A New Type of a La Tène Rein Guide Ring from Vendolí (Svitavy District) and its Importance in a Regional and Supra-regional Context

Abstract

The article presents the find of a La Tène rein guide ring from Vendolí, Svitavy district. Morphological-typological analysis has shown that it was a so far unknown type dating to LTD1. From a regional point of view, the find complements the mosaic consisting of other, so far scarce La Tène artefacts discovered in the Svitavy region and along with them, it testifies to the existence of a communication corridor connecting permanently settled areas in eastern Bohemia and Moravia. In a supra-regional context, it represents a new hybrid form, combining features of certain western and eastern types of rein guide rings which constituted a functional and at the same time representative part of orse harness. Along with some similarly shaped finds, it represents a specific central European variant of these remarkable artefacts associated with the world of late La Tène social elites.