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Bronze Member
Prague, Jan 10 (CTK) - The illegal archaeological collection of about 3,300 pieces, uncovered in a burnt out flat in Prague, is worth millions of crowns, Czech Archaeological Institute Lubos Jiran said at a press conference Thursday.
The collection could be sold for such price on the black market only, Jiran said.
The collected objects were probably gained from illegal treasure hunters operating not only in the Czech Republic but also elsewhere in Central Europe. They include objects dating back to periods from the neolithic era to modern times, the scientific value of which had considerably decreased due to improper handling.
The collection was gathered by a man who burnt to death after his flat caught fire in 2006. Now it belongs to the state. Archaeologists were invited to examine it last autumn.
The collection comprises some 1,900 bronze objects and 1,400 iron objects. Ceramic and objects made of other material appear only marginally in it.
Only several objects represent the beginnings of metallurgy in Central Europe in the late Neolithic (about 4,000 B.C.), while more objects date back to the Bronze era (about 2,000-700 B.C.), Iron era (the last seven centuries B.C.), the ancient Roman era and the Migration Period (until 568 A.D.)
In addition, the collection includes medieval objects and those originating in the early modern times.
Miroslav Dobes, an expert examining the collection, drew journalists' attention to rare findings such as the about 6,000-year-old pendant made of copper and shaped like a pair of glasses, one of the oldest pieces of evidence on metallurgic activities in Central Europe.
Only about ten similar pendants have been found in Central Europe so far. They were produced on an area spreading from Western Slovakia to Central Bohemia, Dobes said.
The collection also includes axes, cups used in drinking rites, ancient bronze sickles and hundreds of medieval spurs.
Experts say the scientific value of the collection has been devalued by the finders' failure to put down the sites where individual objects were found and other circumstances.
Archaeologist Martin Kuna said the illegal collection shows what damage is caused by illegal coin- and metal objects hunters of whom there are up to 20,000 in the Czech Republic and who use more and more sophisticated metal detectors.
Kuna said the treasure hunters devastated archaeological sites and devaluate cultural heritage. Hundreds of thousands of valuable objects irreversibly disappear on the black market, mainly abroad, every year, he said.
kenb
The collection could be sold for such price on the black market only, Jiran said.
The collected objects were probably gained from illegal treasure hunters operating not only in the Czech Republic but also elsewhere in Central Europe. They include objects dating back to periods from the neolithic era to modern times, the scientific value of which had considerably decreased due to improper handling.
The collection was gathered by a man who burnt to death after his flat caught fire in 2006. Now it belongs to the state. Archaeologists were invited to examine it last autumn.
The collection comprises some 1,900 bronze objects and 1,400 iron objects. Ceramic and objects made of other material appear only marginally in it.
Only several objects represent the beginnings of metallurgy in Central Europe in the late Neolithic (about 4,000 B.C.), while more objects date back to the Bronze era (about 2,000-700 B.C.), Iron era (the last seven centuries B.C.), the ancient Roman era and the Migration Period (until 568 A.D.)
In addition, the collection includes medieval objects and those originating in the early modern times.
Miroslav Dobes, an expert examining the collection, drew journalists' attention to rare findings such as the about 6,000-year-old pendant made of copper and shaped like a pair of glasses, one of the oldest pieces of evidence on metallurgic activities in Central Europe.
Only about ten similar pendants have been found in Central Europe so far. They were produced on an area spreading from Western Slovakia to Central Bohemia, Dobes said.
The collection also includes axes, cups used in drinking rites, ancient bronze sickles and hundreds of medieval spurs.
Experts say the scientific value of the collection has been devalued by the finders' failure to put down the sites where individual objects were found and other circumstances.
Archaeologist Martin Kuna said the illegal collection shows what damage is caused by illegal coin- and metal objects hunters of whom there are up to 20,000 in the Czech Republic and who use more and more sophisticated metal detectors.
Kuna said the treasure hunters devastated archaeological sites and devaluate cultural heritage. Hundreds of thousands of valuable objects irreversibly disappear on the black market, mainly abroad, every year, he said.
kenb
