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BARBARA CZERSKA

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31 Kotowice 21 Masłów

Pow. Wotów

24.    Przyborów

25.    Wołów

Pow. Wrocław 26. Jeszkcwice

37.    Muchobór Wielki

38.    Solniki

29.    Slęia

30.    Świątniki

31.    Tyniec nad Slężą

31 Wierzbice 31 Wilczkowie©

34. Wojszyce 31 Wrocław 31 Wrocław-Kuiniki 37. Wrocław-Oporów 31 Wrocław-Partynice

39. Wrocław-Psie Pole 41 Wrocław-Stabłowice 41. 2ernlki Wielkie

Pow. Nowa Sól

41 Kożuchów

41 Modrzyca

44. Nowe Miasteczko

Pow. Wschowa 41 Wschowa Pow. Nysa

46.    Szczepanowice Pow. Olesno

47.    Olesno-Wrączyn Pow. Opole

48.    Szczedrzyk

49.    Wójtowa Wieś

BARBARA CZERSKA

FROM THE STUDIES ON THE LA TENE PERIOD IN SILESIA (Wlth Special Reference to the Links of Silesia with the Neighbouring Areas)

The La Tene period in Silesia is dated to the years from 400 B.C. to the birth of Christ In that time, the situation in Silesia was slightly different from other parts of Poland. Silesia in the eariy phase of the La Tóne period under-went an economic and demographic regression. This was evident in the rapid decrease in the number of sites of the Lusatian culture from the mid-Hallstatt period and in the complete absence of such sites in the eariy La Tene phase. One of the reasons for that phenomenon may have been the impoverishment of the country after the Scythian invasion, which resułted in a certain stagnation of culture and economy and also in a falling off in the number of population.

On the one hand, the economic decline, and on the other the isolation of Silesia, owing to the confusion caused by the migration movements of the Celts, from the traditional suppliers of imported goods, madę it impossible for the population of the region under discussion to get acąuainted with new raw raa-terials, techniques and forms of products, which were then appearing in Central Europę. Contacts even among the population of Silesia itself was also difficult, owing to scattered and not very dense settlement In this situation, culture may have been developing only on the basis of traditional forms. Therefore, it cannot be ezcluded that a part of Silesian archaeological sites of Hallstatt type may have come from the La Tene period. Even the fact of the moving from Great Poland to Silesia of smali groups of population representing the East Pomera-nian culture led to no major changes, sińce this population madę use of forms of objects characteristic for the younger period of the Iron Age. These forms did not, therefore, constitute, for the local population of the Lusatian culture and new and progressive element and did not exert any marked influence upon the way of life and economy.

Certain changes for the better in the economic and demographic situation of Silesia occurred only after the settlement here of the Celtic population. The first groups of Celts had settled by the end of the IV c. or at the beginning of 111 c. B.C. in that part of Lower Silesia which was 9ituated on the left bank of the Odra and occupied the territories of the present districts of Wrocław,

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STUDIA NAD OKRESEM LATEŃSKIM NA SLĄ8KU

Oława and Strzelin. New settlers had corae probably from the area of northern Bohemia, whence they passed through the Kłodzko Basin towards Wrocław, choosing the most fertile territorłes and those which had been well husbanded by the population of the Lusatian culture. It cannot be exduded that the Celts may have occupied a part of the settlements of the local population, though the major part of the settlements might have been deserted long ago.

The Celts who had eonie to Silesia represented the culture typlcal of the .CelUc trlbes inhabiting in the Middle La Tóne period the areas of nearby Bohemia. The traces of that settlement wave are skeleton cemeterles and a few random finds. As in other areas of contemporary Celtic settlement, we lack any traces of settlements chronologically corresponding to the cemeterles. Celtic skeletal graves began to disappear in the second half ot the II c. BjC. By the end of that century, there appeared in Lower Silesia the first Celtic cremation graves. Subseąuently, during the first decades of the Late La Tónc period, there developed here an independent Celtic culture analogous to the culture of the Celtic trlbes who were then inhabiting the areas of Głubczyce Upland. Even so, the marked ineflease, evident at the end of the II and in the I c. B.C., In the autochtonie population, who represented then the Przeworsk culture, and the strong connections of that population with the Celtic tribes, led to the integra-tion of these two groups. That process was greatly facilitated by the levelling of the standard of culture and economy of all inhabitants of that area, the contribution of the Celts in the further all-round development of Silesia Deing dedsive. A certain role in bringing these two groups together may have been played by an andent centre of cult on Slęża Mountain, connected with the cult of the forces of naturę and espedally of the sun — common to many peoples of antiquity.

The first groups of Celts had come to Upper Silesia in the second half of III c. B.C., and occupied regions lying along the middle course of the River Cyna and along the River Troja. The traces of that settlement wave are the infrequent skeleton graves and the slightly later cremation graves. The develo-pment of the Celtic settlement fell here upon the Late La Tfene, and was connected with the infliuc of new groups of population from the territories of Morawa. These Celts brought to Upper Silesia the already developed Late La Tfene culture. The sites, known now, connected with that settlement wave, comprise almost exdusively the remains of settlements, grouped on the temtories of the present-day Racibórz, Głubczyce, Koźle and Prudnik districts (map 1). These are fertile loess areas which created favourable conditions for the development of agriculture and animal breeding — then the population's basie branches of

economy.

It remains an open ąuestion whether Silesian Celts were connected politi-cally with the kindred tribes. It is highly amprobable that the Celts who settled Lower Silesia had any political links with other Celtic tribes. The continuation of such links did not seem to have been in the interest of either side. The Silesian Celts represented no great economic or military power, which would be of any benefit for the Celts who had remained in their original areas, and — on the other hand — the Lower Silesian Celts did not feel threatened by the local population. Therefore, they did not need any military assistance, and their economy was self-supporting. Even so, there existed regular trade contacts with other Celtic tribes, which enabled the development of the Celtic culture in the areas of Lower Silesia and in other Celtic territories of Central Europę. The situ-