Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 6.djvu/550

380 ON THE USE OF BEONZE CELTS been found not only celts of other forms, but also spear-heads, daggers, swords, and other military implements.^ This has been regarded as an indication, that the palstaves and hollow celts were also applied to martial uses.^ The first example which I shall produce in illustration of this argument, rests on the authority of Mr. Harford's " Ac- count of Antiquities discovered in the Quantock Hills, A. d. 1794."^ These antiquities were two tores and two celts, all of bronze. He gives an engraving, which shows their form and magnitude. One of the celts is 16 centimetres (=6^ inches) in length, its edge or lower extremity being 5 cen- timetres broad ; and the whole implement must have been well adapted both as to size and strength for the removal of earth, and even for the destruction of walls. Such an implement might evidently be used in gardening and in agriculture agreeably to the remarks which I have already made. But the circumstance of the two tores, which were in this instance found with the two celts, mani- festly points to martial rather than to peaceful occupations. For the tore was a military decoration, and proves that these remains must have belonged to a soldier, and probably to one who had distinguished himself by his valour and ability in constructing camps, and in taking fortified places. The armilla aurea was another decoration which the Roman generals bestowed as a reward upon their soldiers.'* We accordingly find, that " four bracelets of pure gold," belonging to the ring-money of our antiquaries, a spear-head, and three lumps of raw copper, were found in 1806 on the sea beach near Eastbourn in Sussex, together with five bronze celts, two of them having sockets for the handles, and the other three being palstaves with the lateral ridges bent inwards to embrace the handles as before described.^ I have already referred to the discovery made, a.d., 1844, at Notre Dame d'Or, in the department of Vienne. • The articles of bronze, some entire and some broken, which were • See above, in § V. p. ,"571, the case near nand Keller, in describing the antiquities, Alnwick Castle, and Archaeologia, vol. ix., viz. celts, spear-heads, swords, &c., found pp. !]4, f!5. in the Lake of Zurich. See Mittheilungen - " Da die gcnanntcn Stiicke ncben der Antiquilrien-Gesellschaft in Zurich, oinander liegcn, so liefert dicser Fund 1"'" Band, Zurich, 1844. den deutlichsten Beweis, dass neben den •' Archaeologia, vol. xiv., p. 94. sogenannten Celts auch schwcrtartigc ' See Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Lanzcnspitzcn, oder Dolche, in gebrauch Roman Antiqmti('s,^,Ytce Armilla. warcn." ■ Archaeologia, vol. xvi., p. 1^63, Plate These are the words of the Rev. I'erdi- LXVIII.