CELTIC SPEAR HEAD, C.200-100 BC, AUSTRIA
Forged iron 20 7/8” length with leaf shaped diamond section point, on its forged seam conical socket. The village of Durrnberg was established about 600 BC on a mountain slope in Austria (part of Hallein in Salzberg State, modern Austria) on the site of a salt mine which had been used by hunters since the 3rd millennium BC. (Salzberg itself translates to salt castle) Salt was a critical commodity used in preserving meat, without which armies could not travel. The Roman expansion into Northern Europe included attempted conquests of Durrnberg to secure the salt mines which would have been pivotal in supporting further expansion. All attempts resulted in defeat, partially due to their strategic location, which required the Romans to fight uphill. This spear is from a group found at Durrnberg, as a result of those battles. It is professionally conserved and retains a portion of its original wood haft in the socket, indicating that it was lost in battle, and so, almost certainly, was its owner.