Scene of Rebirth on the Gundestrup Cauldron

Illustration

Jeffrey King
by Claude Valette
published on 30 May 2019
Scene of Rebirth on the Gundestrup Cauldron Download Full Size Image

This scene from the interior of the Gundestrup Cauldron is usually interpreted as a scene of rebirth. On the bottom, a line of Celtic infantrymen march to a figure on the left of the register who is probably a war god. These infantrymen are followed by a warrior with a boar helmet and three carnyx players. The god is dipping a man in a cauldron of rebirth, while mounted warriors or chieftains in the top register ride off to the right, away from the god. The scene may signify the hope of achieving a higher social status in the afterlife.

The Gundestrup Cauldron was discovered in a bog in Jutland, Denmark. However, the cauldron includes elements and iconography which derive from Celtic, Thracian, and Asian cultures. The piece is subject of various interpretations and was probably made in sometime between 200 BCE and 300 CE.

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Cite This Work

APA Style

Valette, C. (2019, May 30). Scene of Rebirth on the Gundestrup Cauldron. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/10812/scene-of-rebirth-on-the-gundestrup-cauldron/

Chicago Style

Valette, Claude. "Scene of Rebirth on the Gundestrup Cauldron." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified May 30, 2019. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/10812/scene-of-rebirth-on-the-gundestrup-cauldron/.

MLA Style

Valette, Claude. "Scene of Rebirth on the Gundestrup Cauldron." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 30 May 2019. Web. 12 Nov 2024.

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