I'm Karen Bellinger Anthropologist and archaeologist and your guide back through time to uncover the wonderful world of one of Europe's Most Fascinating and mysterious people the Kelts the Kelts a society that thrived over 2,000 years ago a culture shrouded in mystery a people who continue to Fascinate us today but what is their true story the name kelt has been used for years by Scholars and the general public alike for different tribes modern cultures and whole National identities much in the same way European explorers grouped Myriad Native American peoples under the single banner indiia but an explosion in Iron Age archaeology in Central Europe alongside incredible discoveries of Celtic burials are challenging many widely held misconceptions of the Kelts dispelling myths and shedding new light on their Mysterious World the K shared a couple of similar cultural traits and surely a similar material culture they for example wore the same jewelry have the same dresses used the same weapons and used the same tools that above all they developed a similar artistic style who were they and something we've too seldom stopped to ask where where did they come from in this series we uncover the true story of the [Music] Kels the Kelts are one of the most remarkable people in all of European history the ancient Greeks and Romans immortalized them as proud and fearless Warriors rough barbarians a world apart from their own civilized societies their fascination with them was tinged with fear and a grudging degree of respect but they were so much more than their enemies would have us believe for centuries they've been much misunderstood why they relied on oral history communicating everything by Word of Mouth through song story and conversation they left no written record and that's why so much of what we think we know about the Kelts is wrong the information that we do have comes from the Greeks and Romans who had their own agenda [Music] and so myths and misconceptions are established and they endure right up until the present day there are thousands of cliches about ancient Celtic culture today for example Halloween as having its roots in ancient Celtic times is just blank nonsense we tend to think of them as people from the far reaches of Western Europe in Ireland Scotland Wales or England in fact they arrived on the map in Mainland Europe then expanded all across the continent even spreading as far as Asia their legacy can be seen even today in music and art in both folk and spiritual traditions in modern languages and whole National identities millions of people around the world are proud of their Celtic Heritage but the question remains where did the Kels come from I'm traveling to the place where archaeologists now believe it All Began deep in the Austrian mountains in a beautiful sleepy Alpine Village called halat [Music] in the early Iron Age the people living here had enormous power and wealth because of what they found when they ventured deep inside the [Music] mountains salt a cheap and common commodity today but near nearly 3,000 years ago an ingredient both precious and [Music] vital even today very few of us could live without adding salt to almost any meal but besides its value in adding or masking taste salt is an excellent preservative espe especially for meat in a time when Refrigeration was not even a distant dream salt was a critical mineral for a growing population without it food could easily spoil or rot causing illness or at worst starvation it's no exaggeration to say that at this time Salt could be the difference between life and death halat is one of the the oldest salt mines in the world and it's been in continuous use for up to 7,000 years with its prehistoric usage peing in the early Iron Age in 1846 the director of mining operations at halad made an extraordinary discovery on the mountain slopes a huge burial ground over 2500 Graves of men women and children draped in weapons jewels and other treasured personal belongings to accompany them into the Afterlife a local artist recorded the graves in a series of remarkable drawings and archaeologists begin to piece together the story of these people who prospered here around 700 BC ironically it's the lifeblood of hallad salt that has preserved organic materials like cloth leather and wood which normally decompose in the ground unique to halat and thanks to these highly preserved objects archaeologists have a deeper understanding of how these first Kelts lived more than 25 centuries ago what the people wore the tools they used to work how they tended to their sick and wounded even what they ate and thanks to finds how they ate it could give us an idea of how they used to celebrate and socialize when historians consulted ancient records they discovered that the classical Creeks had a name for the people they were trading with from this area and they called them the ktoy here in halad amongst breathtaking Mountain Lakes lived some of the very first people who would later be known as Kelts they had settled here because they recognized the value of the rich salt deposits hidden in the mountains they had literally struck white [Music] gold fortunately for them it was in very short supply a supply they controlled in this region there were relatively few places from where salt could be imported it came from either the seashore or salt mines so it became necessary to create long distance rots in order to import quantities of salt and those roots enabled a cultural phenomenon of an interconnected Europe to emerge the Kelts hit the road their bags loaded with salt they used already established long-distance trade routes like the legendary Amber Road a thousand km Corridor that connected the Baltic in the north with the Mediterranean in the South and crossed the territories under their influence and before long evidence of Celtic culture was found far beyond their Homeland artifacts excavated over a vast area are so similar in type to those found in the hellack graves that this proves that there must have been contact and cultural exchange between these distant communities thanks to the supply of salt these mining towns were at the center of a large commercial and cultural web from which Celtic culture grew that's why historians refer to these far-flung Celtic sites from the first half of the Iron Age in Central Europe as the hellack culture long-distance trading has always had the additional benefit of allowing for cultural exchange we didn't just trade goods opinions and political ideas were also exchanged thanks to trade alliances were forged either by marriage or through the use of force the Kelts have arrived salt has literally sprinkled them across the continent and stamped ktoy on the map of Europe sadly though hstat home to those very first Kelts Fades away IC records show the activity at halat ceased around the middle of the 5th Century BC and despite the large salt mines the artifacts and the necropolis we have no lived settlements and so this birthplace of Celtic culture slips from our grasp a victim of its location washed away by flood waters and covered by landslides the settlement was covered by meters of thick mud and debris which run down from the mountains this is why we don't have remains of any settlement at [Music] halad perched on the mountain side their homes would have been highly vulnerable to extreme weather the secrets of the world's earliest Celtic settlement are lost forever but this wasn't the end for the Kel the story's just beginning for the next chapter we have to head West the salt mine at halat may have been washed away but other salt mining communities would soon step up to fill the Gap dber Austria just 40 km west of hallad and as that old settlement dies a new one surfaces this time archaeologists find what they're looking for in this area behind me there are traces of bur mounds and also settlement structures which are preserved still after 2,500 [Music] years there are three main categories of sites there are first the salt mines second the settlement and third the abundance of graves this is the difference to halad dber gives archaeologists a rare glimpse into life there I always call it assault Metropolis because during the Iron Age dunber was one of the main suppliers of salt for Central Europe here using a reconstruction based on their excavations life in a thriving Celtic mining community 25 centuries ago is [Music] simulated it must have had a huge population working in the salt mines and supplying the workers in the mines with tools and other features it's Celtic life on an industrial scale metal shards show a blacksmith at the forge remains of fires and ceramic pots show Cooks busy in the kitchen and petrified seeds reveal granaries and Bakers at work and the grave excavations reveal how Society was being shaped through its trade in salt a thriving working class of salt miners was established here ruled over by a very wealthy trading Elite who were constantly seeking ways to stand out from the crowd we have a lot of textiles because they are preserved there in the salt and we can reconstruct the patterns the colors and the structures of the textiles and then we combine everything to get a very nice picture on how people might have looked like and it's not only the look of the textiles the colors the patterns and also the shiny metal it's also about the sound it makes a very distinctive sound that means the overall appearance of the people what did they want to tell to others is where you come from from Rich region and also from which part of society you are the wealthy are the select few with Prestige and power they conduct the all important trading by virtue of a sophisticated Network and a black book of contacts across the ancient world and just like today they have to dress to impress that said life wasn't all Easy Street and other key clues about everyday life come from less attractive archaeological sources waste human waste these feces that were found in these mines give us very very good and important information about everyday life and living conditions in the Iron Age the hygienic conditions on Dunbar were far from excellent people suffered from a whole variety of diseases we know this from analysis of the bones and most important from the analysis of the human feces in the salt Minds which preserved eggs of various parasites presented with these challenges the Kelts begin to develop a rudimentary Health Care system steeped in Magic and ritual and likely overseen by some of the wealthiest in their tribe it relied on traditional herbalis but also Incorporated more interventionist practices that we might associate with modern medicine we find instruments surgical instruments in Grace of the dunar which show us that operations surgical operations were made on the open skull these so-called trations indicate that out of magical reasons or of medical reasons people were operated and and got medical treatment trepanation is an ancient surgical procedure in which a whole is drilled in the skull to relieve pain to treat trauma even to release evil spirits burials at dber show that trepanation is just one of many medical procedures practiced by the Kelts the young woman from grave 308 gives us a quite good and direct view into life and living conditions on dunberg she obviously died with birth complications because a skeleton a tiny skeleton of a young child a fetus was found in position of the pelvis she also shows us quite interestingly um different features that give us