Free Republic

La Brújula Verde reports that over the past three years, German archaeologists have made a number of exciting discoveries at the oppidum of Manching that have provided new insight into Celtic life at the end of the first millennium b.c. Founded at the end of the fourth century b.c., the hillfort was one of the most important Iron Age urban centers in central Europe, housing as many as 10,000 people at its height. The team recorded 1,300 new archaeological features and recovered more than 40,000 artifacts. Among them was an exquisite bronze figurine of a Celtic warrior, an example of...

Thieves have stolen a hoard of Celtic gold coins...from the museum in Manching, Bavaria... Just before the break-in, nearby internet cables were cut causing widespread outages. Employees discovered shattered glass on the museum floor and the coins missing from their display case the next morning. They were unearthed during a 1999 archaeological dig near Manching - considered to be the biggest discovery of Celtic gold in the 20th Century. According to Mr Blume, the find gave people a glimpse into the daily lives of people living in Bavaria over 2000 years ago.