Archaeologists find Celtic helmet at Iron Age Settlement in Poland

Archaeologists discovered fragments of a Celtic bronze helmet at Łysa Góra, a fortified settlement in northeastern Poland dating to the Early Iron Age.

The site sits near the Orzyc River in a region rich in amber, which allowed the inhabitants to manage the trade of amber and other goods into central Europe. Bartłomiej Kaczyńsky of the State Archaeological Museum in Warsaw says the helmet serves as a symbol of power and proof of long-distance contact.

Researchers found the crushed helmet in a pit alongside iron adzes and a scythe. The find also included various Celtic ring ornaments and brooches. The discovery suggests that Celtic people may have lived at the settlement for about two generations. This finding changes previous theories that the people of Łysa Góra only had limited contact with Celts through trade. Similar helmets have been found in graves belonging to Celtic warrior elites in France and Austria.