Celtic (Iron Age) Chariot Fittings For Sale
The use of the chariot in war dates from ancient Sumer, but the European light, two-wheeled form was not developed until the late Bronze Age. Chariot warfare was an innovation which allowed the military to deliver a fast-moving attack, to deploy troops rapidly and to screen the infantry from missile attack. The Continental Celtic tribes of central and southern Europe used the chariot as part of their military display, in order to terrify opponents and to enhance the perceived status of the charioteer. The crew comprised a fully-armed warrior and a lightly-armed driver who controlled the horses and guarded the warrior's back. The warrior, always an aristocrat, could use the chariot as a launch-platform for his missiles (throwing spears) or as a means of arriving quickly where his presence was needed to bolster morale.The battle of Telamon (225 BC) is the last known occasion when chariots were deployed in war in Europe, as part of a force of 20,000 troops consisting of charioteers and horsemen. Diodorus Siculus wrote concerning the Gauls "For their journeys and in battle they use two-horse chariots, the chariot carrying both charioteer and chieftain. When they meet with cavalry in the battle they cast their javelins at the enemy and then descending from the chariot join battle with their swords." Tacitus described a similar arrangement in Britain and Caesar met with chariots in the 1st century BC, by which time they must have appeared to be an archaic technology. Nevertheless, chariot warfare is described in some early Irish sources, notably the Tain Bo Cuailnge (Cattle-Raid of Cooley) in which the hero, Cuchulainn, rides in a chariot hedged with spikes and blades. The text dates from the 8th century AD, but the tradition which it records evokes the imagery of chariot-borne warriors such as those who took part in the Boudiccan revolt of 61 AD.
Chariot-fittings are occasionally recovered and we are pleased to offer some fine examples in these pages.
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| | Celtic 'Convex Skirt' Terret 022728 | Celtic 'Convex Skirt' Terret Copper-alloy, 40.49 grams, 54.39 mm. Circa 1st century BC-1st century AD. A cast copper-alloy terret comprising a round-section ring and flared convex skirt. The ring is provided with three knops to the outer edge, and is attached to the skirt by a swivel mechanism; the skirt extends downwards from the ring on two faces, ending in knops (two present). The terret was attached to the frame of a chariot, its purpose being to guide the reins of the horse. Reference: Read, B. Metal Artefacts of Antiquity, vol.1, Langport, 2001 items 486, 491 and Smith, R.A. British Museum Guide to Iron Age Antiquities, reprinted Ipswich, 1994 fig.151. Fine condition. Provenance: found Basildon, Essex, UK. | £80.00  |  |
| | Celtic 'Crescentic' Chariot Terret 020860 | Celtic 'Crescentic' Chariot Terret Copper-alloy, 8.47 grams, 23.24 mm. 1st-4th century AD. A cast D-section terret from a Celtic or Romano-British chariot, formed as a loop with crescentic expanding collars flanking the rear bar. It was used in the management of reins and straps on a horse. Reference: Read, B. Metal Artefacts of Antiquity, Langport, 2001 item 486. Very fine condition. Provenance: found Bridlington, East Yorkshire, England. | £40.00 |  |
| | Celtic Iron Age 'Ribbed' Terret Ring 016568 | Celtic Iron Age 'Ribbed' Terret Ring Copper-alloy, 39.22 grams, 47.82 mm. 1st century BC - 1st century AD. The purpose of the terret ring was to guide the reins of the horse-team as it pulled the British war-chariot. The present piece is a heavy cast elliptical ring with a plain base, thicker lower sides and cast ribbed decoration along the outer faces. Reference: for a discussion of terret ring morphology see Riding Into History in British Archaeology, no.76, 2004 and Bradley, C.M. The British War Chariot: A Case for Indirect Warfare in The Journal of Military History, vol.73 no.4, 2009. Very fine condition. Provenance: found near Sittinbourne, Kent, England. | £140.00 |  |
