The Kirkburn Sword
- Gallery: Room 50
- Culture: Iron Age; La Tène II
- Date: 300 BC - 200 BC (circa)
- Object type: sword, sword-sheath
- Materials: iron; copper alloy; horn; glass
- Museum number: 1987,0404.2
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
"This is The Kirkburn Sword, a remarkable piece from the Iron Age. Crafted around 300 to 200 BC, this sword and its scabbard were discovered in a burial in East Yorkshire. The blade is made of iron, and the scabbard features a copper alloy front and an iron back.
The sword’s handle is carefully constructed in several parts, including a pommel, grip, and hilt guard. Each section is decorated with red glass enamel, a detailed art form of the time. The grip and pommel show intricate patterns of crescents, arcs, and dots, and some are outlined with tiny rivets and washers.
The scabbard is equally detailed, with a copper-alloy front and iron back. It includes a chape at the bottom and a suspension loop at the back, both elaborately decorated.
Swords like this were often buried with individuals in ritual ceremonies. The man buried with this sword was placed in a crouched position, with the sword behind his back and the remains of a pig on his chest. Three spears were thrust into his chest as part of the burial rite, a practice unique to this region."
See it in person
The Kirkburn Sword is on display in Room 50 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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