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Celtic Dragons from the River Thames

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2011

I. M. Stead
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Summary

Two La Tène I swords found in the River Thames more than a century ago are in the remains of iron scabbards decorated with dragon-pairs. These designs, which have only recently been revealed, are similar to those on La Tène scabbards throughout Celtic Europe from France to Romania: ninety examples can now be listed, and half of them have been added in the last decade. The discovery of dragon-pairs in the Thames emphasizes the links that must have existed between Britain and the rest of the Celtic world in the decades around 300 B.C.

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Type
Research Article
Information
The Antiquaries Journal , Volume 64 , Issue 2 , September 1984, pp. 269 - 279
Copyright
Copyright © The Society of Antiquaries of London 1984

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