Abstract
In 2014, a rescue excavation conducted at Týnec nad Labem (Kolín district) provided rich evidence of settlement, especially in the outer bailey of the local late La Tène hillfort. It is the Roman period artefacts from Týnec nad Labem that are the subject of this paper.
Their interpretative value is then significantly increased by an assemblage of equally datable artefacts recovered by surface prospecting on the opposite bank of the Elbe River (cadastral area of Kojice, Pardubice district). All these artefacts can be dated to stage B1 of the early Roman period.
Thus, the Roman period activities at the hillfort of Kolo and in the settlement under it can be quite well fixed in time. At the same time, it can also be stated that, at least in the case of the archaeologically investigated outer bailey, a standard settlement can be ruled out.
However, this does not exclude settlement activities in the hillfort of Kolo itself, which has only been investigated to a limited extent. The finds made on the opposite bank of the Elbe River, on an elevated hillside on the western edge of the cadastral area of Kojice, are chronologically comparable to the finds from the northern side.
At this site, late La Tène period artefacts were found along with finds from the Roman period, so it seems that people were repeatedly attracted to this location. An exceptional find is a denarius struck by the Eravisci which is actually one of the few pieces of evidence for the use of coins during the early Roman period.
The hillfort of Kolo had served a specific purpose during the final La Tène period, which was not needed in stage B1 of the Roman period any more. However, the hillfort's remains were without doubt still visible decades later which could have attracted a new population.
The important communication function of the area around the ford across the Elbe River with good views to the east and west cannot be downplayed. Moreover, the two sites are visually linked and could have been easily mutually checked.