A rare Roman calibration plate was uncovered in Nezamyslice and Kojetín during large-scale excavations related to the construction of a high-speed railway. The Archaeological Center of Olomouc (ACO) is conducting salvage excavations for the project.
This exceptionally well-preserved artifact is believed to have been used to produce wire by applying wire drawing techniques. All excavation sites have produced more than 1,000 artifacts dating from the Early Bronze Age to the Roman Imperial Age. Experts expect this unique artifact to provide important insight into ancient manufacturing methods, as well as potentially revealing how Roman legionaries made their famous chain mail.
Current research on this artifact is being conducted at ACO to ascertain its mineralogical composition and identify its connection to trade networks in areas beyond the official northern borders of the Roman Empire.
A rare 2,000-year-old Roman metalworking tool has been discovered that shows advanced technology
The important discovery of a specialized metalworking calibration plate from the excavated site is of great importance in providing evidence that advanced Roman metalworking technology was transferred or used outside the empire, likely for the manufacture or repair of locally advanced military equipment, such as chain mail, in an area occupied by Germanic tribes, the Archaeological Center of Olomouc (ACO) has indicated.
A multi-millennium record of the Hana River Valley
ACO carried out a salvage excavation in the area, which extended over 1.2 km in length as a result of the construction upgrade of the Brno-Pererov railway line, specifically the section of the high-speed railway line from Nezamyslice to Kojetín. In addition to the Roman-era tool, the site contains a large number of remains that demonstrate a history of human occupation in the Hana River Valley for thousands of years, and evidence of the Vitruvian and Urnfeld cultures has been discovered at this site.
Archaeologists have also recorded a variety of historical features, including the remains of post-construction houses, lime kilns, and several ritual sites as well.
Mapping economic networks through Bronze Age evidence
The Olomouc Archaeological Center is now home to all the recovered artifacts, including calibration plates, stone casting molds, and crucibles. Due to the large number of items, they are now being prepared for preservation and study. Experts perform a spectroscopic analysis on the calibration plate to look for traces of materials the objects may have produced, which could help show that the element was used to make the wires. The researchers are also examining the stone casts collected during this project and linking them to local workshops in order to understand whether or not they were production centers for specialized bronze items, thus creating a better understanding of how ancient societies participated in larger economic and technological systems.