Pan-Celtic?

Sacred Site Types

of the Ancient Celts.
by
Jeff Boice

Harvard University
October 23, 1995

Sacred Site Types, J. Boice

Sacred Site Types
There are many variations on the sacred theme when it comes to Celtic
archaeological sites. At Entremont and Roquepertuse are the remains of what appear to
be temple sites complete with pillars, figures, and heads both real and recreated in the
form of stylized carvings. Such formal construction used to create sacred space is
unusual in Celtic practices and appears to have been heavily influenced by the Romans.
Yet the end result is recognizably Celtic in style.
Much more common are sites that have sometimes been described as shrines
such as those found at London Heathrow Airport and the Marne. These sites typically
consist of an earthen enclosure (sometimes double squares sometimes circular) of
varying dimension within which are grouped the remains of one or several structures as
evidenced by post holes. The structures are sometimes rectangular and sometimes
circular, sometimes there are grave sites nearby, and sometimes there are cremation
remains. Occasionally there are objects left which can be described as votive.
Interpreting these structures as shrines may be questionable, but is somewhat
supported by finds such as the circular shrine at Housesteads on Hadrians Wall.
Though most likely not Celtic, the small circular structure at Housesteads is certainly a
shrine, and the similarities between this site and other more ambiguous sites lends a
degree of support to those who see shrines in many of these enclosures.
A variation on the basic earthen enclosure is the elongated rectangular site type
such as those found at Libenice and Aulnay-aux-Planches. These sites are often quite
massive in dimensions, and while the evidence of structures within the earthen
enclosures is comparatively sparse, grave sites and cremation remains are often found
within the enclosed space. A few of these enclosures have been found to contain shafts
and/or pits which appear to be ritual in nature. In the enclosure at Holzhausen are three
shafts, one of which was one hundred and twenty feet deep.
The appearance of ritual shafts within enclosures makes it possible to relate these

Sacred Site Types, J. Boice

sites to many other sites which contain shafts or pits, but are not accompanied by
enclosures. At most of these non-enclosed sites, the shafts have been found to contain
various objects which can be described as votive along with evidence for sacrificial
practices. Some shafts and pits have previously been described as wells and may
certainly have functioned as such at some point in time.
The votive nature of the ritual shafts along with their alternate identification as wells
leads to what is probably the simplest sacred site type, the votive body of water. A rich
array of material, often contained in cauldrons, has been recovered from various pools,
springs and wells at sites such as La Tne, Llyn Cerrig Bach, the Giants Springs and
Gundestrup where the Gundestrup Cauldron was found. In addition, at the spring of Les
Roches over five thousand wooden figures in the shape of heads, body organs and full
figures were discovered, and at the source of the River Seine some two hundred such
wooden figures were also found. Is this an echo of the head cult exhibited by the two
temple sites with which this discussion began? If all of these site types are Celtic, how
are they related, and what do they tell us about Celtic religious practices?

Pan-Celtic Practice?
The Celts were not a highly centralized people as where the Romans, and with the
evidence from place names and inscriptions pointing to a highly localized assortment of
Celtic deities, perhaps it is expecting too much to attempt to tie the various sacred site
types together into a tightly knit framework representing Celtic religious practices.
Indeed, it only seems logical to expect the practice to vary as the deity being honored
and that deitys function in the culture varies.
Additionally, the classical and vernacular texts point to a much more natural form
of sacred space, or nemeton, implying a sacred clearing in a wood or a sacred grove
rather than the constructed enclosures of the types discussed here. The difficulty lies in
the fact that such sacred groves and clearings do not leave archaeological evidence, yet

Sacred Site Types, J. Boice

their existence should be considered in relation to the more naturally occurring springs,
pools and wells and the formal enclosures that have been uncovered. Perhaps we are
here seeing a variance in practice between the rural Celts and their more urbanized
counterparts?
Another consideration might be differences between sites that were used more or
less as cemeteries and those which were more sacrificial or votive in nature. Perhaps
the temples and ritual shaft enclosures were urbanized or at least regionalized sites
dedicated to honoring the gods of battle complete with severed heads of vanquished
foes and frequent sacrifices while many of the smaller shrines enclosed in earthen
works and accompanied by several structures were of the burial type and oriented
towards smaller communities with the votive springs, pools and well sites being all that
remain of the rural Celtic practices? There are many possibilities.

Conclusion
Depending on ones perspective, deciphering the archaeological evidence can be
either a great opportunity or a great challenge. Certainly there is tremendous room for
interpretation, and imagination could and should play a part in the process. But always,
these interpretations are works in progress, evolving as more evidence is uncovered,
and since we must rely on a certain degree of interpretation when it comes to imposing
patterns on the evidence, it seems prudent to accept, perhaps even to embrace, the
subjectivity inherent in the sense-making process.