God of Etang sur Arroux possible depiction of Cernunnos

The God of Étang-sur-Arroux (or Autun statuette) is a

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization (cultural), Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire in Roman Gaul. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, Roman culture, language ...

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

statuette, probably found in the commune of

Étang-sur-Arroux Étang-sur-Arroux (, literally ''Étang on Arroux'') is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. The bronze statuette called the God of Étang-sur-Arroux was found here. See also ...

, not far from

Autun Autun () is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Saône-et-Loire Departments of France, department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region of central-eastern France. It was founded during the Principate era of the e ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The statuette is of a bearded figure sat cross legged with two

ram Ram, ram, or RAM most commonly refers to: * A male sheep * Random-access memory, computer memory * Ram Trucks, US, since 2009 ** List of vehicles named Dodge Ram, trucks and vans ** Ram Pickup, produced by Ram Trucks Ram, ram, or RAM may also ref ...

-headed, fish-tailed serpents feeding from a basket in his hands. The

horned serpent The Horned Serpent appears in the mythologies of many cultures including Native American peoples, European, and Near Eastern mythology. Details vary among cultures, with many of the stories associating the mystical figure with water, rain, li ...

s and holes in the head for

antler Antlers are extensions of an animal's skull found in members of the Cervidae (deer) Family (biology), family. Antlers are a single structure composed of bone, cartilage, fibrous tissue, skin, nerves, and blood vessels. They are generally fo ...

s identify this as a representation of the

Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...

ish

stag A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) a ...

god

Cernunnos Cernunnos is a Celtic god whose name is only clearly attested once, on the 1st-century CE Pillar of the Boatmen from Paris, where it is associated with an image of an aged, antlered figure with torcs around his horns. Through the Pillar of the ...

. One peculiar feature, the presence of small human faces above each ear, has been commented on. The statuette is in the collection of the

National Archaeological Museum, France The National Archaeological Museum (French: Musée d'Archéologie nationale) is a major French archaeology museum, covering pre-historic times to the Merovingian period (450–750). It is housed in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye in the ''d ...

Discovery

The statuette was found in 1840. Its exact findspot is uncertain. J.-G. Buillot (writing in 1889) indicated that it was found near a

ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

, known as , of the river

Arroux The Arroux () is a river in central France. It is a right tributary of the Loire. It is long. Its source is east of Arnay-le-Duc, in Côte-d'Or. The Arroux flows generally south through the following departments and towns: * Côte-d'Or: Arna ...

(in the commune of Étang-sur-Arroux,

Saône-et-Loire Saône-et-Loire (; Arpitan: ''Sona-et-Lêre'') is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the rivers Saône and Loire, between which it lies, in the country's central-eastern part. Saône-et-Loire is B ...

). The inventory of the National Archaeological Museum indicates, on the contrary, that the findspot was in Savigny (in the commune of

Curgy Curgy () is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. See also *Communes of the Saône-et-Loire department The following is a list of the 563 communes of the Saône-et-Loire d ...

, Saône-et-Loire). Savigny is not implausible, as there is evidence of a very ancient road through the town. However, the authors of the '' Carte archéologique de la Gaule'' lean towards the Perrière provenance, as a find of a similar nature (a bronze boar with some Gallic and Roman coins) is recorded a few hundred meters further south. The statue was acquired in 1870 for the National Archaeological Museum.

Description

The statuette is cast from bronze. It measures 108mm tall and 57mm wide. The statuette is on a molded base, with four small cubes serving as feet. It is well-preserved, but has a

patina Patina ( or ) is a thin layer that variously forms on the surface of copper, brass, bronze, and similar metals and metal alloys ( tarnish produced by oxidation or other chemical processes), or certain stones and wooden furniture (sheen prod ...

. The statuette is of a male figure sat cross-legged on a cross-hatched cushion. The figure is aged, with a high forehead, beard and moustache. His hair is rendered in individual locks. He wears a

torc A torc, also spelled torq or torque, is a large rigid or stiff neck ring in metal, made either as a single piece or from strands twisted together. The great majority are open at the front, although some have hook and ring closures and a few hav ...

around his neck and a sleeveless

tunic A tunic is a garment for the torso, usually simple in style, reaching from the shoulders to a length somewhere between the hips and the ankles. It might have arm-sleeves, either short or full-length. Most forms have no fastenings. The name deri ...

