The Puzzle of Silesia’s Pre-Roman Iron Age: The Settlement at Graniczna Street in Wrocław

Abstract

In the autumn of 2014, rescue excavations were carried out at 4A Graniczna Street in Muchobór Wielki, Wrocław. The 2-hectare excavation area yielded remains of a multi-phase settlement, including a stage from the pre-Roman Iron Age. The excavated finds primarily consisted of pottery vessel fragments, alongside a well-preserved middle La Tène Mötschwil-type brooch, daub, and animal bones. Among the identified features were pits, postholes, pit houses, and the remains of a ground-level post building with a well. However, while the structure dates to the Iron Age, its exact chronology remains a subject of debate. The discovery of this late pre-Roman Iron Age settlement in the Ślęza river zone provides further evidence that the area featured a network of settlements dating to the earliest phases of the late pre-Roman period. These settlements bridge the chronological gap between the decline of the Lower Silesian La Tène culture settlement and the earliest discoveries associated with the classical Przeworsk style.