Celtic ‘Guardians’ of the Central Polish Section of the Amber Route

Abstract

Abstract The paper aims to provide cultural and chronological analysis of the late La Tène period artefacts discovered in the Prosna and Warta interfluve. The authors attempted to categorise them and assess their character, rank and significance. As a result, some categories of items, e. g. brooches, stripe-painted pottery, mirrors or knotenringe have been found to be imports originating from the south, i. e. from the areas of dense Celtic settlement, while coinage and blacksmithing products are believed to be of local provenance. Gold coinage based on the Boii system was well attested by the finds in the Janków II settlement, where individual components of a minting workshop and numerous coins being its final product were discovered. In turn, local Celtic blacksmithing is documented by the discovery of rich graves of blacksmiths and many elements of armament occurring in the discussed area, such as double-edged long swords and spearheads decorated with cut edges and acid-etched ornaments. Additionally, research demonstrates the existence of armed warriors whose remains were discovered in the cemeteries in Wesółki and Ciecierzyn. All the above must lead to the conclusion that in the LT D2 phase, equivalent to the A3 phase of the Prosna and Warta interfluve (as evidenced by the dispersion of materials), there existed a thriving centre of power of a local Celtic rix, or successive rixes, protected by groups of armed warriors. We believe that their power and prosperity expressed in gold coinage may have stemmed from their control over a significant section of the amber route which generated sufficiently high profits.