A CELTIC (SCORDISCI) CAVALRY OFFICER FROM MONTANA (BULGARIA)

18/6/2016

Probably the most significant Celtic burial yet published from the territory
of todays Bulgaria is that of a Scordisci cavalry officer discovered in the
Montana area in the north-west of the country. Dating to the La Tne
C2/D1 period (late 2nd / early 1st c. BC), details of the discovery, as with
many such Celtic burials on the territory of modern Bulgaria (see Mac
Gonagle 2013), remain unclear, and the material from the grave is now
stored in the RGZM (Rmisch-Germanischen Zentralmuseums), Mainz. This
fact has allowed the material from the cremation burial to be properly

restored and preserved, providing us with one of the few examples of a

complete late La Tne Balkan warrior burial.
The rich material from the burial of the Scordisci cavalry officer from
Montana included a sword/scabbard, lance head, round shield umbo, as
well as a curved dagger/sica, belt buckle, H-shaped horse bit and spurs; the
latter logically confirming that the individual was a cavalry officer.

Distribution of Celtic Weapons in N.W. Bulgaria recorded prior to 2013, and location of
Montana (after Paunov 2013)

The long iron sword from the Montana burial (L. 105.3 cm.), as with the
other artifacts from the burial, bears a patina from the cremation process,

and is one of 60+ Celtic swords from the La Tne C/D period recorded
over the last 100 years between the Timok and Iskar rivers in todays
northwestern Bulgaria which coincide typologically with Scordisci swords
of the Mokronog 2-6 types further west (Popov 1922, 1924; Mikov 1932/33,
1933; Velkov 1957; Milchev 1958; Nikolov 1965, 1981, 1990, 1993;
Alexandrov 1975, 1983; Wozniak 1975; Werner 1977; Petrov 1978; TachevaHitova 1978; Domaradski 1984; Torbov 2000 with cited lit.; see also Paunov
2013; Mac Gonagle 2013).

The distinctive decoration/construction of the Montana scabbard identifies

it as belonging to a group of eastern Celtic scabbards recorded mostly in
Poland, Slovenia, Romania, Serbia and Bulgaria, which are dated to the
transition of the LTC2/D1 period, i.e. late 2nd/ early 1st c. BC (uczkiewicz,
Schnfelder 2008).

The long thin lance head from the burial (L.49,1 cm) has exact parallels in
other Scordisci burials of the LT D period, such as those from Koynare
(Pleven reg.), Turnava (Vratza reg.) Bulgaria, or Porilor de Fier (Jud.
Mehedini) Romania which date to the LTD period. While in the Montana
burial only 1 lance is present, other burials, such as the aforementioned
example from Koynare, often contain 2 examples.
See also: https://balkancelts.wordpress.com/2016/01/24/the-death-of-spears-ritual-deposition-ofceltic-spears/

Material from the Celtic Warrior Burial at Koynare

https://www.academia.edu/7888751/A_Late_La_Tene_Warrior_Burial_From_Koynare
_Bulgaria_

The Iron Shield umbo from the Montana burial is particularly interesting
in that it is typologically similar to other Balkan Celtic examples of the
period found further west, notably those from burial 16661/4 from Mihovo
(Windl 1975, 151 f. Taf. 66, 13-20), burial 286 from Novo mesto/Kapiteljska
njiva (Kri 2005, Taf. 68, 5) and burial II at Roje (Knez 1977,114 Taf. 3, 1),
all in Slovenia.

Iron shield umbo from the Montana Burial

Horse bit and iron spurs from the Montana burial

The H-Shaped horse bit discovered at Montana suggests that, as in the case of
Celtic burials such as those from Koynare and Pavolche in northwestern
Bulgaria, or the recently discovered Scordisci burials at Desa in Romania, the
individual in the Montana burial was a Celtic cavalry officer. Noteworthy is

the fact that the aforementioned Pavolche burial also included a Machaira
and a scabbard of the Hungarian Sword type (Megaw 2004).

