4 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

2,300 Years Old First Complete Ancient Celtic Village and Roman Settlement Discovered in Munich

Archaeologists have discovered an ancient Celtic village and evidence of a smaller Roman settlement in Munich, Germany.

The 2,300-year-old Celtic village, discovered at a field in the northern suburbs of Munich, is the first entirely coherent Celtic village discovered in the German city-state of Bavaria.

The Celts of the La Tène civilization, who were prosperous in the late Iron Age around 450 BC, lived in the settlement until 1000 AD. The Celtic peoples first inhabited the area that is now Bavaria, but the Romans eventually overcame them and integrated it into their empire.

During an archaeological investigation as part of the development of a new residential area, an above-average number of house plans from former settlements were discovered. These post holes, now visible as circles in the gravel, are the last remains of individual mine houses. They provide impressive evidence that around 500 people lived in today’s Feldmoching district as early as the Iron Age – an enormous number for that time.

Late antique buckle, Lerchenauer Feld excavation area. Photo: 3Archaeologists
Late antique buckle, Lerchenauer Feld excavation area. Photo: 3Archaeologists

Archaeologist and excavation manager Carl Göderz said they rarely can examine such a large construction site in one sitting.

“Munich is and was big. People flocked here 2,000 years ago to settle in what was then the metropolitan region. So far we have only been able to assume that there were large settlements everywhere in today’s Munich urban area. The thorough investigation on the Lerchenauer Feld was able to “However, we have now confirmed this and thus closed a research gap,” says General Conservator Professor Mathias Pfeil from the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation (BLfD).

Late antique Lavez vessel, Lerchenauer Feld excavation area. Photo: 3Archaeologists
Late antique Lavez vessel, Lerchenauer Feld excavation area. Photo: 3Archaeologists

A massive structure measuring 65 by 65 feet stood in the center of the community and was surrounded by wooden arcades that resembled columns. According to Matthias Pfeil, the locals may have gathered there for prayers. It was reportedly a kind of town hall for the people.

The houses were of different sizes and different floor plans can be seen. Traces of historical clay, which is still used as filling material in building houses, suggest that their residents lived in half-timbered wooden houses. The settlement lasted for a long time. The archaeologists uncovered two groups of graves from the late Iron Age (450 to 15 BC) and the Roman Empire (3rd/4th century AD).

Late antique jug and plate, Lerchenauer Feld excavation area. Photo: 3Archaeologists
Late antique jug and plate, Lerchenauer Feld excavation area. Photo: 3Archaeologists

These burial graves prove that the area must have been fertile for centuries and that agriculture was also practiced there. At the feet of a buried person from the late Roman period, pieces of tableware including a plate, an almost intact handle jug, and a drinking cup made of soapstone were found. An unusual find is the blade of a sickle, as tools are rarely found in graves. The burials belong to a scattered Roman settlement from the 3rd and 4th centuries.

Archaeologists also discovered an enamel brooch, ceramics in one of the burials, and a beautifully wrought bronze buckle in one of the wells.

Latè period ceramic addition, Lerchenauer Feld excavation area. Photo: 3Archaeologists
Latè period ceramic addition, Lerchenauer Feld excavation area. Photo: 3Archaeologists

Why at the end of the Roman Empire everyone suddenly left the field and no one built a large settlement there to this day could be related to climate changes in the region. The Feldmoching excavation therefore provides new, important data to various research disciplines.

Bavarian State Office

Cover Photo: The Lerchenauer Feld excavation area. Drone Photo: 3Archaeologists

Related Articles

Serbian Archaeologists Unearth Roman Triumphal Arch Dedicated to Emperor Caracalla

24 January 2024

24 January 2024

Archaeologists in Serbia have unearthed an ancient Roman triumphal arch dating back to the third century at Viminacium, a Roman...

Scientists recreate Stone Age cave lighting

17 June 2021

17 June 2021

For early hunter-gatherer societies that were lucky enough to live near caves, these natural underground homes provided ideal protection from...

Drought accelerated Hittite Empire’s collapse

9 February 2023

9 February 2023

Researchers have offered new insight into the abrupt collapse of the  Hittite Empire in the Late Bronze Age, with an...

Archaeologists discovered the first evidence of early administrative management in eastern Iran

21 June 2022

21 June 2022

Iranian archaeologists believe they have discovered the first evidence of early administrative management in an eastern Iranian province, which they...

Hidden Treasure from WWII: 500,000 Phantom Ceramic Coins Found

8 November 2024

8 November 2024

About 500,000 Maboroshi (phantom) ceramic coins manufactured due to metal shortages during World War II were discovered in a warehouse...

A Mysterious Chapel Discovered in Istanbul Bagcılar

3 August 2023

3 August 2023

While Istanbul continues to surprise with the richness of its historical heritage, this time a chapel was discovered in Bağcılar....

1-meter tall bronze statue found in China’s Sanxingdui Ruins-Video

17 June 2022

17 June 2022

Chinese archaeologists have discovered a 1-meter tall bronze statue at the site of ancient Sanxingdui ruins site in southwest China’s...

Hundreds of silver coins have been found near the castle of Lukov in Moravia

4 September 2021

4 September 2021

In the forest near the Southern Moravian Fortress Lukov, two members of the Society of Friends of the Lukov Fortress...

China’s construction of the first archaeological museum which will house the famous Terracotta Warriors has been completed

19 April 2022

19 April 2022

Construction of the first archaeological museum in China’s northwestern province of Shaanxi, which will house the famous Terracotta Warriors, was...

Venice of the Pacific: The mysterious Micronesian ruins of Nan Madol

12 July 2022

12 July 2022

Sometimes art and architecture challenge our perceptions of what was formerly thought to be feasible and what our forefathers were...

Two Infant burials found under prehistoric “Dragon Stone” in Armenia

4 June 2024

4 June 2024

An international team of researchers has unearthed the remains of an adult woman and two infants buried under a basalt...

Iconic Double Arch collapsed after an ancient pyramid in America, Tribes Link Fall With ‘Bad Omen’

10 August 2024

10 August 2024

Two ancient North American structures collapsed within just nine days of one another. The iconic Double Arch, also known as...

Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a stone circle in the Castilly Henge, located in Cornwall, England

20 May 2022

20 May 2022

Archaeologists have unearthed a mysterious stone circle at the center of a prehistoric ritual site near Bodmin in Cornwall, located...

‘Bakery Prison’ found in Ancient Rome’s Pompeii

12 December 2023

12 December 2023

Archaeologists working on the ongoing excavations in Region IX, Insula 10, near the slopes of the ancient city of Pompeii,...

Builders of Massive 6000-year-old Menga Dolmen Likely Understood Geometry and other “Early Science” Concepts

25 August 2024

25 August 2024

Researchers say that a new analysis of the 6000-year-old stone Menga (also known as the Dolmen of Menga), supported by...