Unusual burials of Celtic ‘warriors’ discovered in France point to violent deaths

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Unusual burials of Celtic ‘warriors’ discovered in France point to violent deaths

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About 2,400 years ago, more than a dozen Celtic Men – perhaps warriors – were buried in unusual upright sitting positions in what is now Dijon, France, according to a recent discovery of their graves next to a primary school.

The dark discovery was made by experts from the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (Inrap) in 2025 and 2026, the institute announced in a press release. translated statement Wednesday (March 18).

The burials date from the late Iron Age (450 to 25 BC), when the Gauls – a loose association of Celtic tribes – lived in France. Each of the 18 tombs had a circular pit approximately 3.3 feet (1 meter) in diameter, and the tombs were evenly spaced in two straight lines. The deceased were buried seated at the bottom of the pits, facing west, with their arms resting at their sides and their legs akimbo.

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Archaeologists’ initial analysis of Celtic burials revealed that all the skeletons came from physically active and healthy men who died between the ages of 40 and 60. But unhealed cut marks on several skeletons indicated violent deaths.

A male skeleton was found wearing a black stone armlet around his left elbow. The style of the accessory allowed archaeologists to place his date of death between 300 and 200 BC. His skull revealed that he had suffered two blows from a sharp object, such as a sword. At least five other skeletons had cut marks on their arm bones, possibly meaning they died in some sort of ancient combat.

The burial of a seated individual with evidence of a skull injury and with a black stone bracelet around his left arm.

The burial of a seated individual with evidence of a skull injury and with a black stone bracelet around his left arm. (Image credit: © Hervé Laganier/Inrap)

The seated skeletons are an unusual discovery, according to Inrap. Only around fifty similar burials have been discovered on a dozen archaeological sites in France and Switzerland, all dating from the end of the Iron Age. These burials are often discovered on the outskirts of settlements and always contain seated or crouching male skeletons, suggesting that only specific people were buried in this way – perhaps warriors, important ancestors, or other political or religious elites.

During the same excavation, archaeologists also discovered a Roman era cemetery containing 22 children’s burials dated to the first century AD. Children were buried lying on their backs or sides in stone or wooden coffins. Some received coins or ceramics as funeral offerings.

After the abandonment of cemeteries from the Celtic and Roman eras, farmers used the land for growing vines and, in 1243, the Cordeliers convent was founded there by Franciscan friars. Today, the archaeological site is located next to a primary school.