IRON AGE CELTIC LA TèNE II SWORD OFFERING Mid-1st century BC A votive offering comprising an iron sword of La Tène II type with adhering fragments of its scabbard; the blade 51mm (2") wide at the upper edge, with prominent midrib, folded twice, one part detached; flat-section tang and encrusted remains of organic hilt; upper guard fragment with scooped profile; the weapon presently about 91cm (36") in length, folded into a block 41cm long. 1.1 kg, 41cm (16"). Fair condition; lower part of blade detached and tip absent; encrusted to both broad faces. Provenance Property of a London gentleman; acquired before 1980. Literature Cf. Cf. Stead, I. & Rigby, V. The Morel Collection. Iron Age Antiquities from Champagne in the British Museum, London, 1999, item 2937 for type. Footnotes The practice of ritual destruction of weapons has been found across Northern and Central Europe from the Bronze Age onwards. Swords folded in their iron scabbards are a particular feature of La Tène societies from the last centuries BC. The reasoning behind the practice is not understood in detail, but appears to be connected to the idea that the sword has a personality and 'will' of its own which needed to be released through ceremonial destruction on the death of its owner.
IRON AGE CELTIC LA TèNE II SWORD OFFERING Mid-1st century BC A votive offering comprising an iron sword of La Tène II type with adhering fragments of its scabbard; the blade 51mm (2") wide at the upper edge, with prominent midrib, folded twice, one part detached; flat-section tang and encrusted remains of organic hilt; upper guard fragment with scooped profile; the weapon presently about 91cm (36") in length, folded into a block 41cm long. 1.1 kg, 41cm (16"). Fair condition; lower part of blade detached and tip absent; encrusted to both broad faces. Provenance Property of a London gentleman; acquired before 1980. Literature Cf. Cf. Stead, I. & Rigby, V. The Morel Collection. Iron Age Antiquities from Champagne in the British Museum, London, 1999, item 2937 for type. Footnotes The practice of ritual destruction of weapons has been found across Northern and Central Europe from the Bronze Age onwards. Swords folded in their iron scabbards are a particular feature of La Tène societies from the last centuries BC. The reasoning behind the practice is not understood in detail, but appears to be connected to the idea that the sword has a personality and 'will' of its own which needed to be released through ceremonial destruction on the death of its owner.
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