Gundestrup cauldron

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The Gundestrup cauldron

The Gundestrup cauldron is a richly decorated silver cauldron from the Latène period (5th to 1st century BC) with a diameter of 69 cm and a height of 42 cm. It was found in 1891 in Rævemose (Fuchsmoor), a peat bog near Gundestrup north of Borremose in the Jutland Himmerland in Denmark . It is now in the Danish National Museum in Copenhagen .

The cauldron is an example of craftsmanship and artistry . The decorative decorations on the plates of the cauldron show representations from Celtic mythology , images of gods and rituals . The work itself is more likely to be assigned to the Thracians . Based on the choice of material and the analysis of the beeswax that was found in several places on the plates, it is now assumed with a certain degree of certainty that the boiler originally came from the area of ​​the lower Danube or the upper Balkans, and that the production was commissioned by Celts was carried out by Thracians.

Discovery and Reconstruction

The boiler was dismantled and stored in a dry part of a peat bog, where it was found again in 1891. There were 13 plates: one round, five longer rectangles and seven shorter rectangles. Another smaller rectangle is missing. The plates are made of almost pure silver (97%), some parts are gold-plated. The boiler was deliberately destroyed before it was dumped. The image plates and a fragment of the edge lay on the bottom of the kettle. A handle, a presumed eighth outer plate and most of the rim are missing. The plates show signs of wear and other damage. The bog was already dry by the time it was dumped.

The Danish archaeologist Sophus Müller reconstructed the cauldron in its current form in 1892, with the five plates on the inside, the seven on the outside and the round plate as the bottom. He named the plates VI to XIV after the numbers on the plates in his publication. In 1950, Ole Klindt-Jensen (1918–1980) designated the inner plates with capital letters (A – E) and the outer ones with lower case letters (a – g).

Motifs

Base plate

The round base plate is dominated by a bull . Above him is a woman (goddess or priestess?) With a spear , apparently about to kill the bull. A dog above the bull's head and another under its hooves complete the ensemble.

Exterior panels

On each of the seven outer plates there is a centrally located bust, which probably represents a deity. Panels a to d show bearded male figures, the other three apparently female figures.

  • On plate a , the bearded man is holding a much smaller man on the arm in each hand. Each of the two reaches up to a small boar . Under the men's feet - on the god's shoulder - you can see a dog on the left and a winged horse on the right .
  • The god on plate b holds a seahorse or kite in each hand . He was associated with the Irish god of the sea, Manannan .
  • Plate c shows a god stretching out his empty fists . On his right shoulder there is a man in a "boxing" position, on the left shoulder a jumping figure with a rider underneath.
  • On plate d there is a bearded god who holds a deer at the rear end in each hand .
  • The goddess on plate e is flanked by two smaller male figures.
  • On plate f the goddess holds a bird in her right hand . The left arm is horizontally aligned and supports or carries a man and a dog lying on his back. The goddess is flanked by two birds of prey on either side of her head. Her hair is being braided straight by a small woman on her right side.
  • The arms of the goddess on plate g are crossed. On her right shoulder there is a scene in which a man is fighting a lion , on the left a jumping figure analogous to plate c.

Inner panels

Plate A
Horned god

Panel A shows in the center a figure with horns in a sitting position, which is preferably identified with the god Cernunnos . Another possible interpretation is the representation of a shaman , which is known from various images of recent peoples with similar "headdresses". This is also supported by the ritual posture, which speaks for the preparation of a “ shamanic soul journey ”. In his right hand Cernunnos or the shaman holds a torc , in the left a horned snake. On the left you can see a deer with antlers, very similar to that of the god. Other animals can also be found to the right of the god: dogs, cats , cattle and a human figure riding a dolphin-like fish. The scenery has often been compared to Pashupati , the "lord of the animals" of the Indus culture . A similar representation of a man with a snake and torc can be found on the Celtic coin Dancing Man . Dolphins were also found as wall decorations by the Minoans and Phoenicians . B. in Qatna around 1200 BC BC, where Cretan painters were apparently hired to beautify the residence of the city prince. The clothes of the dolphin rider, however, are strongly reminiscent of Dacian finds. The oldest connection to a religious idea, however, is the grave of a priestess, who comes from the approximately 6000 year old Ertebølle culture . Her priestly jewelry consisted of a. from the head of a deer skin with antlers and indicates that this motif had been known in Northern Europe since the Mesolithic. Similar rock carvings have been discovered both in Northern Europe and in Asia.

