The Celtic Presence
1.
By the 4th century BCE, Celtic tribes began to spread across Emilia, although evidence of their presence in the Parma area remains rather limited.
Finds associated with the Celtic sphere have been identified in several parts of the city, including the southwest corner of what later became the Roman forum—now Piazza Garibaldi—and just west of the stream, along present-day Via d’Azeglio.
In the forum area, beneath the remains of what was likely a Roman temple dedicated to the Capitoline Triad, archaeologists uncovered several ceramic vessels, including cooking pots (olle) and bowls for food consumption. Based on their characteristics, they appear to date to the late 3rd century BCE or, more likely, the early 2nd century BCE.
2.
The bronze helmet belonged to a Celtic warrior, aged 25–30, who was buried at the beginning of the 3rd century BCE in the Parma Apennines, within a structure outlined by stone slabs.
The helmet, equipped with cheek guards (paragnathids) and a neck guard, originally featured two thin horn-shaped plates decorated with punchwork—though only one is preserved.
Accompanying the deceased were a sword, two spearheads, and a knife. All the weapons—possibly including the helmet—had been deliberately broken or deformed at the time of burial, in accordance with a ritual practice already widespread by the 2nd millennium BCE.
This custom required that certain objects—especially weapons or parts of a warrior’s armor—be destroyed or rendered unusable upon the owner’s death.
3.
The three sickles were carefully placed one on top of the other in a pit, where they were intentionally deposited sometime before the 1st century BCE.
These are messori-type sickles, designed to be used with one hand while the other held the bundle of grain.
The unusual placement of a group of agricultural tools within a clearly inhabited area suggests they may have been part of a hoard or a votive deposit.
The ritual deposition of farming implements—including sickles—is documented in Celtic France as early as the 5th century BCE.