This sword, intentionally bent and deprived of its tip to be offered harmless at the Italic sanctuary of Fondo Decina, near Cassino, has a number of considerably interesting features and reveals influences from various areas in Fourth and Third Century BCE Italy. The weapon appears to have been inspired by typically Celtic models and is decorated by an eight-pointed star, a long-standing motif in the Mediterranean tradition.
The blade is engraved with an inscription bearing the signature of its craftsman, with a typically Oscan name, and the place of production, Rome: Tr(ebios) Pomponio(s) C. [f.?] [m]e fecet Roma[i]. Both text and formulae bear a close resemblance to those used on the Cista Ficoroni.
Such a combination of different elements could suggest the capture and consecration of weapons to allies of Rome during the Samnite Wars, but may well also be an indication of commercial exchanges, ceremonial gifts or compensation for mercenary troops.