Circular shield umbo and H-shaped horse bit from the Celtic (Scordisci)
burials at Desa (Dolj county) in southwestern Romania (2nd c. BC)

https://balkancelts.wordpress.com/2014/04/13/scordisci-warrior-burials-from-desa-romania/

THE RAVEN DAGGER

Curved daggers (sica) are a frequent part of the inventory of late Iron Age
Scordisci warrior burials from the territory of modern Serbia, s.w.
Romania and northern Bulgaria. For example, at the Scordisci necropolis
at Karaburma (Belgrade) 7 such curved daggers, dating from the LT C2D1 period, have been registered (burials 13, 25, 32, 35, 66, 97 and 112)

(Todorovi 1972, Mac Gonagle 2016). From a typological perspective, the

Celtic curved daggers from the northern Balkans are uniform. They vary
between 25 and 35 cm. in length, and in all cases have a blood channel.
The only slight variation is that in some cases (e.g. Altimir, Komarevo,
Barkachevo, Sofronievo, Panagurischte Kolonii and Prisovo in Bulgaria, and
Piatra Craivii, Izvoru, Radovanu or Dubova in Romania) the blood channel is
deeper.

Curved dagger (sica) from the Scordisci burial at Montana, n.w. Bulgaria, decorated
with mirrored bird symbols (after Mac Gonagle 2016)

Although in many cases the blades decoration has been erased as a result of the advanced
state of degeneration, a significant number are well enough preserved to allow us to
document the most frequent symbols. The basic decorative elements on such daggers are

triangles, the punched circle (RA symbol), rayed sun symbols, opposed birds of prey
(ravens) and the spoked wheel all common elements on Celtic artifacts and coins on the
Balkans in the late Iron Age. It should also be observed that in the Celtic burials these
daggers are often found among the bones of sacrificed animals, indicating a
ritual/sacrificial function. This would appear to be confirmed by the fact that the religious
symbols rayed suns, ravens, etc. are to be found exclusively on the same edge of the blade
as the blood channel.
https://balkancelts.wordpress.com/2012/11/24/curved-sacrificial-daggers/

The Celtic warrior burial from Montana is of particular significance

because, unlike the 60+ other Celtic burials discovered accidentally in this
area of Bulgaria (Mac Gonagle 2013) the material has been professionally
preserved and restored. Besides the Montana warrior burial, other recently
discovered Celtic material from this area of Bulgaria, includes Celtic
jewelry from Chelyushnitsa (Tonkova 2011) or late La Tne ceramic
(bowls, jugs, pots, etc.) discovered at Celtic sites such as Jakimovo and
Valchedrum (also in the Montana area) (Vagalinski 2002, 2007) or the gold
Danube Torc decorated in the distinctive Celtic vegetal style from nearby
Gorni Tsibar.

Golden Celtic Torc from Gorni Tsibar (Montana region, Bulgaria) (late 4th / early 3rd c.
BC) (See Megaw 2004)
https://balkancelts.wordpress.com/2014/02/14/the-mechanism-of-dreams-vegetal-styleand-the-silivas-helmet/

Particularly noteworthy is the fact that both Jakimovo and Valchedrum

are situated on the small Tsibiritza river - the same river on which the
village of Gorni Tsibir, where the gold Celtic torc dating from the late 4th c.
BC was discovered, is situated. All of the recently published Celtic ceramic
from this area has been dated to the late 1st c. BC / early 1st c. AD.
(Vagalinski 2007), logically confirming Celtic settlement in this part of
Bulgaria from the late 4th c. BC until the Roman period.

Portrait of a bearded Thraco-Celtic chieftain with torcs, on a silver/gilt

bowl discovered accidentally at Yakimovo (Montana) (2/1 c. BC)

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https://www.academia.edu/24234744/THE_BALKAN_CELTIC_MACHAIRA
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