As the Iron Age began in what is now the Czech Republic, Celtic tribes, including the prominent Boii, settled the area. The Boii gave the region its name, Boiohaemia, which evolved into the modern term Bohemia. Around the turn of the 1st century BCE, these Celtic tribes faced pressure from migrating Germanic tribes such as the Marcomanni, Quadi, and Lombards, which eventually led to the Boii's displacement.
During the mid-1st century BCE, the Dacian king Burebista expanded his empire to include lands inhabited by the Boii. His influence stretched into parts of what is today the Czech Republic, particularly affecting areas closer to Slovakia. However, Burebista’s empire collapsed following his death in 44 BCE, freeing the Boii territories from Dacian control.
Roman accounts of movements of the Boii. © Trigaranus
In the centuries that followed, south Moravia saw evidence of Roman military presence, including a significant winter camp near Mušov, built to house roughly 20,000 Roman soldiers. During the first two centuries CE, the Romans frequently clashed with the Marcomanni, one of the dominant Germanic tribes in the region. The 2nd-century Map of Ptolemaios even noted several Germanic settlements in the area, such as Coridorgis, identified as Jihlava. This period marked a time of shifting power and interactions between Celts, Dacians, Germanic tribes, and Romans in early Czech history.