information about uh their living conditions and their life and their health care she has an arm which was broken but very good fixed together again and also what we see is some kind of burning mark on her [Music] forehead the Kelts are a highly ritualistic people their gods are many all around them in nature gods of Thunder animals food fertility and they appeal to them for wisdom and advice for protection good luck honor healing but the gods also hold tremendous fear over the Kelts the power of good good and of evil of life and death to them the material and spiritual worlds coexist side by side 19th century Europe saw a huge surge of interest in Celtic culture impacted by the Industrial Revolution Romantic Era writers intellectuals and artists wanted to reconnect with the natural world which is how in 1872 Keen romantic and amateur archaeologist yendri vonle made an extraordinary [Music] Discovery Dr vanle had somehow stumbled upon a truly chilling scene from the ancient world Von excavated this amazing Iron Age site inside the be Scala finding many objects from early Celtic origin and sacrificed animals he also found a kind of alter Stone placed upon it were a human skull and the bones of two severed hands there were more bodies found spread throughout the cave some of the bodies were missing limbs vonle Unearthed the skeletons of one man men and 40 young women some missing legs and hands and some apparently having been beheaded in true Romantic Era style he interprets this grizzly scene as a chieftain's burial for which horses and young maidens were sacrificed on the stone altar to the gods ensuring the chieftain a comfortable journey into the Afterlife all quite dramatic but in fact plausible and why did vanle think this bull Rock cave lies in the middle of the very same Amber road that the Kelps traversed selling Amber salt and other precious Goods all the while spreading Celtic culture and ideas leaving their mark on the landscape as they passed vono was digging in an area where a series of Celtic shrines had already been discovered dotted all along the Amber Road religious stopping points for early Celtic traders to pay their respects to the gods imagine you're trekking North from the danu as you start out the warm Topography is low and overgrown with oak trees but as you move north the landscape changes dramatically Rock covered hillsides appear and the oak Groves are replaced with tall mature beach trees for those so connected to Nature this AR CES fear you looking to get to a shrine which is relatively close to the road but still a little further a field tucked away somewhere nearby like the modern Monastery the shrine is not in the main square but in the corner of the city once you reach the shrine you make a sacrifice to the local gods for the success of your journey this may be why vono believed he'd stumbled onto a rare an extravagant sacrificial burial in the bull Rock cave the ultimate Shrine a place of mass human sacrifice to ensure good Omens ritual violence was indeed a key part of Iron Age culture right across Europe and contemporary Greek and Roman texts suggested human sacrifice was practiced by the Kels given all this it's understandable that his theory has generally been accepted for 150 years but a mass sacrifice at a single location would make the bull Rock cave a uniquely maob site in Celtic history utterly different from anything anyone had seen before or since which led experts to ask what if fun got it wrong a new team of archaeologists decided to investigate this unique burial site can they discover anything new as they reexamine the human remains they realize that Von's interpretation just doesn't stack up with their evidence only one individual had signs of an unhealed wound but there was nothing like that on the others it is quite interesting to note the ages of the deceased we have bodies that were 40 50 and even 60 years old when they died that's quite unusual for this period you don't find individuals age like this in the ordinary burial ground this points to the fact that they were very well treated and to live into old age at this time would have indicated one lived a life of relative luxury and not unlike today that would have been reserved to a privileged few not the archetypal sacrificial virgins vonal had imagined and the objects buried with the bodies confirm their wealth and worldliness we looked into where the artifacts from the Bull rock cave were made where they came from of course Amber came from the Baltic and other finds may be from the Mediterranean we even found a small glass flagin which we think had its origin in Greece the origin of everything that was found covers practically all of Europe from north to south and from east to west to W see rather than a place of human sacrifice this was a burial site which connected wealthy Kelts over vast distances Kelts who had traded widely who had their own sophisticated culture which differed from their trading partners who had returned home to be buried as Kelts in the Celtic way so how can we explain the sheer number of bodies if these people weren't sacrificed what could have happened at this site more than 25 centuries [Music] ago the most common activity that took place at The Shrine were those who came to make sacrifices with various objects and those there to bury their dead in beichi Scala or Bull rock we have records of both of these activities here people buried their dead along with various objects so these were not sacrifices of people but simply their burials however they were burials of the highest order and they were accompanied by sacrifices to the gods but of material objects not people and as they continued to excavate it became clear that the best was yet to come a new discovery so spectac acular so rare it reveals just how wealthy and important these particular Kels really were this is a part of the tire belonging to the wagon we just excavated during our work here these wagons are completely covered by Metal Sheets only 13 of these extraordinary wagon burials have ever been found and archaeologists found six of them right here at Bull rock the decorations and craft workk are stunning this is the resting place of some of the very wealthiest people in the Celtic World whose names and social status would have been known far and wide definitely not the sort of people offered up for sacrifice Uncle may have been off the mark But if it weren't for his groundbreaking work we wouldn't be standing here today that's [Music] archaeology as the team continued their investigations another intriguing fact came to light each of the wagons in the cave was from a different generation here was not just one Epic burial but a whole succession of them each one a generational event of huge significance the existence of at least six wagons indicates that the bull Rock cave was used over a period of about 125 years burials here were not uncommon could bull Rock cave be a mum the resting place of an elite and once proud Dynasty from the ancient world most likely wooden tombs entering the elite were placed in this chamber the dead were brought in on wagons that also carried the bronze objects weapons and jewelry of the deceased which would be placed in the Tomb with the body the wooden tomb was sealed with a wooden lid and covered with large amounts of stone we know these people were successive generations of a wealthy Dynasty from the Celtic Iron Age but why their internment here in this cave the dead were placed in parts of the cave that were known to be vulnerable to flooding they did not try to protect the bodies they could have tried for example to place them in elevated areas of the cave we conclude they saw the flood as the final point just after each funeral the flooding water carried away into the unknown both the bodies as well as the sacrificed objects the bull Rock cave is a spectacular and unique burial site far from being the scene of a brutal Mass sacrifice it's a testament to the sophistication of this emergent Celtic culture culture a people who not only had a deep understanding of the natural world but integrated it into their beliefs in an afterlife using it to guide them into the great beyond these new discoveries are crucially important because they show just how consistent Celtic craftsmanship was across a vast area the Bull rock wagon burials bear a striking resemblance to other iconic early Celtic archaeological Treasures the hawk dor grave was discovered in southern Germany in the late 1960s it's perhaps the most spectacular of all the burials discovered from this chapter of History inside a burial chamber dating back to the 6th century BC archaeologists found the body of an unusually tall man who lived well into his 40s a very respectable age for that time he was laid to rest on a beautifully decorated bronze recliner wearing gold and Amber jewelry gold plates were even stitched onto his shoes many of his personal objects were laid on a richly ornamented iron-plated wagon all very similar to the burials at the bull Rock cave leading archaeologists to an exciting idea when you have two almost identical Wagons at a distance of about 800 km it means that these wagons were likely made by the same Craftsmen or at a minimum these people knew each other very few metal workers would be capable of such sophisticated craftsmanship their skilled labor highly sought after by the few who were Rich enough to afford it perhaps this wagon could have been a gift from one Elite to another in the halab period Rich Elites emerged who had profited from long-distance trade and the wheels of trade need to be oiled from time to time and the exchange of goods between not only Celtic tribes but other dominant tribes of the Mediterranean World helped to do this an object like this Exquisite wine crater found in a princely grave in vixs in France is not necessarily a trade good to be bought and sold but more a diplomatic gift used to establish and consolidate these valuable contacts between the kults and their trading partners such as the tribes of southern Italy it wasn't just expensive gifts payoffs and inducements that went between these ancient cultures knowledge moved both ways too and the Kels were quick learners the Kelts borrowed from other cultures but as great innovators they in turn made improvements many Mediterranean pots depicted young men on chariots racing competing against each other during rights of Passage the wealthy leaders of the halot period liked what they saw and wanted a piece of it for themselves the hernberg South Germany site of one of the earliest Celtic settlements and here archaeologists have found wonderful objects that clearly show The Passion of the Kelts for Chariot racing [Music] a few years ago we found the oldest human representation in the entire hyberg region it is a bronze equestrian figure on a double-headed horse furthermore in the grave of the famous princess of Betula a forehead armor was also found a unique forehead armor which served to protect the head of a horse this shows that in the region around hurg riding and driving were highly valued by hallad period two wheeled Chariots of the Celtic age were the most prominent military vehicle of the time they were invented as military vehicles similar to the modern day hry which is a military vehicle which is then transformed into the um civil vehicle the hmer fast lightweight and practical they could be used in transporting goods in travel and in Warfare and what's more they were an exciting