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Several sites with rich finds are known from the area of the Púchov culture with a wide range of finds. They include a mass find from the central Považie region, from the hitherto little-known site of Podskalie, on the flank of the Veľké skaly hill in the district of Považská Bystrica. It contains two examples of a hitherto unknown, new type of belt hook, a belt ornament and a pseudo-filigree basket amulet. A key, lock spring, cramp irons and two knives were also found. Several Celtic coins in circulation on the territory of the Púchov culture also come from this site, namely the Divinka, Nitra, Veľký Bysterec types, the Slovak or Kolačno type, the Liptovská Mara and Simmering types. The hoard and the coins date the site to the late La Tène period LTD [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As shown by the finds from the Dřemčice village in North Bohemia, even confrontation of available numismatic and archaeological sources and approaches often do not lead to unambiguous and correct chronological conclusions. Therefore, in cases of unknown or unclear finding context, it is important to apply all available methods based on typological, iconographical, metrological, metallographic data and other criteria. In selected cases, analyses of the artistic aspect of Celtic coins and their pictorial elements in the context of decoration of contemporaneous archaeological artefacts also seem to be of interest. To verify the approach, we selected a Celtic coin from the earlier phase of Central European Celtic coinage and we compared it with decorations of a Hungarian style sword. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Archaeologica Lodziensia is the property of Lodz Scientific Society / Lodzkie Towarzystwo Naukowe and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Coins issued at the Bratislava oppidum, including the tetradrachms of the Biatec group, hemidrachms of the Simmering type and the paralel gold denominations, have received wide attention recently. Today, the Bratislava coins found in Moravia are represented with total of 18 coins from ten hoards, tetradrachms and hemidrachms being present in the ratio 7 to 11. However, this statistics has increased due to four tetradrachms found in Brumov-Bylnice. Apparently, the archaeological and numismatical research should pay more attention to the character of the currency imported from the Bratislava oppidum to the territory of today’s Czech Republic at the end of the La Tene Period (LT D1b–D2 horizon). Such finds bring a new insight into the long distance contacts with the Middle Danube region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject of the study is the method for preparing flans for Celtic Bratislava-type tetradrachms. The study of the issue is based on an evaluation of an assemblage of Late La Tène technical ceramics and an assessment of a sample of numismatic material with preserved production traces. The analysis of the technical ceramics from Bratislava leads to the conclusion that ceramic moulds were used for dosing metal -- the production of ingots for the needs of coinage and jewellery production and perhaps for casting flans for small Celtic coins. Macroscopic observations of silver tetradrachms identified the presence of multiple types of defects in the shape and surface of castings (collapse, mechanical damage, protrusions, lumps, etc.). The results of the study provide a framework for a technological interpretation. Two methods for producing flans can be considered -- casting in an open mould with the surface of the metal exposed (flan mould) and the lost-wax casting technique with a tree model (ceramic shell mould). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several sites with rich finds are known from the area of the Púchov culture with a wide range of finds. They include a mass find from the central Považie region, from the hitherto little-known site of Podskalie, on the flank of the Veľké skaly hill in the district of Považská Bystrica. It contains two examples of a hitherto unknown, new type of belt hook, a belt ornament and a pseudo-filigree basket amulet. A key, lock spring, cramp irons and two knives were also found. Several Celtic coins in circulation on the territory of the Púchov culture also come from this site, namely the Divinka, Nitra, Veľký Bysterec types, the Slovak or Kolačno type, the Liptovská Mara and Simmering types. The hoard and the coins date the site to the late La Tène period LT D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As shown by the finds from the Dřemčice village in North Bohemia, even confrontation of available numismatic and archaeological sources and approaches often do not lead to unambiguous and correct chronological conclusions. Therefore, in cases of unknown or unclear finding context, it is important to apply all available methods based on typological, iconographical, metrological, metallographic data and other criteria. In selected cases, analyses of the artistic aspect of Celtic coins and their pictorial elements in the context of decoration of contemporaneous archaeological artefacts also seem to be of interest. To verify the approach, we selected a Celtic coin from the earlier phase of Central European Celtic coinage and we compared it with decorations of a Hungarian style sword. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Památky Archeologické is the property of Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Institute of Archaeology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A series of 74 small silver Celtic coins discovered on the territory of the present Slovenia and classified in 7 different types were analyzed using the methods of proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) and prompt gamma activation analysis (PGAA) to determine the silver and copper concentrations on the surface and in the bulk, respectively. The aim of the research was to determine the purity of the metal and the trace element content in relation with the coin type. Though no classification could be performed according to the concentrations of trace elements in the surface layer as determined by PIXE, the bulk analysis showed a two-tailed distribution of low- and higher-grade silver. This means that the base metal was supplied through two different distribution centers or that the basic alloy suffered a gradual decrease of fineness as a consequence of inflationary movements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The documented three coins, until now unrecorded among the finds from the Hradiště near Stradonice, extend the range of Celtic coin types that were imported to this oppidum from the west. The first one, an unusual stater of the Kellner IB type, is important in the Czech area since most of the coins from the Regenbogen-Schusselchen group found at the Stradonice oppidum are subaerates. The second specimen, a quarter-quinar, probably belonging to the quinars of the so-called Prague type, is an extremely rare coin which can be classified as belonging to this group based on the image of a stylized horse on the reverse. These coins were probably brought to the Stradonice oppidum from the Thuringian area in present-day Germany. The third and last small silver coin of the 'mit strengem Gesicht' type represents a rather unique issue imported to the Czech territory from the area of southern Germany and, together with the above-mentioned coins, it attests to the