CELTES IN MACEDONIA - ACCORDINS TO THE ARCH AEOLOGICAL DATA

Abstract

Based on the written historical sources numerous events in the last 3 centuries of the first millennium before Christ are related to the Celtic presence in Macedonia, Unfortunately; so far, archaeology has not given a more serious thought to this, equivalent to the importance and role of these events. Only couple of notes about certain Latene elements in the local culture are made, just to marc the main communication lines as regions for spreading such elements through the Macedonia (Gustin 1984, Abb. 30; Bitrakova-Grozdanova 1987, 77-78,T-V; Miknlcic 1999,119).
During the last years some more comprehensive research, primarily of the settlements along Vardar Valley, dating from that period, were realised. So, we have some new evidence about the type and character of the Celtic presence in Macedonia.
The penetration of Brennos ’ Celts in the invasion of Delphi, year 279 BC, through Macedonia mostly, of course along the valley of Vardar - as a main communication in the direction north-south - is indisputable
Sources emphasise the horrible consequences from the Celtic invasion in the regions through which they passed and the fact that they left lasting desolation behind them. Exactly this is the image offered to us by the so far discovered archaeological situations from that time along the valley of Vardar, as in the Upper Vardar or Skopje region or in the Lower Vardar or Valandovo-Gevgelia Region. Almost all of the multi-layered settlements, those with longer and more enduring life through the previous periods, die out somewhere around the first decades of the 3 century BC. This is the situation through the whole Vardar Valley.
For the Skopje Region, for a long time it was considered that the ending of the life of the early-antique settlements should be related to the penetration of the Dardanians and their settling in the vicinity of Skopje towards the beginning of the 3 century. But, not only was the Dardanian culture from this period not discovered in the Skopje Valley, but there are also no archaeological findings, neither from the 3nl nor from the 2nd century before Christ. The region was completely depopulated until establishing of the Roman Colonia of Skupi.
In the last decades, 3 pre-Roman settlements have been researched: Isar - Marvinci, Gloska Chuka - Grchishte and Vardarski Rid - Gevgelia (Skolovska 1986; Mitrevski and other 2005). All of these are multi-layered, with a continuous usage throughout the entire first millennium before Christ. In the centuries before the Roman dominion these had the character of real cities.
On all three locations living in so-called classical settlements from the 5"’ and 4"' century before Christ may be clearly distinguishedfivm the following, more recent settlement, which existedfrom the second half of the 3n{ through the 2nd until the T centu/y before Christ. Eveiywhere the end of the „ classical„ living was marked by forceful destructions ofa given settlement somewhere in the first decades of the 3-centuiy before Christ. Above its mins, after a while, a new settlement was erected\ of a new - Hellenistic type, with a completely new urbanisation, new building techniques and new material culture. This is most evident on Vardarski Rid (Mifrevski 2005, 16- 88).
These, elder Celtic raids undoubtedly had a robbery character and after Alexander 's campaign to East, Macedonia was veiy suitable for that. Many hoards of heavy silver coins discovered in Macedonia, which was sheltered in front of the Celtic danger are the best illustration, not only about economic power of Macedonian towns, but also about the primarily Celtic interest in Macedonia. This will probably canalize Celts, for a long time toward the wealthy but politically weak Macedonia. There from, the possibilities that the many silver finds in Danube region could easily be a result of the melted and secondaiy used Macedonian silver, for massive Celts jewellery and tools (Jeftic and other 2006; Jeftic 2007,10-11).
The same applies to the later - Scordisc raids, with the difference that their presence in this region was longer. As military presence it is manifested by many historically marked battles in Macedonia and much more archaeological finds on same strategic points as Gradishte-Nerezi near Skopje or Gloska Chuka near Valandovo. In any case, this Scordisco- dacian presence in Macedonia has to be treat as a separate page in the cultural and historical development of Macedonia and deserves greater archaeological attention.