What can the dwarfs tell? On settlements and anthropomorphic statuary in La Tène Southern Moravia

New metal and glass finds from the Late Iron Age in South Moravia (CZ). The contribution of citizen science to knowledge of the La Tene settlement structure in the Břeclav Region

“…an unspecified site for the find of a large number of coins in the vicinity of Břeclav -Smělý 2017a) that would far exceed average settlements in terms of the number of finds. And yet, the presented assemblage (and other finds from the region: Goláňová, Navrátil 2017;Goláňová, Kysela 2019) clearly shows that while some sites in the Břeclav region have a lower quantity, the quality of the metal finds is comparable to regional centres (such as Žehuň).…”

“…The presented assemblage is composed exclusively of artefacts from LT C-D, which also dominate other assemblages of La Tène finds obtained with the help of metal detectors (cf. Vích 2017; Danielisová et al 2018a;Goláňová, Kysela 2019). The same spectrum of artefacts repeats in them, while artefacts from certain time periods (LT A, LT B1) are rarely represented, even though settlements with this dating are known in the Břeclav region (for LT A, cf.…”

“…These have a consistent material composition with a similar share of Cu (74.7 and 72.9%) and nearly identical lead content (c. 23%). 4 Small human figurines from the La Tène period have been discovered in Moravia only in recent years, without exception with the use of a metal detector (Čižmář 2012b;Goláňová, Kysela 2019). They are characterised by a certain production sloppiness and the inconsistent representation of the body and the position of the hands.…”

“…1) -from the outlet of the Thaya from the Nové Mlýny reservoirs to Bernhardsthal, with traces of activities es pecially in LT C and possibly LT D1 (cf. Goláňová, Kysela 2019).…”

“…Although the Břeclav region and especially the narrower territory below the Pavlov Hills are considered to be one of the most intensively researched areas with La Tène settlement in Moravia (mainly due to excavations prior to the construction of the Nové Mlýny waterworks system; for a summary see Čižmář 2002b, 249-271), the increasing number of metal detector finds provide evidence of Late Iron Age settlement (and to a lesser extent perhaps also burial) activities in hitherto unknown places while also enriching our knowledge of individual sites with a range of finds that previous excavations or surface surveys did not capture (cf. Goláňová, Kysela 2019). A systematic detector survey of the Břeclav region or its parts conducted using a uniform professional methodology under institutional control (not only focused on the La Tène period) has not yet taken place.…”