Ancient texts described that one of the most impressive ritual practices of the Celts during the Iron Age was to remove the heads of enemies killed in battle and to embalm them for display in front of the victors dwellings. An archaeological settlement excavation site in Le Cailar, in southern France, has revealed a considerable number of examples of this practice. It was documented by Classical authors and later by the archaeological recording of iconographic representations and skeletal remains of human heads. Weapons were also exhibited alongside the severed heads.
Ancient Greek and Roman texts indicate how ancient Celts living in the region of Gaul — modern-day France and neighboring areas — cut off the heads of their enemies after the battle, and placed them around the necks of their horses, bringing back their war trophies back home.
This gruesome practice was corroborated by sculptures depicting decapitated heads in the Iron Age settlement of Entremont in Provence in southern France.
In addition to sculptures, this practice was also recorded by ancient writers such as Diodorus Sicilus.
The Celtic Gauls
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The Gauls were a group of Celtic peoples of West-Central Europe in the Iron Age and the Roman period (roughly from the 5th century BC to the 5th century AD).
Among other things, they were considered fearsome warriors who, after defeating their enemies, proceeded to cut off the heads of their enemies and displayed them for all to see.
They were accustomed to bring the heads of their enemies back from battle hanging around their horses’ necks.
Ancient texts described that one of the most impressive ritual practices of the Celts during the Iron Age was to remove the heads of enemies killed in battle and to embalm them for display in front of the victor’s dwellings. An archaeological settlement excavation site in Le Cailar, in southern France, has revealed a considerable number of examples of this practice. It was documented by Classical authors and later by the archaeological recording of iconographic representations and skeletal remains of human heads. Weapons were also exhibited alongside the severed heads.
“In fact, the ancient texts told about us the head [being] embalmed with cedar oil … thanks to our chemical analysis we know that this information is right,” explains co-author of the study from Paul Valéry University of Montpellier, Réjane Roure.
Diodorus Sicilus described the Gauls in one of his works: “The Gauls are terrifying in aspect and their voices are deep and altogether harsh; when they meet together they converse with few words and in riddles, hinting darkly at things for the most part and using one word when they mean another; and they like to talk in superlatives, to the end that they may extol themselves and depreciate all other men. They are also boasters and threateners and are fond of pompous language, and yet they have sharp wits and are not without cleverness at learning.” (Book 5).
In a study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, Roure and colleagues describe how they studied human skulls found with weapons near the Celtic site of Le Cailar in southern France.
From 2003 to 2013, scientists excavated around 50 skulls at the site. The skulls were broken into more than 2,500 pieces. The human remains were found alongside weapons near what is considered the gate of the settlement.
Experts explain that the placement of the heads and weapons indicate that in the distant past, they were put on display in a large open space inside the site.
Taking samples of the skulls
Scientists proceeded taking samples from 11 human skull fragments and chemically analyzing them.
Experts explain that many of the skulls featured cut mars of decapitations and signs that the brains were removed from the skull.
Scientists discovered that six of the eleven humans skulls that were analyzed showed traces of a substance called diterpenoids , a sing that the bones were in contact with Conifer resin.
The scientists also studied animal remains which showed no traces of being in contact with Conifer resin.
This led scientists to conclude that the ancient reports of Gauls severing their heads and embalming them were true, confirming that the ancient Gauls did not only sever the heads of their enemies, but they also appear to have embalmed them in order to preserve the skulls for as long as possible.
Scientists explain how the recent discoveries add weight to ancient reports that, after severing the heads of their foes, Celtic tribes embalmed them.
And experts point to a number of ancient philosophers and writers such as Strabo and Diodorus of Sicily who both record that a Greek called Poseidonios claimed to have seen such terrifying sights in Gaul.
The purpose of embalming the skulls of enemies might have been to make sure the face and features of the defeated enemies remained visible for all to see.
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