New Way for Kelts to show off their Newfound wealth and physical prowess so it was perhaps inevitable that men began to compete just a few kilomet away archaeologists discover a striking feature a giant man-made Hill the alberg Bears no trace of human occupation at all there are none of the telltale signs no houses were built here no nearby water sources essential for everyday life and the walls of this Strange Hill are not the traditional fortifications designed to protect Celtic settlements with a height of up to 10 m and a width of 30 m the walls at the alberg are not functional at all we actually assume that the construction of this complex was intended to demonstrate outward power but probably inward power as well there are traces of roadways and track lines that would have offered access to the summit but what would people be doing on top of this huge hill was the alberg some kind of ritual assembly point on the plateau there's a kind of platform or Podium about 8 by8 m in size which has been carved out of the bedrock in the middle of this Podium there's a 5 m deep shaft a so-called cult shaft several humans were deposited in that 5 m shaft perhaps these are human sacrifices these peculiar characterist itics LED archaeologists down blind alleys and false hypotheses leaving the real purpose of the alberg a deep and enduring mystery until they took another look and realized that its shape was just like something that we normally associate with ancient real the plateau of alberg has a very regular elongated shape with a rounded end or top and it is divided longitudinally into two halves by a Ledge in the middle it may sound rather absurd and strange but the alter Berg has the shape of an ancient Hippodrome historical records suggest that Chariot racing was introduced at the ancient Greek Olympics in the 7th Century around 680 BC in the last decade however archaeological investigations at the alberg have revealed a date for this elusive structure almost 100 years earlier between the 8th and 7th centuries BC no one knows when the first Hippodrome was built and that raises an intriguing possibility what if it was the Kelts who built the first ever Hippodrome now that may sound like wild speculation but it's not to find out why we'll have to go back to the Citadel at [Music] hernberg this was one of the largest of the first Celtic settlements it could even be called a Celtic City it was divided into three parts the main Citadel on the Castle Hill for the chieftain and his closest subjects below this was the so-called outer Ward which was like the Castle Hill heavily fortified with Mighty ramparts and deep ditches and outside the Fortified settlements to the West stood an outer settlement of at least 100 hectors which would have been home to the majority of the city's 10,000 inhabitants so big that the Greek historian Herodotus reported in the fth century BC for the Easter flows from the land of the Kelts and the City of pin through the very middle of Europe the question of whether this settlement could the legendary City mentioned by Herodotus has been debated for a long time and if that would be the case then we would be dealing with the oldest named city north of the Alps [Music] and the danu was probably already navigable from here at that time over 2500 km also it could have been used for trade and the transport of goods and merchandise to the Black Sea these longdistance contacts are reflected in many objects found in local excavations roaches from south of the Alps bracelets from Great Britain pots from Greece M for for carrying olive oil and wine from the Italian Peninsula Mediterranean influence isn't limited to only wine drinking symposia or Banquets celebrations or individual import finds but also to the transference of knowledge and techniques for example the clay brick wall of the heberg must have been built under very strong Phoenician or NE Eastern influence it is even possible that a Mediterranean region master builder or architect was active here to build this city wall it doesn't take a huge leap to think that a Greek architect helping to design this large Celtic City could have attended a chariot race at the alberg and inspired by the structure could have thought we should build one of these at home what all of this tells us is that the early Kelts were not just simple Clans living in tiny settlements dotted across Central Europe nor were they Noble Savages they were every bit as sophisticated as their Mediterranean counterparts people who engaged in trade and cultural exchange across vast distances with the knowledge wealth and social or organization to build a huge complex like hernberg but much like holat before it hur's place in Celtic history was shortlived and by 450 BC it was no longer a thriving Metropolis it had been abandoned a relic of the past was this the end of the Kelts no they were just getting started between the 7th and fth centuries BC a wave of sorts swept across Central Europe from the south bringing huge social change and leading to the founding of various early centers of a new Celtic power these would come to be known as the princely seats of power and a good example of that is glauberg Germany No Other Place witness these new beginnings better than this one making it a key location in the study of the Kelts for any Iron Age archaeologist laberg is certainly an incredibly fascinating place it's not just because of the Fantastic Finds that occur and the exciting structures that surround the mountain but it's also because of the many research questions that are still unanswered and one of these unanswered questions relates to this mysterious structure 16 post holes lined up in a peculiar manner were discovered at the foot of a burial mound intriguing local researchers we standing here on the reconstructed barrial L that contained two tombes from 2400 years ago looking down there are two ditches that archaeologists have named procession Road different theories both practical and spiritual have been Advanced by experts could it be the base for the construction of a bridge or a place for congregation and ritual but observations by an astrophysicist produced a new and exciting hypothesis these trenches lead to a point on the horizon where every 18.6 years the Moon Rises to its southernmost St these trenches form a calendar structure so to speak which is unique in all of Europe that's what makes this place so special if this was indeed a lunar calendar structure it would have enabled people to divide measure and even to plan time about 2,400 years ago control of this knowledge would certainly have provided a key Advantage at this time in order to recognize something like the moonrise point of the Great Southern lard turn and to be able to use it as a calendar one must observe the Horizon over many years in fact over many generations and several people over different Generations needed time to be able to recognize and document this people from the surrounding settlements and even further a field would have met here for religious and spiritual celebrations showing how advanced and respected the community that lived in this area was but this Reliance on spiritual guidance was being challenged by the rise of princely power and glauberg would become the backdrop for dramatic events that would would abruptly change the course of Celtic history there is some evidence at the glow that social conditions may have changed in the period around 450 BC in that time the ramp part surrounding the whole Plateau burns down at the same time three of the four statues that were erected around the mountain were almost completely destroyed and we might consider that possibly this is related to a change in who was ruling lber and coincidentally or not it was around this same time that archaeologists believe activity ceased both in halad and herberg ushering in a period of seismic changes across the Celtic world and splitting the central European Iron Age into two distinct periods now is the time for a new era an era in which the Kelts would enter their Golden Age establishing themselves as one of the most brilliant and influential cultures of the ancient world [Music] the Kelts emerged from Iron Age Europe around 2,700 years ago in a tiny Alpine Village and went on to become one of the wealthiest people in European history all thanks to a discovery deep inside the mountains a highly prized commodity at the time soft from humble beginnings they had developed a rich and utterly unique culture the Kelts had arrived they burst onto the world stage having made a name for themselves through trade and now they wanted more much more now they were on a mission from the mid fifth century BC grave Goods changed significantly in the early Celtic Graves we see items that reflect a peaceful Society where wealth was earned perhaps through trade now we see the first signs that weapons of war are taking Center Stage the Kelts exchanged their trading past for a future of violence they harnessed their proven Ingenuity for all together other more bloody and profitable Pursuits War pillage and looting we are about to enter the Golden Age of the Kels [Music] [Music] Europe in the 8th Century BC a time when the highways of the ancient world connected different cultures across a vast trading Network ious Goods such as salt and Amber bronze wine and pottery were bought and sold connecting the Kelts to The Wider world the Kelts were thriving but to read contemporary Greek and Roman accounts you wouldn't think so Celtic knowledge passed down generation to Generation by Word of Mouth they left no written records and that's why for centuries until now they've remained remained one of the most misunderstood cultures of the ancient world that's when archaeologists came to the rescue piecing the Celtic world together from New Evidence buried right beneath our feet newly uncovered human remains in richly furnished Graves their secrets decoded from their most treasured belongings buried with them to share the journey into the Afterlife belongings that revealed their sophistication power and status as trador skilled workers and spiritual [Music] leaders this early Celtic culture was named by archaeologists the houseu period and it would last for hundreds of years from 800 BC to well into the mid fth century BC until suddenly it all came to an abrupt end but why the salt mines of halad fade away and many long-standing Celtic settlements are abandoned at the same time archaeologists notice that the objects they're unearthing from the ground are starting to look very different around 450 BC the archaeology shows culture materially changing throughout Europe objects on Earth from this period have a unique style of decoration this change coincided with many early Celtic settlements being abandoned the Kelts were changing and there would be winners and losers the hot period is over but why did it end are the Kelts dying out how would such an established culture just disappear our archeologists recently made a spectacular discovery that helped solve the mystery in glauberg Germany in what was once an ancient Celtic stronghold a fortified settlement perched high on a natural Ridge beside a large burial mound here they unearth a remarkable clue during excavation work in 1996 this 230 kg Sandstone statue was found in the trench around the burial mount it is believed to be one of the best preserved and most carefully crafted statues from the Celtic world this is an extremely rare and valuable find he's wearing