Celtic Sanctuaries

Throughout history, the Druids have always been seen as sorcerers who had a strong bond with nature. Ancestral knowledge holders within Celtic society, directed all religious activity as the highest authority linked to the gods, practiced human sacrifices and festivals organized as Imbolc, Beltaine, Lugnasad or Samain, etc.. all aspects of which are discussed in this article.

For know the controversial history of the Druids in the Celtic world, will investigate the sources of its origin, through stories of classic texts and medieval legends of Gaul, Britain and Ireland. His role in Celtic society surpassed the religious sphere, covering war, politics, medicine and the law. Almost unknown is the participation of women in this institution.

The discovery of a lead tessera with the inscription MARTIS, found on the site of a Celtic, then Roman, sanctuary in Liry (Ardennes, France) provides an occasion to discuss the cult of Mars among the Remi.
The poliad god of this people living in Gallia Belgica, known by his Celtic name ‘Camulos’, the champion’ was the subject, under the Roman Empire, of a cult both inside and outside of the city. The activities of his cultores in the civitas are only known by some twenty references (twelve bronze figures, four monumental sculptures and four inscriptions) – all from the period of Imperial Rome thus raising the question of the identity of the warrior god, perhaps some predecessor of Mars Camulus, in the pantheon of the Remi prior to the Roman conquest. Numismatics has demonstrated the existence of a character who could be Camulos, brandishing a spear and carrying a torque, in four successive emissions of cast coinage between 160 and 80 BCE.

Изключително важна е ролята на водите за религиозните представи на древните общества, както и символиката им в сакралните обекти под открито небе. Според произхода си, може да бъде разграничена водата, паднала от небето, както и тази на изворите, реките и езерата. В световен план се наблюдава приемственост в сакралното пространство на лечебни извори,  замаскирани под името на християнски светии, по-конкретно светици, което дава основание изворният култ да бъде свързан със символиката на женско езическо божество.
Голяма част от изворите и водоизточниците,  в различни култури, са свързвани с женски духове пазители, като нимфи, феи, самодиви и др.
Разглеждайки семантиката на водата в митологичните представи на древните, виждаме, че в едни случаи тя е свързвана с женски персонаж, а в други - с мъжки, който е носител на змейски характеристики. Най-общо лечебната животодаряваща изворна вода почти винаги е олицетворявана с женското начало, докато оплодителната и стихийна сила на дъжда - с мъжкото.
Реките и сакрализираните извори, освен като териториална граница, в митологичен план са виждани също така и като граница между световете и място, където се завръщат душите на предците.
Тези поверия, свързани с Отвъдното и душите на предците, както и легендите от различни части на света за женски персонаж, който покровителствува свещените извори и техните лечебни и оплодителни свойства, отново ни разкриват символиката на Великата Майка. Появата на тази архаична религиозна доктрина говори за ранното използване и обожествяване на свещените извори.
Неотделима част от митологичната доктрина, свързана с Богинята майка, е идеологията за свещения брак и обновяването - прераждането. Този мит вероятно е имал своята обредна реализация в много древните култури, като преди всичко е бил свързван с легализирането на царската власт.

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This preventive archaeological excavation allows us to discover 4,000 square metres of this occupation created by the Gallic generations of the 3rd century BC and occupied until the 8th century AD, probably without interruption. The core of the settlement is delimited by a moat 2 to 4 m wide and 1.50 to 2.00 m deep. The part of the enclosure explored contains a single building, the construction of which probably dates back to the origins of the settlement in the 3rd century AD. The layers of sediment that gradually accumulate in the ditch provide the most important information: horse skull and ox skull, finely decorated ceramic vessels and weapons. The latter, all made of iron, are deformed by blows or twisting. They are reminiscent of the Latin shrines known elsewhere, where the abundance of weapons undoubtedly testifies to the warlike orientation of the cults. Nevertheless, the layout of the entrance to the north and not to the west, which is moreover out of line with the only recognised building, is more in keeping with the diversity of the habitat plans. Numerous examples of well-to-do dwellings are listed in the Senon territory. The presence of mutilated weapons is less frequent, but discoveries are currently multiplying, in the form of small ensembles similar to the one buried at Semoine.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Cet article fait le bilan des découvertes réalisées lors de la fouille préventive du site de La Petite Pontonnerie, à Châlette-sur-Loing. Deux occupations distinctes ont été explorées.
La première, située le long du cours d'eau « Le Solin », doit être rattachée au Haut-Empire. Elle consiste en un petit enclos palissadé établi dans la boucle d'un paléochenal du Solin. Cet enclos forme un carré de 19,50 mètres de côté, ouvert à l'est par une interruption.
La seconde occupation, attribuée à la période médiévale, consiste en une série de structures excavées (trous de poteaux, silos et fonds de cabane) dispersées sur une surface d'environ 600 m2. Les silos s'organisent en deux batteries distinctes. La plus vaste est associée à quatre trous de poteaux qui appartenaient très certainement à un grenier aérien d'environ 10 m2. L'interprétation des grandes structures excavées est plus délicate, mais elles étaient probablement aussi destinées au stockage. Aucun vestige de leur système de couverture n'a été reconnu.
Les caractéristiques du mobilier présent dans les comblements (céramique, objets métalliques, faune, pierres chauffées...) montrent que les remblais proviennent d'un habitat. Les silos témoignant d'un arasement important, il est probable que les unités d'habitat aient été arasées par les labours, aidés par la pente du vallon où l'occupation est implantée.
L'analyse de ce mobilier ainsi qu'une datation radiocarbone permettent de situer cette implantation rurale entre la fin du Xe siècle et la première moitié du XIe.

Mientras que en el resto del mundo céltico europeo, e incluso el propio mundo íbero se ha desarrollado una exhaustiva arqueología de la religión, el estudio del ámbito religioso céltico peninsular se ve obstaculizado por una serie de problemas que parten desde un deficiente registro material, seguido por una escasez de estructuras, descontextualización y finalizando por la presencia de una heterogeneidad que genera numerosos conflictos interpretativos. En el presente escrito se plantea el estado de la cuestión de la investigación, la problemática de la interpretación de los lugares de culto y las propuestas de elementos e indicadores identificativos aplicados a nuestro ámbito.

While for the rest of the European Celtic world, and even for the Iberian culture itself, an exhaustive archaeology of religion has been developed, the study of the peninsular Celtic religious sphere has been obstructed by a series of problems which begin with a deficient material record, followed by a lack of structures, decontextualisation and ending with the presence of a heterogeneity that generates numerous conflicts over interpretations. In the present article, the state of the research question and the problem of the interpretation of ritual sites will be considered, as well as proposals of identifying elements and indicators applicable to our field of study.