trade contacts maintained by the population of the Hradiště oppidum with merchants from the territories of today's Germany from the middle of the 2nd to the middle of the 1st centuries B.C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Musei Brukenthal is the property of Brukenthal National Museum and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Acta Musei Brukenthal is the property of Brukenthal National Museum and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Studia Historica Nitriensia is the property of Studia Historica Nitriensia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The hoard of Celtic coins found in Podmokly (Rokycany district, west Bohemia) in 1771 is extraordinary by its scope and content, and it attracted intensive attention of many numismatists in the past. The story was also transformed into a nonfiction book. The author of this article brings to light a new unpublished record from the memorial book of the Roman-Catholic parish in Zvíkovec, where the location of Podmokly used to belong to. This report was cited by the local priest Václav Krolmus (1790-1861) in his chronicle together with comparison of prices of some selected agricultural products. The limited information about the finding context of the hoard in the known sources is compared with this newly published report. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The silver coinage of Celtic tribes settled in northern Italy (IV–I century B.C.) is a topic characterized by several issues, such as chronology, attributions and relationships between emissions produced in different periods. In order to provide numismatists with new data, several specimens, belonging to different typologies, have been analysed with neutron diffraction technique to overcome surface alteration and to provide bulky compositional and structural information of the coins. Measurements performed with the INES diffractometer at the ISIS facility provided essential data for numismatics research. A clear silver debasement occurring between the first and latter emissions has been traced, due to inflation processes which can be related with the increasing power of Roman Republic in the Cisalpine region. Moreover, compositional data enabled for the first time to identify internal evolutions inside typologies defined by numismatists. The silver loss has also been used to establish a relative chronology between different emissions. Other parameters such as texture index, residual strains and grain dimensions have been useful to understand technical aspects of minting procedures during Iron Age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-destructive PIXE analysis using in-air proton beam was used for the studies of earliest brass coins issued during the 1st century BC by Greek cities in Asia Minor, Romans and Celts, and for the studies of plated low grade silver coins of the 3rd century AD. The analysis determined the levels of zinc and important trace elements, notably selenium, which confirms spread of selenium-marked copper from the east. For plating, combined tinning and silvering was identified by the mapping technique for the mid 3rd century AD, which evolved into mere plating by 270 AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some 31 pieces of cut precious metal (hack metal) from the Moravian Celtic centre in Němčice have been analyzed. The individual pieces have been made of semi-finished products of different shape, rarely of older ancient coins. With exception for one silver specimen, all other pieces are gold. Ratio of gold in the particular pieces oscillates between 23.03% and 100% of alloy. In the case of lower gold content, basically, it is a gold alloy mixed with silver and copper. Based on analysis of the hack metal pieces the.reason for their existence was to get as closest as possible to the weight of small gold coins produced and used in the Late Iron Age period in the centre of Němčice nad Hanou in the last third of the 3rd century BC. These pieces should probably fill the gap in the series of small gold issues with Athena Alkidemos image, mainly 1/8- and 1/24-staters. It is likely that these hack metal pieces - with d~fferent content of gold - have been collected later centrally, melted and alloyed forpurpose of striking of gold Celtic coins with their standard content ofgold (more than 90%). The number of the smallest pieces and the cut 1/24-stat ers can support the thesis that high value and bad experience in use of the smallest officially struck and emergency unstruck pieces (with their weight of some 0.2 g, and diameters of 6x3 mm) caused need of new struck coins without the above-mentioned troubles. It is possible to assume that the newly struck coins were represented by small silver coins of the Roseldorf/Němčice type A with their weight between 0.7 g and 0.9 g, with diameter of some 10 mm, some time at the end of the 3rd century BC and at the break of the 3rd and 2nd century BC. The second part of this study describes two massive gold ingots found in an unknown Late Iron Age locality falling to the broader catch ment area belonging to the trading and production centre in Němčice nad Hanou (42.55 g and 40.57 g), plus one smaller ingot (8.02 g) reportedly discovered in the Late Iron Age settlement near the Pravčice village (Kromĕříž district). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oppidum of Hrazany represents a relatively well known locality from the archaeological point of view. During the archaeological excavations, three Celtic coins were found- they have already been published by K. Castelin (nos. 1, 3 and 6). The following coins were newly discovered in private collections (nos. 2, 4-5, 7-9): the Boian 1/8 stater, obolus(Stradonice type and Stradonice/Karlstein type), south Bavarian quinarius of the propeller type, and possibly, also one quinarius of the Prague type. These coins exclusively belong to the oppidum period (LT Dl). Such a small number of coins from the locality reflect the fact, that no professional surface examination using metal detectors has been performed there yet. This is the only way how to get the concrete information about intensity of the monetary circulation there, about local coin production and long distance contacts from the numismatic point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A group of seven Celtic coins preserved in the collection of the Museum of the Capital of Prague is presented. With exception for the Gaulish hall-shaped stater found in Orech, the remaining specimens have no finding specifications registered. One Boian tetradrachm with image of lyre, two shell-shaped staters and three coins from Pannonia are listed here. Publication of the above-mentioned coins contributes to documentation of the Celtic coins in the Czech museum collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Numismatické / Numismatic Papers is the property of National Museum and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article discusses archaeological discoveries of ancient Celtic coins dating to the late La Tène period in several locations in Austria, including the town of Mallnitz, Austria, the Großglockner mountain, and at the site of an ancient Celtic settlement near Roseldorf, Austria. The author suggests that these coins indicate the existence of long-distance trade routes connecting Northern Europe and the Mediterranean region. He also offers some general remarks on Celtic numismatics and ancient currency counterfeiting.

