Iron Age – findings

Iron was probably born around 1500 BC in Asia Minor. The secret of its smelting is attributed to the Hittite tribe. It took quite a long time for this secret to reach our ends. It appears in the south of Europe in the 12th century BC and penetrates Central Europe until the 6th century BC. We should name the two main phases of the Iron Age of the Hallstatt period, which dates between the years 700 to 400 BC and the La Tène period lasting or the year 400 BC for the first year of our era.

Early Iron Age - Hallstatt (700-400 BC). The period got its name from the salt mines in Hallstatt. Here was discovered one of the most famous burial grounds containing skeletal burials of a number of important nobles in their time. It is often speculated that they were participants in the local salt mines and are also often called the owners of so-called beautiful swords and beautiful daggers. If we looked at the territory of today's Czech Republic at this time, we would find several cultures that can be distinguished from each other. We can certainly name the Bylan culture known for its rich burials, the Silesian-platen culture with its hot burial rite and the storage of remains in stone vessels (urns) or the mound culture.

Younger Iron Age - La Tène (400 BC to 0 AD). This is a period that we associate with the stay of the Celts in our territory. In our territory it should be a tribe of Buoys. It is difficult to estimate how many inhabitants really came to our regions and how many of them received a special Celtic culture and worldview. It is certain that from this historical period we were left with the name of our country in Latin (Bohemia). We also know a number names of rivers and mountains from this period. These often have their counterparts in other territories, which the Celts controlled, for example. Jizera - Isére (southern France).

In essence, the Iron Age lasts to this day. But archaeology sees it as a period when iron began to be used to make weapons, agricultural tools and jewelry.