Budapest, Archaeolingua Alapítvány és Kiadó, 2026

ISBN 978-615-5766-85-5
HU-ISSN 1416-8510

https://doi.org/10.67143/AL.Eisenzeit.4.2026

The Celtic cemetery at Szob is a key site for research on the Late Iron Age in the Carpathian Basin. Research on the site started in the mid-19th century; later, during the 20th century, construction works disturbed numerous graves yielding a wealth of grave finds, which served as conclusive evidence of the presence of the La Téne culture, identified with the Celts, in the territory of Hungary, and became part of the prehistoric collection of the Hungarian National Museum. The two World Wars caused significant damage to both the objects and the related documentation. The goal of the author of this monograph was to collect and present all available data, completed by a comprehensive assessment. The volume includes detailed discussions of the funerary practice and the unearthed grave assemblages based on remaining field notes, and presents all data available on the find material, including objects that were once inventoried but have become lost or destroyed—such as weapons, clothing ornaments, jewellery, and pottery vessels of the food and drink offerings. A unique find from the site is the so-called ’Szob kantharos’, a Hellenistic bronze cup from the 3rd century BC (see back cover image).

Through interpreting all available archaeological data, the study seeks answers to the question, What regional connections made Szob a key site in the La Téne Period? The author also outlines the distance connections of the community behind the cemetery. Therefore, this volume is more than the catalogue of an ill-fated collection: it is a complex critical evaluation and a seminal source for professionals, archaeology students, and enthusiasts delving into Iron Age archaeology and the chronology and social structure of Celtic communities in the Carpathian Basin.