#FindsFriday #FerrousFriday: `Marta Mazzoli’s study on the morphological evolution of helmets on the Italian peninsula between the 4th and 1st centuries BC documents a complex process of technological and stylistic interaction between #Celtic and Etruscan-Italic traditions. The initial clear distinction between bronze helmets of the Etruscan tradition (the ‘Negau’ and archaic ‘Montefortino’ types) and Celtic iron helmets (the ‘Berru’ and ‘Ciumești’ types) gradually tends to fade through processes of typological hybridisation.
The ‘Montefortino’ type, initially produced in bronze by the Etruscans, was gradually also made in iron using Celtic techniques, whilst incorporating Celtic morphological features such as the expanded nape guard and articulated cheek guards. This process culminated in the development of standardised forms that would be adopted by the Roman Republican army, forming the core of the protective equipment of the manipular legion.
Metallographic analysis of selected specimens has revealed the gradual adoption of ironworking techniques derived from Celtic metallurgy, which were considered superior to bronze casting in terms of mechanical strength and shock absorption. This technological superiority, likely combined with economic considerations (the lower cost of iron compared to bronze), led to the transition from bronze to iron in the production of defensive weaponry, a process completed during the 3rd century BC.
Source: https://archeologiagalliacisalpina.wordpress.com/category/celti/

#FindsFriday #FerrousFriday: `Marta Mazzoli devoted a monographic study to the exceptional bronze helmet discovered in the necropolis of Canosa di Puglia, now housed in the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg. This artefact, dated to the 3rd century BC, displays unmistakably Celtic typological features – a hemispherical shell with an expanded nape guard, articulated cheek guards, and a crest – executed using decorative techniques that combine Celtic elements (triskelion motifs, stylised palmettes) and Hellenistic ones.
The presence of a Celtic helmet of the highest quality in a tomb in northern Apulia, a region with no documented Celtic settlements, raises complex interpretative questions. Mazzoli proposes three possible scenarios:
(1) belonging to a Celtic mercenary warrior in the service of a local ruler;
(2) spoils of war acquired by a local warrior;
(3) a diplomatic gift exchanged as part of military alliances.
Stylistic analysis reveals affinities with Celtic-Padanian production rather than with transalpine artefacts, suggesting manufacture in northern Italic territory subsequently exported or transferred to the South. The embossed decoration, technically highly refined, attests to the existence of specialised craft workshops capable of satisfying the demands of an elite clientele, likely located in the urban centres of Cisalpine Gaul.
Source: https://archeologiagalliacisalpina.wordpress.com/category/celti/

#FindsFriday #FerrousFriday: `The study conducted by Marta Mazzoli and Emanuela Paribeni on the Pulica necropolis in Lunigiana sheds light on the complex dynamics of the borderlands between the #Celtic, Ligurian and Etruscan worlds. The burials, dating from the 4th to the 3rd century BC, contain armaments that combine Celtic technological elements (wrought-iron helmets, La Tène-type swords) with local Ligurian funerary traditions.
Tombs 1 and 5 are particularly significant, having yielded complete armour sets with Celtic-style helmets associated with local pottery and Etruscan imports. Paribeni interprets these contexts as evidence of the presence of Celtic warriors, likely mercenaries in the service of Ligurian communities, a phenomenon well documented by literary sources attesting to the deployment of Celtic contingents in wars between Etruscan and Greek cities and Italic populations.`
Source: https://archeologiagalliacisalpina.wordpress.com/category/celti/

#FindsFriday #FerrousFriday #Celtic: Reproduction of a Gallic chain mail
Source: Centre d'interprétation Alesia

#FindsFriday #FerrousFriday #Celtic: Elements of bridle-bit, iron
Source: Centre d'interprétation Alesia

#FindsFriday #FerrousFriday #Celtic: `The Bratislava oppidum was involved in long-distance trade, as testified by a number of finds, such as Italic imports (bronze household ware, amphorae, Campana ceramics, terra sigillata), ores and minerals of foreign provenance (graphite from the territory of southern Bohemia, or Baltic amber) as well as rotary hand querns manufactured in distant lands.`
Source: Slovenské národné múzeum, Bratislava

#FindsFriday #FerrousFriday: `Believing their souls to be immortal, #Celts were fearless warriors, who challenged their enemies to duels. Fighting naked was seen as particularly bold. #Celtic warriors used spears of up to 2.5 m, long swords and large shields. High-ranking warriors also possessed metal helmets and chain mail.` #Celtic
Source: Natural History Museum Vienna

#FindsFriday #FerrousFriday: `#Celtic chariots were drawn by two horses. As with the chariots, only parts of the bridle were sacrificed. The length of the two heavy chains suggests these were used to connect the horse to the coupling. Such chains were previously only known from Roman mules.`
Source: Natural History Museum Vienna

#FindsFriday #FerrousFriday: `#Celts only sacrificed certain parts of their chariots. This was a „pars pro toto“-sacrifice, where a part represented the whole. The chariot parts found in the sacrificial ditches in Rosledorf, Lower Austria, show that several chariots had been dismantled there.` #Celtic
Source: Natural History Museum Vienna