Plate B
Goddess with wheels / flowers

Here is a goddess, flanked by two six-spoke wheels and mythical animals: two elephant-like creatures and two griffins . A large dog lies under the bust of the goddess.

Plate C
Broken wheel

Plate C shows a bearded god holding a broken wheel. A smaller, jumping figure with a horned helmet also holds the rim of the wheel. Below the jumping figure is a horned snake. The group is surrounded by elephants and griffins as on panel B. The god was identified as the Irish Dagda . The spokes of the wheel are shown asymmetrically, but one can assume twelve spokes for the whole wheel - that would correspond to finds from chariot burials.

Plate D.
Sacrifice of bulls

Plate D shows the killing of bulls. Three bulls are shown in a row, facing the right. One man at a time with a sword attacks the cops. A dog runs to the right under their hooves, three cats are found above the bulls' backs, also turned to the right and running.

Plate E.
Initiation of warriors

Apparently an initiation rite is depicted on plate E. On the lower half, a procession of warriors with spears and shields and accompanied by Carnyx and Luren blowers moves to the left. On the left is a large figure who is immersing a man in a cauldron. In the upper half, warriors move away from the cauldron, now as riders and obviously after having passed the initiation. Interestingly, the motif of the resurrection of dead warriors from a cauldron is found in later Celtic myths.

  • Representation of the Cernunnos

  • Initiation of warriors

interpretation

The Gundestrup cauldron is the largest known find of silver from the European Iron Age . The style and the execution suggest a Thracian origin, but the imagery is probably spread throughout the Indo-European region and the Orient. This led to differing theories about the origin of the boiler.

Bergquist and Taylor assume that the cauldron was made by a Thracian craftsman, in their opinion possibly on behalf of the Celtic Skordiskers . The cauldron could then be transferred to the Cimbri , who died around 120 BC. BC crossed the central Danube region (northwest Bulgaria and southwest Romania) to have come north.

On the other hand, Hachmann considers the kettle to be a Gallic product from the late Augustan period, and it was deposited after him in the earlier imperial period .

Olmsted interprets the iconography as a prototype of the Irish myths of Táin Bó Cúailnge , including the horned figure of Cú Chulainn instead of Cernunnos.

additional

An imitation of the Gundestrup boiler is the “ Chiemsee boiler ”, which was probably made at the beginning of the 20th century .

See also

Web links

Commons : Kessel von Gundestrup  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
  • Gundestrup-kedlen. Danish National Museum (Danish)
  • Gundestrup Cauldron. In: Celtic Art & Cultures. University of North Carolina (English, detailed description)
  • Ludwig Pauli: silver kettle. In: The Celts in Central Europe. Art, culture, economy. Catalog of the Salzburg State Exhibition in the Celtic Museum Hallein, Austria, from May 1 to September 30, 1980. Office of the Salzburg State Government, Department of Culture, Salzburg 1980, p. 339.
  • Aisling Bronach: Gundestrup Cauldron ( December 23, 2012 memento in the Internet Archive ) In: House Shadow Drake. (English, private website on the origin of the cauldron and its place in Celtic culture)
  • Cernunnos at Eichfelder.de (private website)