trousers and expertly crafted armor and an intriguing hat or head covering he has arm rings and around his neck a fantastic Celtic neck ring called a torque worn only by the richest and most powerful of Kels their gods wore torqus and any human who wore one was thought to enjoy the God's special protection but perhaps most importantly a sword hangs from his left hand and he carries a shield this was no spiritual leader but a man of action this life-size statue from around 400 BC has been nicknamed the Celtic Prince he symbolizes a new form of Celtic leader the warrior Chief but the most spectacular Discovery is yet to come inside the burial mound they discover the body of a true Celtic Prince he's buried with objects so valuable that he must have once been a leader of men and a man of astonishing wealth archaeologists have dated the time this man would have lived to the time the statue was made and there's more this man is not alone there are two more burials just as rich and just as lavish as the first these three Rich tombs demonstrate how prominent these individuals were in their time they're considered to be some of the most exciting and best equipped tombs in all of Europe when tomb one was excavated we discovered that there were striking similarities between the person that was interred and the Sandstone [Music] statue therefore it was not surprised ing that we found objects that include among other things a sword like this replica a sword exactly like the one found on the statue was found inside our tomb also found in both the tomb of gold and on the Statue were objects including a shield an arm ring and a neck ring now the peculiar looking headgear on the Statue could be explained Prince in the Tomb wears a head wreath made of mistletoe leaves a symbol of extremely high status but along with being rich these Kelts are powerful and intimidating and they want everyone to know it these new Kelts are being buried with sword and shield unmistakably the tools of [Music] War this statue wasn't the only one onar here at least three other similar statues would emerge in a condition that intrigued archaeologists these statues were almost completely destroyed and intentionally so as a result we have very few remains of them enough to see that they were linked to the preserved statue and we believe that this might be related to a change in the ruling group here at glauberg these statues weren't venerated as would have been intended instead they were destroyed smashed and broken all at the same time the halot era was ending what we're witnessing here is unmistakable physical evidence of social change over 2,500 years ago violence and aggression fill the archaeological record swords broken Shields smashed statues the Kels didn't fade away they reinvented themselves in violence this would be the new age of the Kelts the age of the warlord also around 450 BC we ENC covered evidence at glauberg indicating a sudden change in Social conditions it was during this period that the ram part surrounding the whole Plateau burned down in a very large devastating fire as temperatures Rose to over 1100° some of the wall Stones melted taking on the appearance of glass this is no Accidental Fire to reach such sustained temperatures would have required planning and careful tending these Flames were fed in a deliberate attempt to burn glauberg to the ground could it have been attacked by a band of these new marauding Warriors or was it an inside job did the Young glauberg Warrior Elite seize their opportunity for a brutal coup whatever the situation the evidence for violent change is IR refutable around the same time or shortly thereafter a large Rampart was built over the burial site of a woman so this is an example of a period where ancestors are deliberately disregarded perhaps they wanted to demonstrate in no uncertain terms that a new generation had risen to power the warrior Prince of Tomb 1 is part of this new era an era that ruled with an iron fist maybe he ordered that new ramp Parts be built bigger and better than ever before in a clear demonstration of his ownership and control the new fortifications would have taken hundreds of workers to construct all under the watchful eye of our Warrior [Music] Prince we do not know whether the workers were obliged to do this or whether they worked voluntarily it could have been slaves who built the fortifications but in any case the construction of such a fortification created a sense of community which also helped the population develop an identity a new identity for the of glauberg one that they're asserting confidently we are the new glauberg we are ready we are strong we are warriors from humble beginnings as a small but thriving trading Community it's now a major Center of power for these new Warrior Kels a rich and Powerful stronghold glauberg was the first Celtic city of the New Era but this assertion of military might didn't just occur in glower all over Europe the Kelts were asserting themselves and establishing a new culture one that would see them reach their highest Heights this widespread cultural change from a spiritually organized Society to one where combat was King can be found in Laten Switzerland it was was here that archaeologists uncovered a vast cache of Celtic weapons thrown into the lake as offerings to their gods swords Shields Spears scabbards all beautifully crafted and remarkably well preserved and all invoking the same thing strength at arms and victory in battle [Music] and so archaeologists named this new Celtic era of the warrior Chieftain the Laten during the Latin period the men were buried with their whole set of Weaponry this comprised helmets Shields but also and most important the Celtic sword this was the most important symbol of wealth and power of the Celtic Warrior the Celtic sword was forged from a crucial material they had mastered as no one had before iron now that they were a Warrior Race they needed a Warrior's weapons and in true Celtic style they armed themselves with the most fiercesome weapons on Earth Patrick Barta is one of the most respected swordsmiths in the world he specializes in the recreation of ancient blades he's working on a replica of a Celtic sword from the 3rd Century BC the transition between the bronze and iron Ages was not a revolution in terms of metal working but rather an evolution with an emphasis on continuity for example the first Iron swords copied the form of previous bronze swords even though they were made in a completely different way and from different materials the Kelts were among the first people to truly Master iron working and as they did their weapons became deadlier and more Dynamic while displaying a rare Beauty the Kelts understood how these weapons could Empower their culture in the emergence of a new figurehead the dominant Warrior Iron Age swordsmiths were among the most respected members of Celtic Society their crafting skills as revered as the wisdom of The Druids and the music of the [Music] bards it is probable that a blacksmith would sing while he worked the evidence for this comes from the Old Eastern languages where the verb to forge originated from the verb to sing the word for black in Old Slovak is Klo which also describes the Spells enced by magicians During the holop period swords were made with very low quality Iron and as such were fragile something that could tip the scales between life and death on the battlefield during the Laten period Celtic blacksmiths began to use hard steel blades for their swords which greatly improved the quality this technique continued to be used for another 2,000 [Music] years and even today Patrick Barta recreates Celtic swords by using the same kind of iron and replicating that very same [Music] process the genius of the Kels was to remove the contaminating slag debris and charcoal from the iron ore by by hammering out those impurities they created a purer stronger metal one that would cut through the battlefields of the ancient world with terrifying efficiency in time the Kelts became masters of some of the most advanced Weaponry in the ancient world when we compare the current Celtic swords with the production of the swords from the workshops ancient Greece and Rome we find that the quality is very similar both groups use the technique of tying hard blades to softer cores so when Julius Caesar claimed that the weapons of the Kelts were of poorer quality it was just War propaganda the famous Roman sword the Gladius likely was developed in response to the Celtic sword even the name Gladius is derived from the ancient Celtic word Claus the Greco Roman historian pus claims it was first used and then widely adopted by the great Roman general cpio after he first saw it being used by Kelts both to slash and thrust to great effect on the battlefield in contrast to Roman swords for example the Celtic sword is quite long and elongated this comes from its use as a weapon for slaying and especially from horseback you need such a long sword to reach your opponent who is fighting on foot toed up and ready for action the Celtic way of war is unique rather than implementing the organized but rigid tactics of the Greek or Romans Celtic warriors fought in an almost Improv devised way they relied on sowing chaos and fear amongst their enemies surprising them with an ambush or charging them mounted on horses or War chariots which were particularly effective against ranked infantry as part of their distinctive psychology of War they taunted their opponents proclaiming their fearlessness with piercing screams and noisy battle trumpets called K some even painted their bodies and fought completely naked to show their enemies how Invincible they were the whole effect must have been terrifying the kelt's new strategy of acquiring wealth and land through violence was a huge success how do we know this [Music] we tend to think of the Kelts as a purely European people but by the 3r century BC bands of Celtic Raiders had taken territory by force as far east as Asia their skill and bravery on the battlefield became known far and wide quickly earning them a Savage reputation among Europe's competing tribes this violent expansion coincides with an artistic explosion unlike anything anyone's ever seen before this period of Conquest saw the Kelts influenced by the art of the vanquished gold and silver looted largely took the form of decorative objects highly valued and in turn inspired Celtic Artistry what we see as Celtic guard is actually an upper class phenomenon that was essentially expressed through metal objects that were specifically made of iron bronze and [Music] gold status much like the tools of their trades and Armory on the battlefield the Kelts use art to show their status and assert their [Music] individuality most objects of Celtic art were not Monumental in size and thus aren't visible from afar they are typically small representations of Highly decorative objects you would only see The Artful brooches and bracelets worn very close to the body at close range Celtic art is specially made for special people the VIPs and celebrities of the Ancient [Music] World Treasures like these are still coming out of the around today all over [Music] Europe one such secret treasure is this bronze statuette depicting a naked Kel with golden eyes he's wearing a typical Celtic neckerchief the finding of this statue is a strong indicator that there are more Treasures to be [Music] found their treasured belongings soon bore all the Hallmarks of