Archaeologists in Asturias, Spain, have unearthed two exceptionally rare silver scepters shaped to resemble gnarled oak branches with budding mistletoe. Found within a hidden stone chamber at a Castro culture hillfort, the artifacts date to the late Iron Age. These scepters provide tangible archaeological evidence for the legendary "Ritual of the Oak and the Mistletoe" described by ancient historians like Pliny the Elder.
The discovery suggests that the Celtic populations of Iberia maintained highly specific seasonal festivals centered on the harvest of sacred plants. The scepters were found alongside silver bowls containing traces of fermented grain beverage, indicating they were used in communal feasting rites that marked the transition between winter and spring.