2 Celtic Hoards from Bulgaria

[cavaros]

Recently published Celtic hoards from n.e. Bulgaria:


https://www.academia.edu/5775102/Celtic_Hoards_from_Rousse_n.e._Bulgaria_

[Figleaf]

One of your first papers on your own site showed a map of the geographical distribution of finds. I expected them to be concentrated on the coast and along the main rivers and was surprised at the apparent randomness. I suspect that the recently added hoards change that picture, as they seem to be concentrated alongside rivers. Is my suspicion correct?

Another question, were all the Sattelkopf coins carefully weighed? Were there significant differences? I would expect that the weights were all much the same in peace time, but divergent in times of war...

Peter

[cavaros]

Hi,

As we add more information to the picture, the trade routes are becoming clearer. The main artery was, of course , the Danube - http://balkancelts.wordpress.com/2013/08/25/the-barbarian-danube/, which linked central Europe with the Black Sea. Along the Danube, smaller rivers were used as 'motorways' connecting it to settlements in the interior.

On the question of weights/standardization of coins, the Celts don't seem to have been systematic in their approach. We see great variations in weight and purity in their coinage. They appear to have  enjoyed experimenting with the images and art on the coins, but not to have been overly interested in the technical/economic aspects.

Brendan