UK Edition
2000-year-old figurine of a horned Celtic fertility god found in Roman settlement
A rare 2,000-year-old figurine of a horned Celtic fertility god has been discovered in a Roman settlement in Cambridgeshire showing how the continental invaders allowed the ancient British beliefs to continue during their occupation.
The two inch metal charm, dating from the second century AD, depicts a faceless individual, holding a ‘torc’ or neck ring, and is thought to represent ‘Cernunnos’, the Celtic god of nature, life and the underworld.
It was found by archaeologists in farmland at the National Trust’s Wimpole Estate in a field which is to be turned into a car park.
The site was once a rural settlement dating from the Late Iron Age to the Early Roman period, between (100BC to 150AD), lying near the major Roman road of Ermine Street, which ran from London to Lincoln and York on the current route of the A1.
Similar figures of Cernunnos have been found carved in stone, but it is the first metal version to be discovered in Britain and shows strong links between the ancient people of Britain and the Roman legionnaires.
Stephen Macaulay, Deputy Regional Manager at Oxford Archaeology East, which carried out the excavation, said: “The face of the figurine has been rubbed away, but we see similar figures of Cernunnos, so it’s like finding a worn version of Jesus on a crucifix, it’s the shape you expect to see.
“He was an important God to the Celts, but this shows how accepting the Romans were of other religions, they often just merged the Gods with their own. The Romans really ran their empire like the British did, they would conquer and then reinstate the people who had already been in charge.
“The Wimpole story is interesting as it gives us a snapshot of local people living alongside the legionnaires as they travelled up and down the country along Ermine Street.”
Around 300 metal objects have been uncovered during the dig include coins, cosmetic implements, horse harness fittings, Roman military uniform fittings, a spearhead, an axe head, key handles, brooches, a ring as well as scrap lead and a number of iron nails and other utilitarian objects.
The finds from Wimpole are being cleaned, catalogued and analysed and will form the basis of future exhibitions at Wimpole.
Speaking about the figurine, Shannon Hogan, National Trust Archaeologist for the East of England, said: “This is an incredibly exciting discovery, which to me represents more than just the deity, Cernunnos.
“It almost seems like the enigmatic ‘face’ of the people living in the landscape some 2,000 years ago.
“The artefact is Roman in origin but symbolises a Celtic deity and therefore exemplifies the continuation of indigenous religious and cultural symbolism in Romanised societies.”