Museums have traditionally displayed and interpreted art and artifacts from a wide variety of cultural groups using specific, although limited, exhibition techniques. In cases where cultures have not left a written history, the dominant cultures have provided an interpretation primarily from their own historic viewpoint. Using the example of Celtic coins minted in the centuries immediately preceding the Common Era it is possible to show that traditional methods of interpretation and presentation are incapable of giving the necessary flexibility to allow for broader comprehension of artistic intentions. The highly stylized images on Celtic coins feature human profiles with dissociated features. The coins have been viewed as two-dimensional works, however, if the coins are perceived as three-dimensional objects that can be freely rotated in space, their properties can be interpreted equally freely. When viewed from an oblique angle, the dissociated facial features can be seen to realign producing a three-dimensional, realistic face seen from a three-quarter, rather than profile view. This optical illusion is found on the majority of examples of extant coins, thus indicating intent on the part of the Celtic artists. Other works in metal produced by the Celts indicate that the rotation of the object to reveal or transform images of hidden faces and animals was expected. Renaissance work such as Hans Holbein's 'The Ambassadors' or Erhard Schön's 'Distortion', have anamorphic features that can be interpreted by a visitor viewing the work from an oblique angle. It is more challenging for the visitor to appreciate the dramatic and fascinating transformation of the images on Celtic coins unless they are held in the hand. The challenge might be great, but it is possible to work with these artifacts to enable the museum visitor to comprehend that not all cultures view and understand visual imagery in the same way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sudden increase in the amount of Celtic gold coins circulating in central Europe during the second century bc coincides with the appearance of platinum-group mineral (PGM) inclusions in the Celtic gold. It has been proposed that large amounts of gold were introduced from the eastern Mediterranean by mercenaries following the conquest by Alexander the Great, but another hypothesis might be the discovery of entirely new gold sources in central Europe during this time. The presence of PGM inclusions in gold objects is usually taken as an indication for an origin from placer deposits (Hartmann 1970; Park 1986). Initially, it was hoped that those inclusions could be characteristic for a certain deposit, but Meeks and Tite (1980) have shown that the compositional variation within a single gold object can be as large as the total variation observed in all investigated gold artefacts. Therefore, the elemental composition of the PGMs in gold artefacts does not provide any reliable information on the provenance of the gold. An alternative to chemical analysis of the inclusions is the determination of their osmium isotope ratios. Similarly to lead, osmium exhibits a variable isotopic composition due to the radioactive decay of 187 Re and 190 Pt. In order to investigate the potential of this new geochemical tool to determine the provenance of ancient gold, a quasi-non-destructive method for the determination of Os isotope ratios with LA–MC–ICP–MS has been developed. The results show that different types of deposits can be distinguished by Os isotope patterns and their distributions when applying a simple descriptive statistical method. In contrast to lead isotope ratios, the variations of Os isotope abundances are rather large in many ore deposits. But, also contrary to lead, the heterogeneity of the Os isotope ratios of the deposits is preserved in the artefacts, because the analysed PGMs are not dissolved during melting of the gold. Therefore, it is feasible to distinguish between different types of gold sources and to define specific deposits provided that the artefact contains several PGMs. The application of this new technique to Celtic gold coins from southern Germany and coins from western Anatolia has been demonstrated in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the c. 250 'exotic' Celtic coins found in Britain, defined as coins originating beyond Armorican and Belgic Gaul. The coins are considered in relation to their typology, their contexts of discovery and their distribution. Several key themes emerge: the occasional import of early continental staters, perhaps in the third century BC; the arrival of fine copies of Massiliot bronze issues during the second century BC, leading to the development of British potin coinage; and, from the first half of the first century BC, the importation of an increased number of exotic coins, mostly from central Gaul, primarily to Chichester, north-east Kent and the territories north of the Thames. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]