Ancient Celtic Helmet Unearthed in Poland Highlights Significant Celtic Presence

Archaeologists in Poland have made a remarkable discovery at the Łysa Góra site: a 2,300-year-old Celtic helmet, potentially the oldest of its kind found in the country. Unearthed by teams from Warsaw’s State Archaeological Museum and the University of Warsaw's Department of Archaeology, this discovery includes over 300 artifacts, such as iron axes, scissors, and notably, a rare Celtic helmet, indicating that Celts lived in northern Poland to secure their amber supplies.

The helmet was found buried in a charcoal pit with four iron axes. Unlike many bronze vessels more common in Poland, this helmet boasts a conical shape and was joined at the tip by a double knob. Identified as an early La Tène-style helmet, the second known helmet of its kind found in Poland, it dates to the fourth century B.C.E., highlighting advanced Celtic metalworking techniques framed between the fourth and third centuries B.C.E.

Before this revelation, only a single newer Celtic helmet from the first century had been discovered in Siemiechów, southern Poland. This finding thus shifts the ben 생각 marks on Celtic presence and skills, changing prior perceptions about their activities in pre-Roman northern Europe. Initially mistaken for a vessel, the helmet’s collar—a curved plate near its border—led archaeologists to identify it correctly.

These excavations have more significantly altered earlier assumptions regarding the distribution and influence of Celts in Poland. Found at the ancient sand dune near Warsaw, these artifacts suggest meaningful Celtic colonization, likely aimed at protecting vital amber supplies, evidence of trade relationships, and an operational trading post on the "amber trail."

Though primarily thought to have settled southern Poland, the findings at Łysa Góra provide concrete evidence of Celtic farming and animal husbandry through shears likely intended for cutting down wool and scythes for harvesting grain. Jewelry, tools typical in southern Europe yet rare in Poland, further illustrate the complexities and interconnectivity of Celtic lives.

With conservation underway, these discoveries underscore substantial ancient trade networks, enhancing our grasp of the Iron Age and prehistoric Celtic metallurgy. This work by Kaczyński and the interdisciplinary archaeological team may lead to new insights and suggest further expansive archaeological coverage at the representational site of Łysa Góra.

Earlier, SSP wrote that Great Lake in North America turned lively green due to toxic algae bloom.