what people the world over today recognize as Celtic art enigmatic sculptures of mysterious Gods powerful warriors complex Swirls and natural curving lines but most of all a desire to enhance the beauty of even the humblest everyday [Music] objects this flagin is one of the most valuable objects from the Laten period the famous beat flagen from dunberg is an iconic item of the so-called early Celtic art this art and artistic style is constituting what is termed the Latin culture in large parts of [Music] Europe does this mean that Celtic art is simply a mashup of ideas they borrowed from other civilizations as they expanded no it was influenced by Greek rascan and also cian motives and influences which constitute this very mythical world of demons monsters and human faces which were depicted in this very characteristic Style [Music] Kelts had a deep appreciation for Fine Art yes they borrowed ideas from other cultures but in doing so they created a unique artistic style all their own circles that seem to radiate energy Tris scallions that swirl outwards from a spinning Center swirling and curving lines that speak to Nature's essential Beauty equally Fantastical and beautiful even by today's standards and true to their Innovative nature they made their own improvements in manufacture and [Music] quality in many ways these Celtic products are more highly crafted than the Mediterranean models which were often mass produced Celtic artwork such as the famed beaked jugs is quite tailed more qualitatively crafted with an individual style than objects from other places the devil really is in the detail with their swirling lines and exquisite motifs ancient Roman literature describes the Kelts as a crude unsophisticated people you only need look at their artistic ISC expression to realize that nothing could be further from the truth its innate Beauty stands the test of time influencing artists and Craftsmen 2,000 years later the art Nuvo movement of the early 20th century introduced the modern world to the beauty of Celtic artistic expression what's a bit harder to understand is how all of this beautiful art of the Lattin period was born of warfare their weapons themselves bear the most intricate etchings tools of Destruction but also tools of breathtaking Beauty both Beauty and the Beast in a single deadly blow it is clear that Celtic Artisans took their inspiration from from either nature or the human body they would highly decorate their allmetal small swords called scabbards these decorations made them distinct from all other swords of the same period as masters of metal the Kelts combined a gift in art with a taste for war creating some of the most enduring metal sculptures the world has ever known and by 387 BC at the height of their power they began to flex their muscles and ransacked the city of Rome they were a people hungry for power riches and new territory all the way to the rarified walls of [Music] R is it solely the desire to expand that motivated the great Celtic migrations or is something else driving them to leave their ancient Homeland experts believe a brutal force is pushing the Celtic expansion south and east the force of nature around 400 BC climatologists have discovered a peak of Stormy very wet conditions with unpredictable Seasons archaeologists have discovered built trackways across lowlands avoiding long detours across the flooded lands all of which affects Crop Production hungry people get Restless young ambitious Cults get impatient and soon the sword becomes the easy way to fill hungry bellies through the violent acquisition of fertile land and so facing famine and continued hardship Kelts began to leave their heartlands tribes joined for forces and became Warrior brotherhoods which in turn became armies pillaging not just Rome but any place that lay in their path their Rampages spread East and across the Balkans where ancient records record Celtic incursions including the pillaging of the famous Oracle at Deli in Greece Greek and Roman writers immortalized them as brave but brutal Savages they are exceedingly addicted to the use of wine when they are drunken they fall into a stuper or a state of Madness certain of them despise death to such a degree that they enter The Perils of battle without protective armor and with no more than a girdle about their loins when they are formed for battle they challenge the most Valiant men from among their opponents to single combat brandishing their weapons in front of them to terrify y their adversaries when their enemies fall they cut off their heads and fasten them about the necks of their horses and some of them we are told eat human beings we're not so sure that the Kels practiced ritual cannibalism even though there is some evidence for it what we do think though is that they collected the skulls of their enemy and they saw the skull as the seat of the soul and the source of spiritual potency skulls went embalmed collected impaled and even turned into ritual drinking cups but Greek and Roman authors tended to give us a very exaggerated view of the Kelts propaganda even so we should take widespread cannibalism with a pinch of salt but what this does tell us is that the Kelts must have been a very scary Prospect to these early Roman writers and they rightfully were wary of this large powerful and culturally unified tribe at their doorstep Rome at this time was an early Republic centuries away from the vast Empire that we now know and at this time the Kelts were prospering sacking Rome and holding the upper hand on the battlefield for over a century so it's perhaps no surprise that the Romans didn't paint a trer picture of them organized successful armed and dangerous war is waged not only against Mediterranean peoples conflict between rival Celtic Clans becomes commonplace and when fighting among themselves could be lucrative they were ruthless Celtic intertribal Warfare was also a very decisive and very important e economic Factor Celtic slave trade across the Alps with the Romans in the South made played a major role in uh economy at this time this iron slave chain from about 100 BC gives us a very good impression of how this trade in Manpower took place at this time their Superior battle skills are now common knowledge Celtic warriors become highly sought after and as such are sold or sell themselves as mercenaries by 250 BC half of Hannibal's Army in Italy were Kelts his shock troops and advanced Cavalry and it's here in the Punic Wars that cpio first witnessed The Fearsome power of the Celtic sword later adapting it for his own Roman army they W weren't even afraid of being killed in battle this is why they were used pre- battle as to assault the enemy in a very very hard first punch but even Warriors need to eat rest play so who looks after them who provides the food blankets Comforts these were Oran organized armies of significant size the warriors were on the move of course but they also needed young people to carry weapons or to take auxiliary roles on the battlefield wives and daughters to manage the camp blacksmiths to repair weapons that have been damaged in battle Hunters to gather food a whole tribe on the move but were these roles as traditional as we think and is the enduring image of the female Celtic Warrior more than just myth could it be that some of these women would also fight alongside their men we know Celtic Society was relatively equal and women held positions of authority and power what they actually have taken to the battlefield a clue emerges from the grave this burial found recently in Bohemia Czech rep public contains the remains of a very wealthy woman who died at the age of 45 she was buried with all the paraphernalia of an upper class member of the Lattin Society her jewelry is a matched set except for the torque around her neck when scientists sample these objects they discover that the jewels all were made in the region where she was buried her torque however was made made more than 600 km away we know from anthropological studies when people have moved large distances in a lifetime advances in the study of human remains can show when people have moved different regions and consumed different foods and changes in lifestyle and work can be seen as new repetitive tasks take their toll on the body [Music] and her bones and teeth indicate that her diet changes in late childhood she eats more protein and Millet a grain which was previously absent from her diet it seems that she traveled a long way from home at a very young age longdistance alliances were sealed by marriages or by the fostering of children who were placed in similarly ranked families from distant tribes by doing this they bonded The Wider Celtic world through familial exchange as the children grew to adulthood they would act as a bridge helping the Celtic World construct itself and transmitting a common culture and there's more inside the woman's grave is an extraordinarily rare find one that intrigues researchers an iron sword the Kels buried their dead with objects that identified their role in society so could this woman have been a Female warrior or was the sword her husband's or maybe a son's one intriguing clue a broken wrist which one expert thought likely was caused by a riding accident her hips also showed signs that she was an active Rider jewelry found with this woman proves that she is wealthy and very important perhaps even a Female warrior she was born far from the place where she moved in her early teens perhaps fostered as a child into another wealthy household or even having traveled with a moving Army of mercenaries returning home from their service in distant lands eventually they have to move back and some of them have moved to Asia some of them established um kind of local settlement in this area and some of them moved back to the mid Dan PR the Kelts are a formidable Force led by wealthy Warlords and carrying The Spoils of War is becoming easier any heav heavy or cumbersome loot is now exchanged for coins easy to transport easy to trade with money was definitely a GameChanger for the Kels before they looted objects Goods animals things that could quickly become a burden with coins they could simply sell the things they didn't want and then return home to buy the things they did want the first money that appears here in Central Europe is blood Money brought home by Celtic mercenaries coins from Greece coins from Rome and coins from Carthage in North Africa Hannibal Country this Rich mix of coins tells historians that something important happened here more than 2,000 years ago something which connects the Kelts to a pivotal moment in ancient history [Music] it is significant that this very large group of coins is chronologically related to the Second Punic War furthermore it is very likely that these coins were payment to Celtic mercenaries who fought in the conflicts between the Greek world and the Roman Republic this gives the Kels an idea they will imitate their Mediterranean neighbors and create their own currency but typically the coins they make stand out from all the others the embossing and inscriptions on the coins produced in Central Europe is rather crude and basic this is in contrast to the Greek coins on which we can clearly read the name of Alexander the Great Celtic imitations of that coin are Chang and reformed in various ways the jumbled letters are an unmistakable indication that the St makers were illiterate and unable to decipher what they meant merely copied the illustrations