Cultural Interactions through the Lens of Pottery: Analysis of the Late La Tène Assemblage from Northwestern Bohemia

Preprint of the article submitted to Archeologické rozhledy on 1 July 2026. AbstractDuring the first century BC, significant social, economic, and cultural changes took place in Bohemia and other parts of Central Europe, culminating in the second half of the century. This transformation is traditionally interpreted as the result of population movements. Assemblages dated to the first half of the first century BC from Northwestern Bohemia, including Lužice, occupy a specific position in this interpretation, as they contain pottery attributable to both the local La Tène and the Przeworsk cultures. Previous studies linked these assemblages with the first wave of incoming communities preceding later, larger-scale migrations.However, these assemblages have so far been studied primarily through stylistic analysis. To better understand the relationships between pottery attributable to distinct archaeological cultures, we analysed pottery from Lužice using macroscopic observation, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and thin-section analysis.Results showed that pottery of both cultures was made from similar materials, with no material group being exclusive to Przeworsk pottery. Greater differences were observed in manufacturing techniques and visual attributes. The use of comparable ceramic materials does not contradict the possibility of contemporaneous production. However, producers of La Tène and Przeworsk pottery preserved their respective pottery styles, which may have served as markers of social identity. Link to the associated dataset: https://zenodo.org/records/20394411