the highway had not been built, this settlement would not have been found."
Figure 1. Bird's eye view of Hradec Králové, Czech Republic excavation site.
Ludmila Němcová, University of Hradec Králové
As of this year, archaeologists have collected 13,000 bags of artifacts which include: gold and silver coins of all sizes, jewelry, Baltic amber, glass, pottery and ceramics, fragments of mirrors, and metal vessels. The coins are small in diameter, but thought to be modeled after Roman coins of the same era. These high quality items as well as manufacturing facilities and tools could indicate that the site was home to a large number of artisans of various trades.
Figure 2. Artifact excavated at Hradec Králové site
Museum of East Bohemia in Hradec Králové/University of Hradec Králové/Martin Bulat
The settlement was not fortified, which indicates that this could have been a major site for supra-regional trade. Although there were many dwellings, manufacturing facilities (pottery), as well as religious buildings, no graves were found. The large presence of the Baltic Amber has led experts to believe this could have been a part of the historic “Amber Trail” leading from the Mediterranean to the Baltic Sea, yet another indication of the site’s socioeconomic significance.
Figure 3. Artisan-crafted glass artifacts
The presence of luxury glass artifacts, for jewelry, reminds us of the long legacy of Czech glass, which spans over 2000 years. In this unique biome, the abundant local sources of silica-rich sands, wood, and potash create ideal conditions for high-quality glassmaking. Modern Czech people do not see glassmaking as only a commodity, but also a cultural resource. The history of glassmaking gave rise to a material culture unique to the region, which endures to this day.
Figure 4. Archaeologists excavating on site at Hradec Králové
Matouš Holas, Museum of Eastern Bohemia in Hradec Králové / University of Hradec Králové
The settlement is very large compared to the previous sites, spanning across 62 acres (25 hectares). Most iron age sites in the area are much smaller, reaching only 1-2 hectares. The size of the site along with the findings leads experts to believe the settlement is of major historical and cultural significance, with a size over ten times larger than comparable sites, making it one of the largest Celtic sites in all of central Europe. The size makes this site of extreme interest and also the largest archaeological excavation of its type in the Czech Republic. The significance as well as the most important archaeological excavation in Czech history is exemplified by the inclusion of multiple institutions involved in the excavation, led by archaeologist Matouš Holas.
Figure 5. Celtic Gold Coin from excavation at Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
University of Hradec Králové
While the discovery of a Celtic settlement in the Czech Republic is not new, the discovery of a site of this size and character greatly impacts what we previously knew about the historical past of the region. Experts believe the settlement was most likely built by the Boii tribe, which is where Bohemia gets its name. According to the influential Czech historian František Palacký (1798-1876), the Boii were the first group to inhabit Bohemia. The Boii were Celtic peoples who migrated east through central Europe bringing the culture of the La Tène period into central Europe, and the Czech Republic. Celtic migration into central Europe has never been studied in depth biologically, however, classical writers have recorded a large trend in Celtic migration east into central Europe around 400 B.C., from their home territory, to France, into southern Germany, and finally, into the Czech Republic.
It is clear that this Celtic settlement was of major importance in its time before mysteriously vanishing around the 1st century B.C.E. Currently there is no information to suggest violent conquest by neighboring people; the decline most likely could be due to economic or environmental reasons. Unfortunately, archaeological records rarely give us answers to our most sought after questions. Archaeological excavations are now complete, for the time being, however, ongoing cataloging of artifacts and analysis will undoubtedly provide more insight into the lives of the people who lived there, giving us a unique new perspective into our shared cultural history. Beyond the historical insight, these discoveries invite us to reflect on how our cultural heritage and identity is formed through enduring cultural melding with the peoples of the past.
Written by Erin Marashi
WORKS CITED
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