Archaeologists have unearthed an exceptional settlement from the La Tène period rich with amber, luxury ceramics, gold and silver coins near the city of Hradec Králové in the northern Czech Republic. Covering 25 hectares (62 acres), it is by far the largest Celtic settlement found in Bohemia, and unique in its features and scale as a trade and manufacturing center that grew and prospered on the ancient European Amber Road.

The site was discovered during an excavation along the route of planned highway construction. By fortunate happenstance, the site had never been subject to agricultural activity or to metal detectorists, leaving an great density of artifacts just a few inches into the topsoil. Archaeologists recovered an astonishing 22,000 bags of finds, one of the largest collections of artifacts ever found in Bohemia.

The team of archaeologists discovered hundreds of gold and silver Celtic coins, coin dies, fragments of ceramic vessels and a particularly rich collection of jewelry, including bronze and iron fibulae, armlets, metallic fixtures from belts, glass beads and amber. Structures found include the remains of homes, industrial production facilities and religious sanctuaries. It reached its peak in the 2nd century B.C., preceding the era of the oppidia, large fortified settlements with centralized administrative functions.

Tomáš Mangel, an archaeologist from the University of Hradec Králové, explains:

“The settlement was active from the very end of the 3rd century BC and ended in the early 1st century BC. It represents what we call a ‘central agglomeration’, a settlement with key economic and social functions.

“We’ve identified several pottery kilns, signs of glass processing, and finds of amber, which was a major trade commodity at the time. There’s also a large number of gold and silver coins, some of which were even minted right here on site.”

One particularly exceptional find is a ceramic shard engraved with a simple image of a horse, small enough to fit in the palm of a hand. According to experts, such finds are extremely rare in Europe.

The excavation is now complete and the artifacts are currently at the Museum of Eastern Bohemia where they are being cleaned, catalogued and studied. A small selection of artifacts will go on display within the next few months, but the more comprehensive exhibition will have to wait until all the objects have been analyzed and recorded.

An excavation at Cap Corse, a peninsula on the rugged northern tip of Corsica, has uncovered the remains of a port structure from Late Antiquity, dating to the 4th-5th centuries A.D. A team from the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) excavated the outcropping overlooking Meria Bay before construction. They uncovered large schist blocks and postholes indicating a wooden structure once stood above them. Archaeologists believe it was a wooden jetty.

These monoliths, some of which exceed 1.50 m in length, appear to have been deposited in a disorderly manner, without binder, but nevertheless form a very localized riprap cordon. They are then topped by a thin hydromorphic sequence, probably linked to an episode of overflow of the watercourse, followed by an alternation of stone levels (shale chips) and silty sedimentary contributions forming a flat stony surface 4 to 6 m wide and with an observed length of 13 m.

The development, which extends over a thickness of almost 80 cm, is thus an extension of the substrate, against which it rests, and allows ground to be gained from the riverbed. Slightly larger blocks are positioned at the northern edge of the construction and act as supports for the structure.

The stone platform looks rough and disorganized, but it was structured and required a great deal of effort and planning to accomplish. The design suggests it was a wharf or dock where boats were moored and their cargoes unloaded. Close to 100 metal objects, many of them bronze nails that may have been used in the construction of the wooden superstructure, have been found.

The structure was dated to Late Antiquity thanks to the discovery of more than a thousand ceramic fragments found in the archaeological layer. Very few remains from Late Antiquity have been found in Corsica, so the discovery gives archaeologists a unique opportunity to study the period.

Archaeologists have discovered the tomb of Userefre, the son of founder of the Fifth Dynasty, King Userkaf (r. 2465-2458 B.C.), in Egypt’s Saqqara necropolis. The tomb contains a massive false door made of pink granite 4.5 meters tall and 1.15 meters wide (14.8 by 3.8 feet). It is the first pink granite false door of such immense size ever found in Egypt.

False doors were a common feature in ancient Egyptian tombs. They were thresholds between the world of the living and the afterlife and only the souls of the deceased could enter and depart through them. The bereaved would leave offerings in front of the door. During this period in Egyptian history, false doors were primarily made of limestone which was readily available everywhere in the country. Pink and red granite, on the other hand, could only be sourced in Aswan 400 miles south of Saqqara, and were very hard to quarry and very heavy to transport. Only the aristocracy could afford it, and it’s a testament to Userefre’s importance that he had so huge a block of pink granite carved for the false door of his tomb.

Userefre’s false door is covered with hieroglyphics identifying him by name and his many titles, including “Hereditary Prince,” “Governor of Buto and Nekheb,” “Royal Scribe,” “Vizier,” “Judge,” and “Chanting Priest.” The round slab in the floor in front of the door where offerings were left is also made of pink granite carved with hieroglyphics. Near the door is a red granite offering table measuring 92.5 cm (3 feet) in diameter, inscribed with lists of ritual offerings.

Another unprecedented find is a statue group depicting King Djoser, his wife, and their ten daughters. These were not original to the tomb. They were relocated there from a chamber near Djoser’s Step Pyramid for an unknown reason. A black granite statue of a male figure 1.17 meters (3.8 feet) high was also transported to the tomb from elsewhere. Its sculptural style suggests it dates to the 26th Dynasty (ca. 688 to 525 B.C.) Archaeologists believe the Djoser group and the black granite statue were moved to the tomb at some time during the 26th Dynasty.

Only part of the tomb has been uncovered so far. Excavations are ongoing, and the team hopes to find the burial chamber soon.