Charles Explorer logo
🇬🇧

And what if...? A stone head from Stradonice that may not be fake

Publication at Faculty of Science, Central Library of Charles University, Faculty of Arts |
2023

Abstract

A study of fakes of artefacts made in the 1870s during the uncontrolled digs at the Stradonice oppidum identified numerous objects that are able to tell a story not only about the clandestine activities but also about the archaeological site iteslf. One artefact among them stands out - a stone sculpture of a human head whose certain iconographic and stylistic features are not coherent with the other fakes.

The hypothesis, that the head could actually be an authentic Late La Tène period sculpture is tested by the study of archival documentation, iconographic and stylisitc considerations, study of the material, exploration of its patina as well as traseological investigation.