In the year 2002 (14-19 May) the "Iron Roots" event was organised for the first time. The organisers came to the conclusion that along with functioning of a periodical event of such a versified character as the "Dymarki Świętokrzyskie" archaeological festival, a possibility to promote issues connected with the rich cultural and historical heritage of the Holy Cross Mountains region in its less commercial dimension needs to be created. One of the main aims of this new enterprise is the organisation of archaeological demonstrations and workshops with an active participation of pupils and students, which is planned as a part of a well-prepared educational action. At the same time it is one of the elements of a series of meetings with the industrial heritage of the Holy Cross Mountains region, in which the key role belongs to two events "Iron roots" and the "Dymarki Świętokrzyskie" archaeological festival. This dimension of "Iron roots" is of considerable importance to us since the protection of the heritage of the past belongs to a large extent to the young generation.
While organising the 11th edition of the "Iron Roots" event we count on local visitors and those from outside of the area who wish to expose themselves to the atmosphere of the remote past.
A far-reaching aim is to popularise the issues connected with the settlement in the times of Roman influence on the territory of present Poland. The selected part of the history as well as the exceptional set of the presented issues results partly from the specialised subject, but in this case we consider it a great advantage of our offer. Iron metallurgy again appears to be an important phenomenon since its traces can be found not only in the region of north-eastern peripheries of the Łysogóry mountain range. On the basis of archaeological excavations in Bilcza, in the Morawica commune, as well as in Mosty in the Sobków commune, we can state that also in the region of the river basin of the Nida river once existed an important centre of iron metallurgy. Its production organisation linked it to the metallurgical centre in the Holy Cross Mountains located in the distance of about 60 km. It is probable that the people living on the territories of the upper and middle river basins of the Nida river participated in the main production line in the Holy Cross Mountains. They are believed to have occupied themselves with iron metallurgy at the same time basing on the turf ores available in the Nida river area. The widely understood river basin of the Nida river provides us also with a lot of data on the forging techniques which were highly developed in the Roman times. The presence of the representatives of this group of handicraftsmen is proved by exceptional burial with forging tools from the Korytnica area in the Sobków commune (including one excavated in the year 2001) and from Szaniec in the Busko-Zdrój commune. Similar grave of a blacksmith, excavated in 1994, comes from Sarnia Zwola in the Nowa Słupia vicinity. Some smithing tools were also found on a cemetery in Chmielów in the vicinity of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski.
Tongs from the burial of the Przeworsk culture found by priest Stanisław Skurczyński on the cemetery in Korytnica, Sobków commune. Collection of National Archaeological Museum in Warsaw.