A Mirror Handle Found in Kurzątkowice (pow. Oława / PL)

Contribution to the Study of Interregional Contacts in Lower Silesia in the 1st Century BC

Abstract

A bronze mirror handle was discovered during surface surveys of a Przeworsk culture settlement dating to the late pre-Roman period. The object in question belongs to a small number of highly characteristic finds uncovered in Central Europe, which are primarily represented by the fully preserved mirror from Zadowice. Contrary to earlier claims, the precise dating of such artefacts poses a significant challenge, and therefore, it should be placed chronologically in the period spanning the late La Tène phase (Lt D1b) to the B1a stage of the Roman period. Analogous bronze mirrors were manufactured in the workshops of Celtic craftsmen in late La Tène settlement centres located in the middle Danube region, particularly in the vicinity of modern-day Bratislava. Dating and numerous analogs indicate that the artefact found in Kurzątkowice should be regarded as an import and is likely to be associated with the local Przeworsk culture settlements of the late pre-Roman period.