LARGE COMPLETE ANCIENT CELTIC IRON TANGED FIGHTING KNIFE

Danube River Valley, Balkan Region

IRON AGE - 3rd - 1st CENTURY BC

This complete curved ancient iron Celtic fighting knife is in a well-preserved condition and still retains it original tang.  The curved blade was a classic style of Celtic weapons well into the early Roman period when the defeated Celts had been employed in some Roman armies as mercenaries.  The iron on this exquisite specimen is stable and strong with a reversible protectant coating having been applied.  NO RESTORATION OR REPAIR.  From an old German private collection, fine antiquities like these are surely to appreciate in the years to come as all countries that such treasures could once be found have now instituted strict laws prohibiting their prospecting and removal. 

Around 2000 B.C., barbarian Celtic tribes invaded Europe.  They first inhabited regions across Eastern Europe now known as Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania and the Balkans.  During the Bronze Age, they move westward and by the Iron Age in the 8th to 5th centuries BC, these tribes make their homes in what is now southwest Germany, eastern France and parts of Switzerland and Austria.  This era is known as the Hallstat period named after a Celtic archaeological type-site in a lakeside village in Austria.  After that, in the La Tene period, western Europe becomes heavily occupied by the Celts as they invade much of Germany, France, the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal), the British Islands and Ireland.  After this time, Celtic tribes spread eastward again, moving into northern Italy, Bohemia, Silesia, the Balkans and even into present day Turkey with a tribe called the Galatians establishing a Celtic city called Galatia.  During the 1st century BC, the Celts were at the height of their power and were the dominant ethnic group in much of Europe, even ruling over the Germanic tribes.  Among the many military victories the ancient Celts can lay claim to are the sacking of the cities of Rome and Delphi.

The Celts were largely a decentralized military aristocracy made up of independent chieftains ruling various geographical regions.  They were famous to fight just for the sake of fighting and often, they were employed as mercenaries of the great armies of ancient times.  Along with their reputations of chivalry, courage and maniacal bravery, their more aggressive tendencies were offset by a great sensitivity to the arts and philosophy.  Highly unusual at the time, the Celts viewed both men AND women with equality, holding women in high regard with their matriarchal religion.

CELTIC WEAPONS ARE RARE AND SCARCE IN MUSEUM COLLECTIONS NOT TO MENTION PRIVATE ONES!

10.3" in length

SOLD     R059     Actual Item - One Only

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