S5001380 (2)

CELTIC SETTLEMENT IN SŁOVAKIA YOUNG LA TŚNE PERIOD

CELTIC SETTLEMENT IN SŁOVAKIA YOUNG LA TŚNE PERIOD

••Icunents and byar-una.After the end of '.■de village> playcd •• of metal coins rx-ion towards the end irat coins started to l jn deposits of pre-i >'Hopment of minii ' ury BC, silver was .u ea (imitations of Hiins with a lyre).

morę representa-dike smallerones

hovel-shaped coins,

: i specify several coins were pos-stem and north-.he Nitra and Di-i.d coins madę of - irculation. These

of environment, induding the variety of cultivated plants during this period.Various types of naked wheat (common wheat and club wheat - Tri ticum aestivum, Triticum compactum) were grown on the LaT&ne sett-lements situated in the lowlands of south-westem Slovakia. Fields were sown with hulled wheat like em-mer (Triticum dicoccon) or spelt (Triticum spelta), but barley occurs morę often. New species like oat (Avena sativa) and rye (Secale cereale) were rather rare during this time.but their extensive cult ivation was common towards the end of the Roman period.Throughout the prehistory in the mountain areas, main agricultural crops were emmer and barley. Spelt, barley and common millet (Panicum miliaceum) became dominant grains in the Late Iron Age. Naked wheat was grown to a lesser extent.Oat and rye occur most probably as cul-tivated plants. Very important nutrition components in the mountains were legumes, e.g. pea (Pisum sati-vum) and hoarse bean (Faba yulgaris). However, lentil (Lens escuienta) and vetch (Vicia sa ti va) are found only rarely. Within the Middle La Tene period layers of the settlement in Liptovska Mara II were found technical crops like poppy (Papaver somniferum) and nettle or hemp fibres. Aecording to archaeozoological analyses in Slovalda, smali short-homed cattle with a withers height of around 110 cm, was common in the La Tene period. There are also finds of smali ruminants and pigs, as well as bones of a horse, which was occasio-nally used for meat consumption. On the tenitory of the Puchov Cult u re smali cattle breeding was usual - it covers 45% of all the whole bonę materiał at Liptovska Mara. Naturally, sheep and goats are morę frequent in the lowland settlements to the exclusion of pigs.There are often smali horses, too. Livestock at these farm-yards was accompanied by a guard dog and poultry.

8. ROUTES, TRANSPORT, TRADE

In the LaTćne period,numerous long-distance routes were passing through the tenitory of Slovakia. Many of them were archaeologically located at hill forts. Development of transport was provided by technical innovations of wagon and draught horses, testified by their metal parts in hoards.Compared to the prece-ding period, exchange and trade was in the Late Iron Age much morę extensive and of considerable eco-nomic importance. Archaeological evidence is given by imports.acceptance of foreigr tefacts like scales, weights and o large central settlements, smali the role of exchange centres. ri; panded to the Middle Danube regi of the LaTtne period, when the n appear in Slovakia. Rich Curpatl < cious metals were suitable for dc ting.Towards the end of the 3^ul cc used for the first coinage in the the Peonian king Audoleont and |_

Throughout the 2^lki and 1“ cent my in the Carpathian Basin silver was the most used materiał. Golden sta-ters and their variants were less common.

In the Boii tenitory of west Slovakia, there were in circulation silver Simmering type coins and smali forms with a hoarse, which are supposed to be deri-vates from Czech territories. Apart from these, the largest coins - so called hexadrachms of the Bratislava type were most likely minted in Bratislava. Aecording to numismatists, these coins had tive and collecting character and ■ were not in circulation.

West part of the Puchov Cult u Divinha and Nitra types). Today w spheres, where local silver and sibly produced and used. In the western Vah region, silver coins • vinka types as well as shovel-sh. J electrum, gold and silver were in I coins are obviously derived from forms in the area of present Bohemia and were used in the western part of the Puchov Culture territory. Noteworthy are golden and electrum shovel-shaped coins with abstract and magie motifs.

