Púchov culture

The Púchov culture was an archaeological culture named after site of Púchov-Skalka in Slovakia. Its probable bearer was the Celt Cotini tribe. It existed in northern and central Slovakia (although it also plausibly spread to the surrounding regions) between the 2nd century BCE and the 1st century CE. The Púchov culture developed from the Lusatian culture and it was influenced later by Illyrian culture, Celts, and, by the beginning of the Christian era, by Dacians. Settlements were situated on moderate hill sides and near streams. The largest known religious, economic, and political center of the Púchov culture was the hill-fort of Havránok, famous for its traces of human sacrifice. As the result of the Dacian and Germanic tribes expansion at the beginning of the Common Era, the Púchov culture and its settlements started to decline.