as pictures a fascinating reminder that those Kelts still gave us a vital key to understanding their history from the late 2nd Century BC major Celtic centers minted their own coins and thanks to their commitment to trade people's movements can easily be retraced by modern archaeologists by tracking the circulation of coins which provide key physical evidence to compensate for the lack of written records and it's also thanks to coins that researchers discovered a curious phenomenon in Central Europe [Music] in Nitza Czech Republic we have a unique opportunity to retrace the movements of these mercenaries who had fought far and wide in very few places have we found so many coins hundreds and thousands have been excavated here so many have been found that we think this could have been a trans shipment point where thousands of mercenaries gathered to work out their next move one thing's for sure this was no ordinary town this was a power center NCH is actually a crucial site for the Celtic [Music] Community it is the main home for the Kelts in the second and thirdd Century NM chitza was right at the center of a new type of network involving three similar settlements alongside Rosal dorf and Nova Chia established between the danu and the so-called Moravian gate a pass in this mountainous region perfect territory for a new Celtic Society which is very interesting the distance between the three most prominent s is almost the same and it's about 150 km which using horse and vagon one can do within one day archaeologists also found key similarities between these settlements the street and squares all built to a similar plan based on a common idea to create a connected trading center between the danu and the only Valley in this mountainous area for the late ironate standards settlement of rosalo covered an enormous huge area the the settlement covered at least 40 hectar but one can calculate even more up to 70 hectar so this side similarly like site of N Central Moravia were almost as like a big cities which was something very unique for that time outside of the Mediterranean region so the Kelts had returned settled good land and they were making the most of their Newfound wealth and it's here that we begin to see other common features shared by these three communities and what establishes an undeniable link between them is coins a very modern form of common currency there is a special kind of economical Zone when on the S like rosor were minted local coins we have two or three other places like that with the same kind of minted denomination so we have to do with one monetary system establishing this economical interest on this Zone thanks to these coins modern researchers are now unveiling one of the most surprising discoveries of the ancient world silver coins in particular were minted in huge numbers that clearly indicates that this territory had to be controlled by some unified Authority who maintained control it further indic Ates that during this period there was a very Advanced social organization within the Celtic Society increasingly at peace with itself a society that was settling down while the majority of keltic tribes and clans for the most part worked independently these three settlements formed a strong Network and it was organized around not just a common structure but also a common currency we could even call it a Proto state but why the need to form it looking carefully at these three locations on a map a possible answer emerges these three settlements were placed right in the middle of the former Amber road that Lifeline for trade across Central Europe these warh hardened and enriched Kelts were returning to what they knew best [Music] this same Corridor which enabled early Celtic Merchants to trade their salt iron and Amber and spread their culture now over 200 years later the warrior Elites that took over during the collapse of this trade route returned revamping it after their service as mercenaries abroad and reestablishing Celtic ownership the Celtic settlers were controlling the part of this zone or Road um between Moravian gate up to the Dan the Kelts had come home stake their claim to some of the most fertile land in all of Europe and begun to form a peaceful prosperous State a network of settlements in the middle of that same Amber road that had carried them to far-flung battlefields battlefields from which they returned with new money and new ideas about how to thrive in an increasingly competitive world the Kelts had spread their wings and learned from other civilizations how to organize and Empower their own Society resilience and resourcefulness saw them expand their territory hundreds of kilometers beyond their hallad Homeland by Reinventing themselves as a mighty warrior Le [Music] Society they became marauding pillagers then ramped it up to serve as highly prized mercenaries to the ancient world's most Advanced civilizations and by studying their use of coins and their skill in minting new ones we now know the extent of their migrations and that they would return to structure themselves into a more advanced Society all in less than two centuries they're at the peak of their military and artistic powers fearless and Filthy Rich what they don't know is that this golden age is about to come to an abrupt end 15 BC Southern Germany after crossing the Alps Roman troops push deeper into Central Europe they are venturing into the lands controlled by their old enemy The Fearless Kelps but these past months confrontations with them have been notably rare s not because the Kelts have lost any of their ferocity but because settlements they've passed on their March North are now empty abandoned but where have they gone [Music] the Kelts were groups of people who inhabited Europe during the Iron Age who shared a common culture that had been spreading since the 8th Century BC initially their culture expanded thanks to long distance routes like the amber Road along which they traded iron Amber and salt both amongst themselves and with other ancient peoples [Music] but around 450 BC weakened by climate crisis and food shortages the trading elite were overthrown by a new order of warlord Chieftains who bound young and ambitious Warriors to their leadership the dawn of the Kelts is over but the rise of the Kelts is just beginning hordes of marauding Kelts now descend on Europe seizing by force what previous generations had acquired peacefully through trade the Kelts were expanding and as they did fear spread south of the Alps as a people who left no written records what we know about their conquests firsthand is limited the impact of successive wet Seasons had left their lands unfarmable now they had to take what they needed and soon they set their sights on Rome around 390 BC a large army formed by Warriors from three powerful Celtic tribes led by the boy United under a powerful Chieftain named brenis they marched South to Rome a republic on the rise as they marched swiftly and noisily on the terrified cities armed in haste and The Peasants fled as the Warriors signified with loud cries wherever they came that Rome was their goal in an extended line their Horsemen and foot soldiers covered vast tracts of ground their wild songs and discordant shouts filled the air with a hideous noise unprepared and outnumbered the Roman armies couldn't deflect the rapid advance of the Kelts at the Battle of the Alia those who survived the attack fled the battlefield leaving their City to the mercy of the Invaders on the third day after the battle brenis came up to the city with his his army finding its gates open and its walls without Defenders at first he feared a treacherous Ambush being unable to believe that the Romans were in such utter despair but when he realized the truth he marched in by the Colleen gate and took Rome a few Romans did remain to successfully defend the capitaline hill while the cel surrounded them and pillaged the rest of the city for months exhausted they negotiated a truce brenis agreed to withdraw once a ransom had been paid it was one of the few times Rome was ever attacked and defeated on the battlefield and this humiliation was never to be forgotten Rome was one of the first notorious triumphs of the Kelts who went on to spend most of the following Century conquering and plundering the Italian Peninsula and the Balkans their ferocity in battle made Celtic warriors the most valued mercenaries of the classical World Elite Warriors paid in cash by the highest bidder these Warriors return home bringing something more valuable than full purses like life experiences gained from the civilizations they fought for and against and it's time for the ever Restless Kelts to settle again because now they wanted a different life the Kelts returned to their Homeland determined to make a world for themselves around the middle of the 3 Century BC there was a very fundamental change in the organization and function of Celtic Society in Central Europe the phenomenon of new settlements where main production trade and religion were locally concentrated in Central Europe started to occur these were the very first pre-urban structures ever settled in this region three settlements soon distinguished themselves from the many that sprang up as the great migrations came to rest they were located just a day ride from one another on horseback so those KS through the economical power and economical ideas with controlling this important part connecting balticum with Adria among the tribes that resettled here were the very same boy who attacked Rome under brenis in 390 BC they returned from their Waring adventures and put their Newfound engineering skills to practical use in private domestic dwellings inspired by but very different from the Monumental architecture of the Mediterranean in the Laten the craft of carpentry flourished and new construction techniques emerged it was possible to build large Interiors without disturbing wooden posts inside another Innovation was the use of locks with matching iron keys this indicates that private ownership of houses and buildings played an increasingly important role these structures are crucial for modern-day archaeologists to understand life inside a Celtic settlement these rectangular pit houses so common across the Celtic world give us a window into their lives [Music] they're simple Huts dug about a meter into the ground and built on a rectangular floor plan with walls and a roof above they are very common identified by magnetic surveying or aerial photography so we have plenty of evidence for the pit houses are particularly valuable archaeological archives because the ground inside them has been preserved this makes it possible to look for traces of activities using chemical samples we can analyze micro waste and thus determine what went on in these buildings for example we were able to determine that animals such as sheep goats and cattle were kept in some pit houses inside other pit houses we found bronze casting drops which indicate that metal was processed and cast in them other houses were used as Potter's workshops or blacksmith's workshops so the pit houses offer ideal conditions for reconstructing the activities of the people at that time we find a whole abundance of special finds which indicate and give us clear insight into certain aspects of everyday Celtic life for example lead ways point to a regul commercial trade at the site and also other finds very special finds like a golden tree a small golden tree show us that