Just a quick link today because I’m travelling. Museum Crush (which is consistently awesome and you should read regularly) has an excellent article about the unique Iron Age warrior grave found in West Sussex in 2008. It’s full of details about the discovery from one of the archaeologists on the scene and has the best photographs I’ve seen.
NO I AM NOT JEALOUS. Okay yes I’m totally jealous.
Cf. the so-called ‘Gundestrup cauldron‘, and here particularly the interior plate ‘E’, ..
..where on the upper half, warriors on horseback with crested helmets and spears ride away to the right. The whole scene, however, is now most often interpreted as fallen warriors being dipped into a cauldron to be reborn into their next life, or afterlife.
Also, it may be worth looking more closely on how, where and when in Iron Age burials, there was indeed the habit of ritually ‘decommission’ weaponry.
…and maybe if dead warriors get new ones, i.e. after the ‘dip’ 😉
Safe travels! 😎
Travelling……..I am jealous! What exciting place are you visiting?