This research project explores the cultural, economic, and environmental interactions between La Tène and non-La Tène (Jastorf/Przeworsk-type) societies in Central Europe during the Middle and Late Pre-Roman Iron Age.
While the La Tène culture is often associated with dynamic migration and rich material traditions linked to the Celtic world, northern communities developed distinct models of economy, mobility, and land use. This project examines the archaeological record to understand how these populations interacted, coexisted, and shaped the Iron Age landscape north of the Carpathians and Sudetes.
By combining traditional archaeological methods with scientific analyses—such as organic residue analysis, archaeobotany, and use-wear studies—we aim to shed light on how people lived, what they ate, and how they organized their settlements and daily life in a changing and interconnected world.
Follow this project for ongoing updates, expert interviews, and accessible articles exploring how Northern European contact zones connected communities through exchange, adaptation, and innovation.
The project is hosted at Charles University in Prague and funded by the
Czech Science Foundation (GAČR, project no. 25-15914I).
It involves close collaboration with partner institutions across Central Europe.
Nowa Cerekwia is one of the most important La Tène period sites in southern Poland. Its significance does not come from a single spectacular discovery, but from the exceptional diversity of finds recorded there over more than a century of research. The site has yielded settlement features, pottery, metal objects, coins, glass ornaments, stone tools,… Read more: What was found at Nowa Cerekwia?
The jubilee 100th issue of Archeologia Żywa is more than a special anniversary volume. It is also a broad overview of archaeological collections from across Poland, prepared with the participation of 100 museums. Seen together, the objects presented in this issue form a kind of map of contacts, movements and cultural links that connected different… Read more: Celtic bird figurines from Nowa Cerekwia in the 100th issue of Archeologia Żywa
Nowa Cerekwia has been known to archaeologists and local history enthusiasts for a long time. The first discoveries were made in 1921, while professional archaeologists arrived at the site in 1925. They were informed about the finds by Max Stiebler, a local landowner and later village head, who discovered the first Celtic pottery from the… Read more: The research history of Nowa Cerekwia
A new monograph devoted to the Iron Age site of Nowa Cerekwia will be soon published under the editorship of Dr Przemysław Dulęba. The volume brings together the results of many years of research conducted at one of the most important La Tène period sites in southern Poland and offers new perspectives on the role… Read more: Introduction to Nowa Cerekwia and the new publication
From 19 to 22 May, Joanna E. Markiewicz, Przemysław Dulęba, and Zdeněk Beneš will take part in the 26th International CELT&N Conference in Rakovník, Czech Republic. At the conference, Joanna and Przemysław will present a paper on the La Tène settlement and the pre-Roman Iron Age Przeworsk culture occupation at Polwica 4 and Skrzypnik 8… Read more: Our team at 26th International CELT&N Conference