there was a vivid religious life sacred areas were dispersed across the settlement where people would meet for feasts and religious celebrations but what did Celtic spiritual life look like in the 3D and 2nd centuries BC [Music] it is relatively difficult to obtain evidence about Celtic religion nowadays many books on Celtic myths religion and rituals can be found but very often they consist of modern interpretations religious artifacts and contemporary descriptions of Celtic deities combined to provide valuable ins into Celtic rituals and the needs and fears that inspired them here we have a statue of a Celtic God who is likened to a wild boar the boar is a traditional Celtic power animal representing the attributes of strength militancy power and fertility as they like to say such a wild boar we have the Celtic goddess Iona who is very often depicted riding on or surrounded by horses we also have the Goddess svan from France who ruled the area around the sources of the river s it was believed that svon ensured the health and healing of the local people the people made wooden models of various organs or hands and feet they wanted seon to heal they would offer these sacrifices to her Springs the archaeology proves it all out also religion played a major role in this establishment because it was a meeting point for the occupation and the population of the hinterland for feasting and religious ceremonies we postulate the hypothetical form of Celtic holidays by drawing from various folk traditions we celebrate eight of those holidays based on the movement of the sun those holidays coincide with actual solstices and equinoxes among them are the so-called quarter days saan the Celtic New Year in early November embul the holiday that marks the beginning of Spring belan or Mayday as it's known now marking the beginning of Summer and symbolizing fertility lunasa the Harvest f Festival even today a celebration of the joy of abundance as the archaeology clearly shows the C's beliefs were embedded in the cycle of Nature and riddled with [Music] Superstition during the construction of houses in the Laten period objects of value were often deliberately placed into the house foundations these sacrifices consisted of small things such as coins jewelry and broches they were deposited into the foundation during construction in order to ensure the protection of the building while in the grounds of other houses a tragic reminder of the harsh realities of Life over 2,000 years ago life in the late Iron Age was precarious infant mortality was common half of newborns didn't even make their first birthday babies were often buried at home keeping them close must have helped ease the pain of loss today ancient Celtic sacrifices constantly resurface as discoveries of ancient treasure spectacular hordes of valuable relics weapons money and jewelry all left to appease the gods while in other places more modest tokens a small brooch or a coin placed in the foundations or wall of a house and with these sacrifices fortunes are about to change and every Kel will be appealing to the gods for their help but what could go wrong the Kelts are establishing a Proto State claiming their ancestral land they are back where they belong creating the first signs of a settled state with shared architecture faith and currency their communities are thriving once again and above all they feel safe in this new Homeland so one of the still unanswered and not solved issues of this economical zone of umber road is a question of safety or security of it don't have any traces of ramp Parts walls or any um other protective structures so we can assume that those settlers here building this huge settlement were not scared they don't have to defend [Music] themselves why is this surely they're taking a huge risk there may be a couple of good reasons why there are no ramp parts or walls to keep Outsiders away from these three strongholds this Proto state was created by Rich Celtic mercenaries battle hardened and with a well earned reputation open settlements could have been seen as an invitation to fight but to trade is to be open so equally it could have been seen as an invitation to come inside and exchange goods this was a new era for the counts a return to their Origins as skilled Traders no doubt art pry City Proto state was thriving through trade not only from Amber but also local products such as glass wine and being Kelts iron yet this Prosperity would last for barely a century it's a time of great change in Europe established tribes sought to expand their territory to secure their ever growing populations peace is often fleeting and war is only ever a short March Away by the end of the 2nd Century BC Celtic life was under threat and the character of their settlements began to change quite drastically and the archaeological material we can observe moving from open lowland settlements not defense to to Hilltop settlements defense with ar par Aida walled towns built high on hills for easy defense the world is changing fast gone are the small villages and towns and soon to go are the large open trading cities where our Kelts thrived UPA are on the rise now and in a very short time dozens of them appear all over Europe safety in numbers and behind walls standing here on the actual site of one of these opida and seeing how massive the structure still is even today it would have been several meters taller even than it still is today and this outer defensive ditch is still so big it really gives you the sense of how impressive this structure would have been back in the day what is driving this abandonment of open peaceful City living for walled towns located far above the fertile Plains of the danu well a new and fearsome enemy threatens a moring Germanic people outgrowing their own Homeland in present day Denmark the Chim so the idea of moving from lowland open settlements to naturally defense and then also defense with the ramp Parts Hilltop settlements is connected probably as we believe um with the movement of um Sim tribes from utland Direction s [Music] the phenomenon of moving from raiding routes along roads and rivers into fortified settlements was not limited to the Amber Road [Music] all over Central Europe fear of the chimy drives the Kelts from their idelic and short-lived open settlements to the opida looking for more protection built on hilltops and behind solid walls [Music] [Music] [Music] behind us on the right we can see the Terrace which was a rampart fortification that stretched to the left along the entire [Music] Fort the Fortified settlement had a strategic location including direct visibility with another Celtic for ified [Music] settlement for decades historians believed that the impressive scale and workmanship of the opida represent the peak of Celtic civilization in Central Europe but recent archaeology has now led us to conclude that it was in fact the beginning of its end progressively over the the first half of the first century BC opida across Europe were abandoned nearly as fast as they were established Greek geographer strabo would even name some of the areas previously occupied by this Celtic tribe the desert of the boy but why leave these newly fortified nearly impregnable settlements they' taken such effort to build and offered sorely needed protection from the tribes to the north were the ramparts not strong enough but the question is if there were really needed until the very end of Lattin culture in Central Europe we don't have any clear traces of any military activity from archaeological record we know actually that Germanic tribes came already to empty spaces so there were no fights between Germanic tribes and Kel this raises an interesting question did The Retreat behind walls weaken the Kels more than any individual battle could have done were the continued incursions of the kimry actually a consequence of an already weakened Celtic World rather than the cause of [Music] it so building an operating this kind of Hilltop settlements with this huge rampers costed for sure not only a lot of effort but also a lot of energy the same applies to problems with water supply and with other Goods which are not available if you live on the hilt of settlement so it could be one of the reasons of this rapid end of Lattin culture in Central Europe life becomes harder for the Kels of the opida they're farming on the poor Rocky soils of hilltops not the fertile Plains of their past we begin to see examples of scarcity in the archaeological record materials previously abundant only a few few Generations earlier are now of poorer quality and being reused over and over so the end of the umber Road one can connect with the collapse of Lattin culture structures in Central [Music] Europe the shift from open settlements to defended opida was not always the norm some places were simply too large to relocate so they raised fortifications around the existing sat M this provided protection on the hilltops but was a huge undertaking in people power and Engineering on the outskirts of man king in present day Germany an example of this has been uncovered and its scale has shocked even the most experienced archaeologists I am standing at the exact place where 2,000 years ago that was the Eastern Gate to the Celtic opom of maning we are standing at this entrance point point which probably uh gives us an Insight across the whole area of the opum which is huge man king had started out as a group of farms it rapidly grew into a place of craft manufacture trade and commerce peacefully engaging with the outside world one of the main factors for the choice of settling here at Ming is its ideal topographical and geographical position in a wide network of communication and trade and exchange I am standing at the exact place where in ancient times the Celtic Harbor was situated and this Celtic Harbor was in an old riverbed of the denu river which was connected directly to the old stream of the danu river and the denu of course was and is one of the main communication lines of for trade and exchange in Europe but in a very short time this industry would be put to more Marshal use munching developed into a proper opum by definition because it was surrounded by a massive fortification at about 120 BC the wall measured 7 kilm and encompassed an area of about 380 hectar what we can see here are parts of the stone facade of the of the interior flanks of the gate together with the beams that hold the 5 m high wall it is said that it took 60 tons of iron just to make the nails an entire Forest fell carried and swn a highly organized Construction involving thousands of skilled workers all working together and it must have been quite an impressive sight man king is now the largest and most important city north of the Alps a vast Center of Industry a walled and heavily defended home to well over 10,000 people Farmers Traders and manufacturers [Music] the settlement structure of the first urban phases at mching was clearly divided into different quarters architecture of this time was heavily influenced by helenistic and Greek housing so for example we find a porticus surrounding one of these quarters but we also have indigenous traditions of housing with great Halls which were used as residences of the local Elite there are several indicators of a distinct social hierarchy in the opom of maning there are finds which indicate that also a group of very socially outstanding people were present at the opum for example Imports of Mediterranean