Antenna Sword. Celtiberian Culture (300-276 BC)

October 3, 2026 2 min read

The Romans began to use Greek-style swords, just as they adopted their gods, changing their names, and used their philosophers to educate their children. Later, they used the famous Roman sword called “GLADIUS” which had four different types of blades, using the name of the place of origin to distinguish them, but the best and most famous of these swords was the GLADIUS HISPANIENSIS.

The Archaeological Museum says about this sword:

“It was found in the necropolis of Altillo de Cerropozo (Atienza) Guadalajara. Belonging to the trousseau of a Celtiberian horseman warrior (along with his scabbard and other elements of cavalry and weapons), it is an example of the strong military component of Celtiberian society, with ritual practices linked to war, which reveal a strong religious component. This fact can be verified in funerary practices thanks to the archaeological record (where the presence of weapons is very common among the grave goods), among literary sources (where classic accounts of the activities of these people abound) or in the study of Celtiberian iconography and crafts.
War was for them a way to achieve prestige and wealth and, to do so, they organized frequent raids and assaults against neighboring territories, or served as mercenaries at the service of other peoples, both peninsular and Mediterranean, in their frequent skirmishes or wars. Furthermore, both its characteristic and praised way of fighting, as well as the concept of war itself, varied over time, marking an evolution both in its weaponry and in its socio-political and economic development.”

GARNISHING: of iron and remains of silver damascene work. Knob formed by atrophied antennas
finished with lenticular buttons. Slightly fusiform knob that ends, at its base, with a
small guard with trapezoidal central cutout and without hawks.
BLADE: iron. Straight, wide, flat and stylized, pistil-like.