Iron Age graveyard discovered in France
22 April 2013
Iron Age graveyard discovered in France
In a muddy field between a motorway and a meander of the river Seine, southeast of Paris, French archaeologists have uncovered an Iron Age graveyard they believe will shed light on the great yet enigmatic civilisation of Gaul.
The find raises several questions, for there has never been any trace of major Celtic settlement in this neighbourhood. The site is yielding a stunning array of finds, including five Celtic warriors, whose weapons and adornments attest to membership of a powerful elite.
At one of 14 burial sites uncovered in recent weeks are the remains of a tall warrior, complete with a 70-centimetre iron sword still in its scabbard. "I have never seen anything like it," said archaeologist Emilie Millet, gazing at a metal-framed shield whose wood-and-leather core has long rotted away.
Buried next to the warriors are several high status women, with twisted-metal necklaces known as torcs, and large bronze brooches decorated with precious coral. In one grave, a woman was buried next to a man, separated by a layer of soil.
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