goods and also Weaponry show that high and Wealthy status class was present here it was this High stated group of people probably not of one single person that was in control of the site so these masters of the opum were in control of trade and exchange but also set the political agenda and controlled um the religious life at the lower stratum the substratum so to say there were slaves and unfree people obviously we know this because we found slave chains made of iron solid iron that are indicators of this slave trade in the Celtic world in the second and 1 centuries BC iron is forged all kinds of very high quality jewelry and pottery are made the Celtic Craftsmen here in M King are manufacturing and distributing luxury goods on an industrial scale and reaching an impressively large Market Ming was part of a pan European economic Network this is shown for example by transport amra which contained olive oil or wine which point to regulated trade and regular trade uh from the Mediterranean to the Manching urban center here in man king from the 3rd Century BC we get the first real sense of the growing influence of Mediterranean practices on Celtic life adapted into something quintessentially Celtic creating a new sophisticated type of Celtic homeowner one increasingly dependent on its Southern neighbors ironically it would be these same long-distance trade contacts the lifeblood of Celtic culture over the last 500 years that would also d dictate the decline of the OPA in the last century BC there are more and more signs of social in economic crisis at the opom of Muni for example houses become smaller and population size obviously decreases houses are also more and more dispersed across the whole occupation area within the Manching wall that people tended to secure their wealth in a time of Crisis for example one coin hord with coins from the Bohemian area contains hundreds of gold coins which were secured in this time of Social and economic decline the Kelts are feeling threatened and increasingly isolated from a confident outward-looking Society they've gone in a few short decades to hoarding their wealth and preparing for darker days and the probable cause of this crisis comes from an interesting quarter their old Frenemy Rome s s for example wine trade seized at about 80 to 70 BC which shows that these important commercial connections to the Mediterranean world stopped and were cut off at a certain point in time by this time the whole Mediterranean was under the control of one of History's Greatest superpowers the Romans unlike the Kelts Rome had written history and it included the ransacking of Rome by marauding Kelts three centuries before and now they're back and seeking Revenge after Rome ceased trade with the Kelts a series of campaigns led by Julia Caesar in the mid-1st century BC came to be known as the goic wars these would culminate in the famous battle of Alisia where a confederation of Celtic tribes United under the leadership of legendary Chieftain Fen G according to Caesar himself more than 80,000 Kelts with 15,000 Cavalry held their position inside the large local opum while the Romans set Siege building trenches and fortifications around the plateau this is a fight between an ancient Iron Age culture and a more modern Rome and what's at stake is not just the Kel's Freedom an entire way of life the very future of Europe a shout being raised by both sides it was succeeded by a general shout along the ramparts and the whole line of fortifications laying aside their javelins our troops carry on the engagement with their swords the Cavalry is suddenly seen to the rear of the Galls the other cohorts Advance rapidly the enemy turns their backs the Cavalry inter accept them in their flight and a great Slaughter ensues Legend has it the following day Veron gck rode down the hill in full military regalia to meet Caesar he got off his horse he threw down his weapons and he said here I am a strong man beaten by an even stronger man Caesar's victory at Alia is a defining moment in European history the Golden Age of the Kelts is over they lie slain across the landscape crushed in their own Heartland Caesar boasts that he's killed 1 million gos today we would call this ethnic cleansing or genocide after the battle of Alesia in 52 BC Caesar turns East setting out to exterminate the entire Celtic culture but much to Rome's surprise it turns out that their Victory and goal reverberated far further east around the middle of the first century BC the former town of Manching was completely abandoned around 50 years later at the turn of the Millennia the Romans occupied the country but didn't find anything more than the remains of the wall as it is still visible today this is why they called the area Batum the wall each opam that the Romans encounter on their March East is abandoned without the profitable trade spanning the Baltic and Mediterranean the Celtic way of life is threatened and aggravated by harsh conditions Within These new fortified settlements and living in constant fear of attack the Celtic tribes decide to abandon their opida but there were interesting exceptions one opom is still thriving why what makes this one in present day Bratislava Slovak IA so special the ancient structure we see here at Bratislava Castle called an opom dates back to the 70s BC it is related to the arrival of a wave of boy Warriors who settled in the territory of what is now called Bohemia the boy one of the most prominent C IC tribes spreading from Eastern Gul to the Hungarian Plains architects of the Celtic Proto State and masters of the Amber Road they had found their final Retreat and they intended to make this settlement last they chose the perfect location with access to rivers and protected by surrounding Hills this was surely the place where the Kelts could leave behind their fear of attack and at last stake a claim for a place to rebuild again they were located in the territory of Southwestern Slovakia in the area of the bratos laava gate at the Confluence of the danu and morava rivers in the late Laten period corresponding with the first century BC those three settlements formed a very important strategic area the boy opam at bris laava grows in size and importance Commerce and Manufacturing reach an unprecedented Peak a Prosperity reflected in the minting of their own typically Celtic currency the Bros laava Coin system is truly unique gold coins were plentifully produced here and coins were then transferred from the Czech Moravian environment they're based on shell type Parts called Staters and their weights and value are thirds and E what is unique to these coins is that some of them have names more than a dozen names appear but one in particular stands out that of btic could he be one of the last boy Chieftain is he the last Celtic Chieftain standing we however do not know who biotch was whether he was a king an official or someone else who had the right to Mint Celtic coins in Braava the trade in ideas and goods with other peoples with was something that the Kelts did naturally and from their very first days but here in Bros laava something else seemed to be going on aside from Pure trade [Music] [Music] these are ruins of a Noble House its architecture and style far removed from the Celtic tradition these were luxury buildings built by Roman Architects for the local Celtic Elites the evidence of this consists of the richly decorated floors in these buildings it looks like these Kelts are adopting Roman ways and living lives we' previous associated with Roman culture here they've even used Roman columns in the construction of this house instead of using marble however here they've used wood other objects found in the opom prove close sustained contact with the Romans including the largest collection of Roman wine amfor found in Central Europe at a time when Caesar's armies are still Waging War war with Gish Kelts across Western Europe why this close relationship with the boy Kelts in the East there is a hypothesis about the boy who lived in Gaul and had a relationship with Julius Caesar during his conquest of Gaul that is why they constructed Roman buildings on the Acropolis of the opom importing luxury goods here did the boy broker a secret deal with [Music] Caesar those findings of Roman provincial architecture constitute unique evidence of the late Roman Republic's infiltration of the middle danu and it is undoubtedly the first signal that Romans were sending in the form of economic diplomacy that the middle danu would be a future zone of its political power interests thanks to their relationship with Caesar and a desire to work with the Roman Republic the boy Kelts in the Bratislava aidam prospered during a time when other Celtic tribes in Central Europe were kneee in economic crisis ever practical the boy have adopted to the real politic and struck a deal with their old [Music] enemy but life inside the Bros laava oppidum began to decline almost as soon as it thrived archaeological data doesn't give us precise stes but from what we do know it looks like this economic Prosperity lasted for maybe a generation or two at mostos laava disappears shrouded by dramatic circumstances which seem to be related to war events the evidence supporting this idea comes from the Relentless burial of human beings in the area of the Bros laava town one of these catastrophic events is probably related to the so-called boy desert about which the ancient historians stwo writes and this is a consequence of the Waring conflict between the Deans and the local Kelts and their allies and we have written records um describing fights of dason with Kel but actually we don't know in what condition KS were at the time but they lost it's also quite possible that the Latin culture collapsed from itself because this movement to Hilltop settlements definitely change economical situation of Latin culture as in man king the opom of Bratislava was ultimately abandoned the boy that very same Celtic people who had forged a legacy in the Iron Age spread throughout Europe and change from Warriors to Peaceful Traders would meet the same fate as many other tribes the collapse of the Kelts remains as mysterious as its Origins yet the most logical explanation may be the simplest the turning point is the year 15 BC when troops of Emperor Augustus came to the danu and thus the northern border of the Empire and the Kelts gradually became a romanized provincial population they've become Romans in all but name it's only a matter of time now before the Kelts take their final bow as a distinct people on the world stage after spreading their unique and spectacular culture all across Europe and Beyond surviving climate disaster and social crisis inspiring fear and respect with the power of their swords and the reputation of their Warriors [Music] and leaving their indelible mark on culture through their skill in craft Commerce art science and spiritualism the ingenious Kelts who dominated Europe for nearly eight centuries simply faded away in eight short decades the Kelts who had always thrived as an open engaging at times aggressive culture had taken an irreversible step backward they'd turned away from the world they once embraced and basically sleepwalked to their own [Music] demise yet the legacies of these masters of the Iron Age forged modern day Lang languages even whole National identities and their Priceless material Legacy has helped us to tell what is one of the greatest ever stories left Untold [Music] [Music] [Music]