, fastened to each shoulder by a

fibula The fibula (: fibulae or fibulas) or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. ...

. Two serpents, with ram heads and fish tails, are wrapped around his waist. He holds a basket in his hands, from which the two serpents appear to feed or drink. A second torc is balanced atop the basket. Two small holes (about 4mm deep), made after the statuette was cast, are present at the top of the head. These holes have traces of lead, probably used to fix whatever was placed in them. Two small bearded faces are visible above the right and left ears of the figure. The face above the right ear is almost entirely obscured by oxidation, excepting the beard. The face above the left has a damaged beard. Hélène Chew notes that a slight protuberance on the back of the head could suggest a third face (damaged beyond recognition).

Interpretation

The crossed legs, holes for the insertion of antlers, torcs, and ram-headed serpents are all characteristic of depictions of Cernunnos. The aged appearance of Cernunnos here has its best parallel in the famous

Pillar of the Boatmen The Pillar of the Boatmen () is a monumental Roman column erected in Lutetia (modern Paris) in honour of Jupiter (god), Jupiter by the guild of boatmen in the 1st century AD. It is the oldest monument in Paris and is one of the earliest pieces of r ...

Lutetia Lutetia, ( , ; ) also known as and ( ; ; ), was a Gallo-Roman culture, Gallo–Roman town and the predecessor of modern-day Paris. Traces of an earlier Neolithic settlement () have been found nearby, and a larger settlement was established ...

. A Gallo-Roman statue of Cernunnos found at

Sommerécourt Sommerécourt () is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France. See also *Communes of the Haute-Marne department The following is a list of the 426 communes in the French department of Haute-Marne. The communes coope ...

(

Haute-Marne Haute-Marne (; English: Upper Marne) is a department in the Grand Est region of Northeastern France. Named after the river Marne, its prefecture is Chaumont. In 2019, it had a population of 172,512.classical sculpture Classical sculpture (usually with a lower case "c") refers generally to sculpture from Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, as well as the Hellenized and Romanized civilizations under their rule or influence, from about 500 BC to around 200 AD. It ...

. However, unlike much Gallo-Roman religious sculpture, which assimilated Gaulish gods with Graeco-Roman deities, this statuette seems to have "retained tsCeltic individuality unimpaired". Art historian

Phyllis Pray Bober Phyllis Pray Bober (December 2, 1920 – May 30, 2002) was an American art historian, scholar, author and professor at Bryn Mawr College. She specialized in Renaissance art, classical antiquity, and she was a scholar in culinary history. Early l ...

sees a strong resemblance between the God of Étang-sur-Arroux and the God of Bouray (a bronze statuette perhaps also of Cernunnos) and has suggested that they are contemporary. This is of little help when it comes to further specifying the date of the God of Étang-sur-Arroux, as the dating of the God of Bouray is so uncertain. The two (perhaps three) small faces around the statuette's head are a peculiarity. However, three-faced or three-headed depictions of Cernunnos are not unknown. Examples of such depictions of Cernunnos are found at (

Côte-d'Or Côte-d'Or () is a département in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of Northeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 534,124.

Langres Langres () is a commune in France, commune in northeastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Departments of France, department of Haute-Marne, in the Regions of France, region of Grand Est. History As the capital ...

(

Dordogne Dordogne ( , or ; ; ) is a large rural departments of France, department in south west France, with its Prefectures in France, prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and ...

). Bober and David Fickett-Wilbar suggests that these represent the close relationship (or even assimilation) of Cernunnos with the tricephalic god known throughout Gallo-Roman art. Others demur. suggests that the tripling of faces on the God of Étang-sur-Arroux is merely intended to heighten the power of the deity, and perhaps to convey upon him omniscience. Hélène Chew suggests that these small faces "perhaps rather illustrate a mythological episode nvolving Cernunnoswhich is unknown to us".

Notes

References

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Discovery

Description

Interpretation

See also

Notes

References

Further reading