Ancient civilization's gold coins, luxury artifacts unearthed during 'unprecedented' dig

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Archaeologists unearthed a massive trove of gold coins in the Czech Republic, minted by a long-lost civilization - with the site described by officials as "exceptional."

The discovery was announced by the Museum of Eastern Bohemia in Hradec Králové. The Celtic settlement was found along the route of a future highway, the July release said.

The site dates back to the La Tène period, with archaeologists finding that the settlement peaked in roughly the second century B.C.

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It served as a "supra-regional trade and production center" that linked Central Europe to far-flung corners of the ancient world.

The La Tène period marked the height of Celtic power in Europe, shortly before Roman expansion into the region.

Gold and silver coins were discovered at the site, along with amber and "proof of luxury pottery production."

Excavators also found numerous metal objects, along with ceramic vessel fragments and remnants of dwellings, production facilities and one or two "likely" sanctuaries.

Researchers took everything they found - and walked away with over 22,000 bags of artifacts, one of the largest archaeological hauls in the country's history.

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The haul, according to officials, represents "one of the largest assemblages of artifacts ever discovered in the Czech Republic," the museum said in a statement translated from Czech to English. 

"These include everyday objects as well as extraordinarily rich collections of jewelry."

The museum added that the site is "unprecedented" in the Czech Republic, in both scale and character - and that the location was "entirely exceptional."

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Archaeologists said they were stunned by how many artifacts were packed into the soil.

The top layer of soil even held more artifacts than the preserved structures below.

"According to archaeologists, the site's importance is comparable to the most significant central agglomerations known from the Middle Danube region and southern Germany," the statement read.

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"Remarkably, the settlement was unfortified."

This isn't the first time the Czech Republic has been the setting of exciting recent archaeological finds.

Earlier this spring, the Museum of Eastern Bohemia announced that a hiker came across a mysterious gold-filled treasure trove in an overgrown field.

Last year, a woman stumbled upon 2,150 medieval silver coins while walking in the Central Bohemian Region.