Celtic sword belt. Belt for suspending and carrying the sword.
When owning a sword, we often forget an accessory that was once essential and indispensable: the sword belt. A sword belt serves to suspend the weapon’s scabbard, using various systems.
This is an extremely important and not trivial aspect: it often distinguishes one culture from another, one historical period from another. The sword could be carried on the belt or over the shoulder, with various solutions. The belts for suspending bladed weapons are very distinctive in the Celtic world.
Between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC, the use of a sturdy sword belt made of metal chains and metal bars became widespread among Celtic warriors.
Toward the second half of the 3rd century, a Celtic sword belt based on leather belts and simple metal rings returned, partially reviving a practice already in use in the early La Tène period.
We find examples made of both iron and copper alloy, like our reconstruction. The main hook, which serves to fasten the belt, is made from finds dating to the La Tène C period (3rd-2nd century BC). Both the hook and the rings that make up the belt are cast bronze.