| | Iron Age 'Amlash' Articulated Horse Bit 016108 | Iron Age 'Amlash' Articulated Horse Bit Copper-alloy, 125 grams, 184 mm. 8th century BC. A cast copper-alloy snaffle-bit comprising two twisted shafts with thick interlinked rings at the inner end and larger ones at the outer ends where the cheek-pieces and reins were attached. The Amlash culture, named after the town in northern Iran, was the dominant idiom in this regon, Luristan, during the period 1400-900 BC. Reference: for the Amlesh culture, see Ghirshman, R. Iran: from the earliest times to the Islamic conquest, Harmondsworth, 1954. Provenance: from an old English collection. Very fine condition. | £275.00 |  |
| | Celtic Iron Age 'Ornamented' Linch Pin Terminal 010249 | Rare Celtic Iron Age 'Ornamented' Linch Pin Terminal Copper-alloy, 80.67 grams, 37.24 mm tall by 27.41 mm diameter. Circa 1st century BC. Being the cast head from a chariot linch pin. The upper surface showing a recessed triskele design. With part of the original iron pin remaining and showing the tansverse hole for securing the head to the pin. Interestingly, the head of this terminal shows flattening at the sides where it has rubbed against the chariot wheel. Reference: Benet's Artefacts of England and the United Kingdom, second edition, page 101. Provenance: found Oxfordshire. A rare item. | £85.00 |  |
| | Iron Age 'Three Looped' Terret Ring 010809 | Very Large Celtic Iron Age 'Three Looped' Terret Ring Bronze, 115 grams; 92.36 mm. Circa 1st century BC.- 1st century AD. Large terret ring with complete guide ring and yoke connection loop. The large guide ring is flanked by two smaller loops with an outward slopping skirt that over hangs the yoke connection on both sides. There would have been four terrets on the yoke guiding the reigns for individual horses, occasionally there was a fifth much larger ring on a central pole but there use is not yet known. Due to the size of this example it is most likely to be one of the fifth ring types. Ref: similar to Benets Artefacts of England and the United Kingdom; page 92. Interesting strap wear to one side of the ring. Scarce and in very fine condition. Found East Anglia. | £260.00 |  |
| | Celtic 'Chariot' Burial Group 010089 | Celtic 'Chariot' Burial Group Copper alloy, 1.73 Kg; terrets 5 1/2 - 6 1/4 inch. Mid 1st Century A.D. An extremely large and rare set of Iron age terret fittings from a Romano-Celtic warrior’s 'Biga', with British upturned crescent design. There are two large ornate reign guide fittings from the yoke; one large central terret pole from the front of the chariot; two front bar mounts; and two decorative wheel caps. A rare group of artefacts from a high status chariot burial. The contents of this chariot grave would probably have come from a rectangular barrow which was an integral part of the chariot complex. There would have been a mortuary house associated with the funerary ritual, probably allied to the chariot grave. There would have been other pits and structures, all with burial goods associated with the complex. It is considered likely the mortuary house was linked with the funerary ritual of the chariot complex and probably housed the body during the funebrial [sic; funereal] feast and ritual prior to burial in the chariot barrow’s grave. Ref: Design similar to inferior examples in Benet's Artefacts p 92-93, I150111 & I150112. From the deceased estate of Jennifer Simmonds, a dealer and collector of coins and archaeological artefacts, who traded under the name of "Jennie the Pedlar". Sold at Jacobs & Hunt auctioneers, Petersfield, Hants. Reputed to have been excavated near Viables in Hampshire at the end of the 19th Century. A massive group of artefacts with a superb silky green patination. A beautifully preserved group. | £2,500.00 |  |
| | CC 009110 | Celtic 'Face' Harness Strap Junction Copper alloy, 13.19 grams; 39.46 mm. Circa 1st Century B.C. - 1st Century A.D. Two loop for receiving the strap with a protruding animal headed hook, probably a horse. One loop lost in antiquity, this piece would have looked like two eyes, with a curled nose and wide open mouth. Very Fine condition with a smooth patination. | £75.00 |  |
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