2,300-year-old mysterious sword with 'Swastika' symbol discovered in France

Archaeologists in France have discovered two 2,300-year-old swords in a Celtic Iron Age burial site at Creuzier-le-Neuf. The weapons were found intact within their scabbards and are believed to date back to the fourth century B.C. One of the swords features swastika designs on gems embedded in its copper-alloy scabbard. The swastika, which had symbolic significance in pre-modern cultures, was used in Celtic ornamentation long before it became associated with the 20th-century Nazi regime.

The swords were uncovered as part of a broader excavation involving more than 100 graves across a 650-square-metre site. Due to the region’s acidic soil, no skeletal remains were preserved, but other grave goods such as jewellery and brooches were recovered.

X-ray analysis of the shorter sword revealed embedded symbols on the blade – a sun and crescent moon separated by a line. These markings are linked to cosmological beliefs and are consistent with similar motifs seen on other Celtic and Etruscan swords from the period. The longer sword, equipped with suspension rings, appears to have been a functional weapon intended for mounted use. In contrast, the shorter, more ornate sword seems to have served a ceremonial or symbolic role, possibly indicating status or command.

Nearly half of the graves contained metal ornaments, with copper-alloy bracelets being the most frequent. Several damaged brooches, including one with a gem set in a gilded disc and another featuring ocelli (eyelike designs), were also found.

During the Second Iron Age, Creuzier-le-Neuf lay at the intersection of territories controlled by the Arverni, Aedui, and Bituriges tribes. The shorter sword may date to around the time of the Celtic incursions into Italy and the 387 BCE sacking of Rome by the Gauls.