literature

  • Ole Klindt-Jensen: The Gundestrup Bowl: A Reassessment. In: Antiquity. Volume 33, No. 131, 1959, 161-169, doi: 10.1017 / S0003598X00027447 .
  • Garrett S. Olmsted: The Gundestrup version of Táin Bó Cuailnge. In: Antiquity. Volume 50, No. 198, 1976, 95-103, doi: 10.1017 / S0003598X00070836 .
  • Jean-Jacques Hatt : An interpretation of the images and scenes on Gundestrup's silver kettle. In: The Celts in Central Europe. Art - culture - economy. Salzburg State Exhibition May 1st - September 30th 1980 in the Celtic Museum Hallein Austria. Office of the Salzburg Provincial Government - Cultural Department, Salzburg 1980, pp. 68–75.
  • Rudolf Grosse: The silver kettle from Gundestrup. A testimony to the path of purification and initiation among the Celts. 2nd, significantly changed edition. Philosophisch-Anthroposophischer Verlag am Goetheanum, Dornach 1983, ISBN 3-7235-0296-2 .
  • Richard Pittioni : Who made the Gundestrup silver kettle, when and where? (= Austrian Academy of Sciences. Philosophical-Historical Class. Memoranda. Volume 178 = Austrian Academy of Sciences. Publications of the Celtic Commission. No. 3). Publishing house of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 1984, ISBN 3-7001-0669-6 .
  • Anders Bergquist, Timothy Taylor: The origin of the Gundestrup Cauldron. In: Antiquity. Volume 61, No. 231, 1987, 10-24, doi: 10.1017 / S0003598X00072446 .
  • Rolf Hachmann : Gundestrup studies. Investigations into the late Celtic foundations of early Germanic art. In: Report of the Roman-Germanic Commission . Volume 71, 1990, pp. 566-903.
  • Frank Falkenstein : Comments on the question of the origin of the Gundestrup boiler. In: Prehistoric Journal . Volume 79, No. 1, 2004, 57-88, doi: 10.1515 / prhz.79.1.57 , ( digital version (PDF; 8025 MB) ).
  • Svend Nielsen, Jan Holme Andersen, Joel A. Baker, Charlie Christensen, Jens Glastrup, Pieter M. Grootes, Matthias Hüls, Arne Jouttijärvi, Erling Benner Larsen, Helge Brinch Madsen, Katharina Müller, Marie-Josee Nadeau, Stefan Röhrs, Heike Stege , Zofia Anna Stos, Tod E. Waight: The Gundestrup cauldron. New Scientific and Technological Investigations. In: Acta Archaeologica. Volume 76, No. 2, 2005, 1-58, doi: 10.1111 / j.1600-0390.2005.00034.x .
  • Lisa Pörschke: The secret of the Gundestrup silver kettle. A search for clues that began on the island of Laesø. Novalis Media, Schaffhausen 2008, ISBN 978-3-907260-34-0 .
  • Heidi Peter-Röcher : A testimony to Celtic religion? In: Offa , 69/70, 2012/13, pp. 189-199.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ S. Nielsen, J. Andersen, J. Baker, C. Christensen, J. Glastrup and others: The Gundestrup cauldron: New scientific and technical investigations. In: Acta Archaeologica. 76, 2005, pp. 1-58. ISSN  0065-101X .
  2. ↑ Meinrad Maria Grewenig (Ed.): The Celts. Druids, princes, warriors, the life of the Celts in the Iron Age 2500 years ago. Edition Völklinger Hütte in Springpunktverlag, Völklingen 2010, ISBN 978-3-89857-275-0 , p. 270.
  3. ↑ Thomas Rolleston: Druidism. In: Van James (Ed.): Spirit and Art. Pictures of the Transformation of Consciousness. Anthroposophic Press, Great Barrington MA 2001, ISBN 1-62151-089-1 , Chapter IV.2.
  4. ↑ Nana Nauwald, Felicitas D. Goodman and friends: Ecstatic trance. Ritual postures and ecstatic trance. 4th edition. Binkey Kok, Haarlem (NL) 2010, ISBN 978-90-74597-81-4 , pp. 9-11, 18.
  5. ^ Rolf Hachmann: Gundestrup studies. In: Report of the Roman-Germanic Commission. Volume 71, 1990, pp. 566-903. Jan Bemmann , Güde Hahne: Ancient Iron Age sanctuaries in northern Europe according to the archaeological sources. In: Heinrich Beck , Detlev Ellmers , Kurt Schier (eds.): Germanic religious history. Sources and source problems (= Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde . Supplementary volumes . Volume 5). Gruyter, Berlin et al. 1992, ISBN 3-11-012872-1 , pp. 29-68, here pp. 35 f.

Coordinates: 56 ° 48 ′ 20.9 ″  N , 9 ° 34 ′ 45.9 ″  E

This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on December 3, 2005 .