Ancient gold and silver coins found in Czech Republic

Archaeologists in the Czech Republic have revealed a trove of coins, gold jewelry and other artifacts that date to about 2,500 years ago, during the region's Celtic period. Objects were discovered during excavations at a site in the Pilsen region in the west of the Czech Republic.

Other metal objects — including fragments of gold and silver ingots, as well as bronze buckles, pins, bracelets, pendants and a horse figurine — were also found at the site. There were no signs of a permanent Celtic settlement, which implied the site might have been a seasonal market or fair.

The Celts are often thought of as occupying only the Western fringe of ancient Europe, such as Ireland; but excavations and historical records show that they spread at times across much of the continent, from the Iberian Peninsula to Anatolia and what is now the Czech Republic. The first phase of Celtic culture is known as the Hallstatt culture (between about 1200 and 450 B.C.), while its peak is recognized as the La Tène culture (between about 450 and 50 B.C.) across France, Germany and other regions.