The Muriel de la Fuente (Soria) celtiberian helmet and water findings of helmets in the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

We analyse the celtiberian helmet found in Muriel de la Fuente (Province of Soria). It is a helmet of the so-called ‘Hispano-chalcidian’ type and was discovered at about 200 metres from the source of the Avión River, in the spring of karstic origin of La Fuentona. This discovery can be placed next to other documented offerrings of helmets and weapons in rivers, a well-known practice in Central and Western Europe from the end of the Bronze Age period onward. We revise the diverse cases recovered in the Iberian Peninsula to undertake their interpretation in the context of the ritual and votive offering practices of pre-Roman Iberian Peninsula.