East part of the Puchov Culture (humped coins). In the central and east part were in circulation mostly simple silver and copper humped coins and their nu-raerous local variants. Coins with a hump on the ob-verse side represent the most used ones within the Puchov Culture, mostly in the area of Orava,Turiec, Liptov and Spiś region. These valuable coins sporadi-cally reached other areas of the Puchov Culture.They can be found in the eastern Dacian environment and occurred at some remote settlements of the Middle Danube region as well. Single variants of this coin (VeHcy Bysterec, Liptovslc& Mara, Spiś and Hrabuśice types) are to be found together in hoards and within

sacrificial g>' what ind im there is an • tovskś Mam, Middle and period, the n phic and ecor in the west ar fied by Iow n Clear infli served in thi found here.C

Celtic ar: lament is towards the end of the Iron Age known y from settlement finds. They consist of long-di nce and pole weapons, testified mainly by arre md lanceheads, which are in a form very much - ither finds from Celtic or Dacian environ-ment.' chapter outlines a typological classifica-tion of se weapons.

Am: . aent of the Puchov Culture is characterized by long Jistance weapons. In comparison with weapons at oppida or lowland settlements, abundant usage of slings and bows is testified by finds of day or stone bu Het s and arrowheads. Piles of granite pebbles and large boulders were used for the rampart defence. Numerous projectiles are related to violent end of the majority of the Puchov Culture fortifications. Light spears are relatively freąuent, while thrusting and cutting weapons - with exception of big universal knives - occur rarely. Extensive use of cavalry is very much likely aecording to abundant finds of horse bones and many hamess fittings. Fragments of arma-ment (parts of helmets from Liptovska Mara, Blatni-ca and from the Spiś region) have been found in the northern Slovakia.

First Germanie warrior graves with their charac-teristic armament (sword, lance and shield) occurred at the end of the La Tfcne period. Weapons from the oldest collections of the Early Roman necropolises in the south-west Slovakia are only sketched in this work. Also Dacian weapons come mostly from the

the sanctuary of Liptovski Mara, neir parallel usage.On this tenitory —nce of mintage (mould from Lip-from FolkuioYŚ).

r Slwakia. During the Young La Tene ile of Slovakia was in the demogra* iic shadow of densely populated areas north of the country.This is also testi-mber of coins.

nce of the west-Dacian area can be ob-jcastern slovakia and coins which are Hrtain connection between this area the eastem part of the Puchov Culture is confirmed by occasional finds of humped coins and smali coins of the Zemplin type.

9. WEAPONS AND ARMAMENT

graves.The cemetery in Zemplin represents the lar* gest coUection of warrior graves of the whole west--Dacian area. Here, arrow- and spearheads are found in morę simple graves and Roman swords or a chain mail in morę rich ones.

10. SPIRITUAL LIFE AND RELIGIOUS IDEAS

Diverse and intricate religious world of the La Tene period is testified only by secondary sources: writ-ten records of ancient authors, mythological scenes depicted on coins, grave goods, cultic places and cul-tic artefacts, votive offerings and other evidence on traditions of everyday life given by special archaeo-logical eontext. Mysticism and deep reiigiosity in the Celtic society affected all spheres of life,what is until today documented by pottery, smithery or jewellery.

At the end of the phase LT Cl, burying at cemete-ries terminates, except the cemetery in Nitra, where ritual practices are proven in the phase LT C2. In the Danube region Late La Tene period graves are unk-nown, whilst there are no graves in the mountain area throughout the whole Late Iron Age.

The cult of the dead of the Dacian people is documented by cremation graves under barrows in Zemplin, with continuous burying even in the 1* century AD. First Germanie graves possibly related to the Przeworsk Culture occur sporadically in Slovakia during the Late La Tene period (Cifer, Ihriśte, Blatnica). Ex-tensi ve Quadi cemeteries in the western Slovakia are connected with new colonization of this area.

Due to the lack of graves, sacrificial places of the Young La Tene period are one of the few valuable sources for understanding the spiritual world of the Celtic society. Detailed analysis of sites in Prosne, Trenćianske Teplice, Zemplin and notably inLip-tovska Mara has shown variet ies of cult practices, in-duding human sacrifices.Traditions differ at each of these sacrificial places, e.g. freąuent usage of incense madę of aromatic substance can be specific. Some of hoard finds are supposed to be deposited by means of ritual reasons. Protective amulets are the most common finds. Depending on their form, colour or materiał, their function could be determined. The same applies to decoration motifs in jewellery and pottery.

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