Salzburg Museum is delighted with the Celtic find of the century
The Salzburg Museum was able to present an “archaeological sensation” to the public for the first time on Tuesday: A late Celtic hoard with gold jewelery and silver coins was discovered in Neumarkt am Wallersee in Flachgau in May 2021. For Holger Wendling, Head of the Archeology Department at the Salzburg Museum, the valuable objects are on a par with the helmet from Pass Lueg discovered in 1838 or the Celtic beaked jug found in 1932.
The jewelry, which has been hidden in the ground for centuries, includes an elaborately twisted torc – a necklace – made of solid gold, a bracelet, two smooth and two decorated finger rings and a total of 28 silver coins, some of which show strong signs of wear. The Salzburg Museum Association was able to purchase the top-class objects for the museum. It was agreed not to disclose the purchase price, emphasized museum director Martin Hochleitner. The finder wants to remain anonymous, and the location will not be published. The late Celtic hoard find – it dates from the first century BC – is not only an enrichment for Salzburg’s history. The archaeological find is also of great importance for European cultural history, said Hochleitner.
Kudos to the finder
Not only the individual objects are valuable, but also the fact that the archaeologists were able to professionally document and salvage everything at the site. This may allow you to draw conclusions about possible owners and their motives. “The finder did everything right,” which is why Hochleitner was full of praise. After the discovery of the first objects – they had been found by chance while working in the impassable terrain – the landowner immediately informed the Federal Monuments Office. “It was a Friday afternoon,” archaeologist Peter Höglinger from the Salzburg Federal Monuments Office recalled when the excited owner called. It quickly became clear that a professional excavation had to be carried out. “As an archaeologist, you don’t experience a moment like that very often,” said Höglinger about the salvage of the find of the century.
Little is known about the objects and their possible meaning. That is why the documentation of the site is so important. That helps with the classification and interpretation of the find, said Wendling. Jewelry and coins may have been buried to hide them at a time of political and social crisis. But there could also be a cultic background, the find may have been an offering to the gods, the archaeologist suspected. Answers to such questions first had to result in a scientific version with the find.
That is why the late Celtic treasure can only be seen in the Salzburg Museum until January 24th to celebrate the new addition. After that, the research should deal in detail with the find. Archaeological and archaeometric analyzes should help to clarify the open questions about the origin of the objects and the circumstances of their hiding.
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