Why did Romans, Celts, and even prehistoric settlers submerge their personal belongings, from swords to dishes, in a shallow river in Slovenia?

Archaeologist Andrej Gaspari is haunted by pieces of the past. His hometown river, the Ljubljanica, has yielded thousands of them—Celtic coins, Roman luxuries, medieval swords—all from a shallow 12-mile (19 kilometers) stretch. Those who lived near and traveled along the stream that winds through Slovenia's capital of Ljubljana considered it sacred, Gaspari believes. That would explain why generations of Celts, Romans, and earlier inhabitants offered treasures—far too many to be accidental—to the river during rites of passage, in mourning, or as thanksgiving for battles won.

http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0701/feature6/

http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0701/feature6/gallery1.html

http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0701/backstories1.html

A lot of those items were stolen by private colectors.

^^ such a pity.. no doubt there are some valuable treasures still hidden in the deep:) maybe even the one ring:D..but it's an interesting subject for a thread Dubrovnik:okay:.. the region is also called the Ljubljana gate, because it has been a natural transit route for many throughout history and still is..

I was in the National museum's restoration department recently and saw a couple of things.. an old 19. or 18. century Russian helmet, a small medieval axe, some of those old interesting large keys, some old jewelry..:cheers: