Mid 3rd-1st century B.C. A group of two votive swordsprising: an iron sword of La Tène II type in its iron scabbard; the blade 60 mm wide at the upper edge, with deep point and long square-section tang with a rove to the upper end; the scabbard with raised median rib and C-section channels to the edges, C-shaped slider fitting to the reverse, scooped upper edges and La Tènema-shaped incised decoration; substantial C-section chape with ribbed ornament; its scabbard folded over double and then folded again to form a block; apanied by a sacrificed iron sword, scabbard and spearhead groupprising: a parallel-sided sword of La Tène I type with straight shoulder and short flat-section tang; a sheet iron scabbard enclosing the sword with median rib and corrugations at the edges, two discoid roundels above the point, thick pointed chape, rosette of punched points below the throat; an iron leaf-shaped spearhead with raised median rib and closed socket; the sword in its scabbard forcefully bent over so that the lower third is parallel to the blade, the spearhead bent around the sword below the chape; apanied by a case set up by Wiltshire Conservation and Museums Advisory Service having been custom fitted for long term conservation storage. Cf. Stead, I. & Rigby, V., The Morel Collection. Iron Age Antiquities from Champagne in the British Museum, London, 1999, items 1570 (sword), 2943 (sword) and 2423 (spearhead); see Fox, Sir C., A Find of the Early Iron Age from Llyn Cerig Bach, Anglesey, Cardiff, 1946, for a general discussion on sacrifice in the Celtic world; see Green, M., Dying for the Gods: Human Sacrifice in Iron Age and Roman Europe, Stroud, 2001, p.24, figure 6, for a ritually damaged sword from the sanctuary of Gournay-sur-Aronde, (Oise), dating to the 3rd century B.C.; cf. Green, M., ‘Humans as Ritual Victims in the Later Prehistory of Western Europe’ in Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 17(2) 1998, for transformation of swords from the profane world to the realm of the supernatural. 11.45 kg total, 69.5 x 43.5 cm including box (weapons: 892 grams, 30 cm and 989 grams, 49 cm) (27 3/8 x 17 1/8 in. (11 3/4 - 19 1/4 in.)). London art market prior to 1980. TimeLine Auctions, 1 December 2015, lots 1644 (1,488 inc. Bp) and 1645 (1488 inc. Bp). Private collection of the late Dr. David Evans, Southampton, UK. Apanied by copies of the Wiltshire Conservation and Service Treatment Record nos.C2017453 and C2017454 from Wiltshire Conservation and Museums Advisory Service, who conducted professional conservation work on the sword. Apanied by a copy of a document concerning conservation work carried out by Wiltshire Conservation and Museums Advisory Service (1,400 + materials + VAT). Apanied by an academic report by military specialist Dr. Raffaele D'Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is apanied by AIAD certificate no.11390-189654. The practice of ritual destruction of we