The god Cernunnos (detail from the Gundestrup cauldron, 1st century BC) • WIKIMEDIA COMMONS On May 28, 1891, in northern Denmark, not far from the town of Gundestrup, a 22-year-old Dane named Jens Sørensen was mining the Rævemosen bog, when his shovel hit a hard, metallic object:a 69 cm round piece. of diameter. The shovelfuls that followed brought to light 13 other large slabs:one, circular, 25 cm in diameter, seven almost square 21 by 25 cm, and four rectangular 21 by 44 cm, for a total of 9 kilos. These pieces, all in silver, presented above all an exceptional decoration of fantastic animals, mysterious human busts and strange scenes taken from myths or sacred stories. It was unquestionably one of the most important discoveries of the Iron Age. An assembly of silver plates These 14 fragments arrived on June 2, 1891 in Copenhagen, where Sophus Müller, curator at the Oldnordisk Museum (now the National Museum of Denmark), immediately began to study and assemble these elements, which a chemical analysis revealed to be consisted of 97% silver and 3% gold. Müller concludes that the plates had once been welded around a base to form a single large tank:the round plate occupied the bottom, the seven square plates (initially eight in number) constituted the outer wall, and the five rectangular plates (attached to the back of the square plates by means of a tubular rim, of which three small fragments have been preserved) covered the interior. We had just discovered one of the examples of metal cauldrons typical of Celtic societies on the continent and the British Isles, between the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Middle Ages. Intended to cook, store or serve food, or to fulfill certain functions within the framework of ceremonies or rituals, these cauldrons represented a symbol of abundance. Probably reserved for the most privileged members of society, they testified to a certain social status, and their use was probably limited to important occasions. A cauldron with Thracian sauce Sophus Müller pointed out that the cauldron discovered at Gundestrup had been used before being deposited in the bog. It indeed showed clear signs of wear and some damage, such as the absence of the bull's horns on the plate serving as the background. The appearance of the cauldron also suggested that it had been dismantled by force, before being abandoned in the swamp. Since the work of Sophus Müller, several studies have attempted to determine the style, date of manufacture and origin of this piece, as it is now believed that it was not forged in Denmark. Two divergent hypotheses present it either as the work of Celts from Gaul, or as a Thracian fabrication. However, each hypothesis is supported by evidence, since the cauldron has technical and stylistic characteristics that are both Celtic and Thracian. Such ambivalence could be explained as follows:the cauldron would have been made in Thrace, since the relief of the silhouettes is based on a technique typical of the goldsmiths of this region, but at a time when Thracians and Celts were neighboring peoples, this which would justify the presence of Celtic elements, such as helmets or war trumpets (carnyx ). Located between 150 BC. J.-C. . An unexplained presence in Denmark However, how did the cauldron get to Denmark? Some believe that it was brought there by the Cimbri, a Germanic people who inhabited the region of Denmark and northern Germany. Roman sources indicate that an abundant emigration of Cimbri and other Germanic peoples devastated a large part of Europe between 120 and 100 BC. It would also seem that the Cimbri and the Scordisks concluded in 114 BC. J.-C. an alliance authorizing the first to live during five years on the territory of the seconds. If the precise conditions in which the cauldron arrived in the hands of the Cimbri remain unknown, it is possible that the latter took it with them when returning to their region of origin, where the cauldron was deposited in the bog as a of offering.
