The earliest glass workshops have been found north of the Alps.

According to an article in Antiquity magazine, after 20 years of ground investigation, archaeologists excavated the famous Iron Age site of Nimchiche and identified it as the earliest glass workshop north of the Alps.

Nimchice was one of the most important settlements of the Central Eurathenian period (3rd to 2nd centuries BC), known for its unprecedented collection of over 2,000 gold and silver coins. Many beautiful glass bracelets and beads have also been found

at the site. Thus, it was believed that Nimchich was a glassware center, but only this excavation confirmed this fact. "No one knows how the Celts made glass bracelets," said

study author Dr Ivan Chizmar of the Institute of Archaeological Heritage in Brno.

"So we're interested in anything that tells us about production techniques."

To try to answer this question, Dr Chizmar and the team from the Institute of Archaeological Heritage in Brno excavated an area where a large number of glass objects were found on the surface, hoping to find evidence of glass production. Their stunning results were published in the journal Monuments.

Although no tools for making glass were found, complete and partially complete mixtures of glass products were found. This indicates that glass production took place in Nimciche.

During the excavation, not only glass beads and bracelets were found, but amber fragments were also found, again in various stages of production. This confirms that the site is associated with the production of multiple materials, making it even more important in the region.

At the same time, the researchers excavated a square area determined from geophysical surveys at the highest point of Nimchich. It has more than a passing resemblance to a possible ritual structure in Austria, suggesting a shared faith in Central Europe.

According to Dr Chizmar: "Nimchiche is probably where these ritual features existed, suggesting that the site was not only a centre of trade and production, but also an elite and ritual centre."

Importantly, Nimchiche may be part of a broader network of Central Europeans who produce and share beliefs, along the "Amber Road"-an important trade route between Northern and Southern Europe.