Temple find revives hopes of locating Celtic city Noreia

Archaeologists have uncovered the foundations of a Celtic temple at a major excavation beside the S37 expressway between Klagenfurt and St Veit, ORF reported. The exceptional finds have raised hopes that the site could be the legendary Celtic city of Noreia.

The excavation is taking place in the Zollfeld, a historic region of Carinthia. A temple district was discovered in its fields 25 years ago, and archaeologists are now investigating the site. The finds show that a large Celtic settlement existed in the valley before the Roman occupation around the beginning of the Common Era.

The foundations of a Celtic temple have been exposed, with numerous votive offerings found around a cult stone at its centre. The finds include small vessels, jewellery and coins. Gunda Strohecker of the Rudolfinum support association said she was uncovering artefacts from the first century BC almost every hour and described the work as spectacular.

Excavation leader Heimo Dolenz called the discovery a “once-in-a-century find”, saying the last discovery of comparable quality and scale had been made in the Lavant Valley in 1927.

The pre-Roman finds confirm the existence of a large Celtic settlement in the valley, long before a city developed on the Magdalensberg. A temple dedicated to the Roman god Mars was later built at the site and reconstructed after an earthquake in AD 180, according to an inscription on a large stone.

Archaeologist Astrid Schmölzer said the site’s size and the sanctuaries surrounding it made the overall complex highly unusual, with further surprises likely. The settlement covered about eight hectares and lay north of Virunum. Roman coins from the second century AD indicate that a thriving city once stood there.

The location has not yet been given a name, but researchers suspect it may have been Noreia. Dolenz said that only two boxes of Celtic artefacts had been found on the Magdalensberg over 70 years, whereas a comparable quantity recovered from just two or three pits at this settlement would make the Noreia theory possible.

A major excavation is planned at the site next year, which could provide further clues to the city’s identity.