Beneath a schoolyard in Dijon, France, the earth has yielded eighteen Celtic warriors buried seated in deliberate rows some 2,400 years ago — a rare and purposeful ritual that speaks to how ancient societies honored those who died by violence. Announced by France's National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research following excavations in 2025 and 2026, the discovery places these men among only roughly fifty known seated Iron Age burials across France and Switzerland, suggesting the practice was reserved for a distinct class of the living. Their bones carry the unhealed marks of sword
Archaeologists unearth 18 Celtic warriors buried seated 2,400 years ago in France with signs of violent death
Eighteen Celtic men died from violent combat wounds, including sword strikes to the head and arms, approximately 2,400 years ago.
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