2,200-Year-Old Celtic Trade Hub Unearthed Under Czech Highway

Construction workers near Hradec Králové uncovered a 2,200-year-old Celtic settlement along the Amber Trail during a highway survey, revealing hundreds of gold and silver coins, jewelry, amber beads, and production workshops across about 62 acres. Archaeologists say it was a major supra-regional trade and production center, not a fortified site, dating to the La Tène period and declining in the 1st century B.C. with no signs of violent destruction. The find is among the Czech Republic’s largest Celtic discoveries and will be studied by the University of Hradec Králové and partners.