Celtic Headhunters-archeological site from northern Gaul.

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http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/sc/web/video/titles/12661/a-sea-of-bones


http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/sc/web/video/titles/12662/1000-headless-bodies


these 2 links show English Professor Ronald Hutton and Martin Brown in the north of France investigating a site where, evidently, Belgic Celts went to war against their neighbors, killing off all the males, and decapitating hundreds upon hundreds of them. They placed their bodies on a wooden platform as maybe a warning to other tribes in the area.

This is not new. It's about the finds from Ribemont France and I am sure alot of you know about it. But this briefly shows some of the actual weapons that were found.

These links are just clips as it does not show the full documentary and for some reason it takes a second for the clip to load, so I apologize in advance.

The show is called Tomb Detectives from smithsonianchannel.com and other clips from the show have Bog Bodies found in Ireland and Denmark as well as one about a Romano-Briton who served along Hadrian's wall and was punished by his senior officers, along with his comrades, by being beheaded.

enjoy!
 
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Was there any cannibalism involved?, or did they just lop off the heads?, I thought some Celts practiced cannibalism.
 
Was there any cannibalism involved?, or did they just lop off the heads?, I thought some Celts practiced cannibalism.
I think they believed that sole location is in head only. Looks like heads had funerals (in lakes or swamps), but the rest of body or some bones were used in rituals. I'm not sure about cannibalism, although if existed, was more of ceremonial "communion" like practice, and not a feast of all body flesh (as a source of protein).
 
Was there any cannibalism involved?, or did they just lop off the heads?, I thought some Celts practiced cannibalism.
There has never been any documented case of cannibalism among the Celts. Even the Romans never suspected them for that!
 
Strabo - IV/IV (Human-Sacrifice)
They used to strike a human being, whom they had devoted to death, in the back with a sabre, and then divine from his death-struggle. But they would not sacrifice without the Druids. We are told of still other kinds of human sacrifices; for example, they would shoot victims to death with arrows, or impale them in the temples, or, having devised a colossus of straw and wood, throw into the colossus cattle and wild animals of all sorts and human beings, and then make a burnt-offering of the whole thing.

Diodorus Siculus - V/XIX (Head-Cult)
When their enemies fall they cut off their heads and fasten them about the necks of their horses; and turning over to their attendants the arms of their opponents, all covered with blood, they carry them off as booty, singing a paean over them and striking up a song of victory, and these first-fruits of battle they fasten by nails upon their houses, just as men do, in certain kinds of hunting, with the heads of wild beasts they have mastered. The heads of their most distinguished enemies they embalm in cedar-oil and carefully preserve in a chest, and these they exhibit to strangers.....And some men among them, we are told, boast that they have not accepted an equal weight of gold for the head they show


The testimonies of the ancient Greek authors Strabo and Diodorus are very clear on that Human-sacrifices were Religious ceremonies and Druids had to be present while Head-hunting was practised by the Warriors as trophies of valour;
 
In the case of Ribemont, JL Brunaux explained that there should'nt have been any people sacrified.
 
Strabo - IV/IV (Human-Sacrifice)
They used to strike a human being, whom they had devoted to death, in the back with a sabre, and then divine from his death-struggle. But they would not sacrifice without the Druids. We are told of still other kinds of human sacrifices; for example, they would shoot victims to death with arrows, or impale them in the temples, or, having devised a colossus of straw and wood, throw into the colossus cattle and wild animals of all sorts and human beings, and then make a burnt-offering of the whole thing.

Diodorus Siculus - V/XIX (Head-Cult)
When their enemies fall they cut off their heads and fasten them about the necks of their horses; and turning over to their attendants the arms of their opponents, all covered with blood, they carry them off as booty, singing a paean over them and striking up a song of victory, and these first-fruits of battle they fasten by nails upon their houses, just as men do, in certain kinds of hunting, with the heads of wild beasts they have mastered. The heads of their most distinguished enemies they embalm in cedar-oil and carefully preserve in a chest, and these they exhibit to strangers.....And some men among them, we are told, boast that they have not accepted an equal weight of gold for the head they show


The testimonies of the ancient Greek authors Strabo and Diodorus are very clear on that Human-sacrifices were Religious ceremonies and Druids had to be present while Head-hunting was practised by the Warriors as trophies of valour;

some sources also claim the Druids would divine the future by looking at the entrails or intestines of sacrificial victims. Of course I have no idea if it's true or not,-it could be complete Greco-Roman propaganda for all I know,-but there are a few, occasional sources that mention that.


and it was always interesting to me, about the "Wicker man" of the Celts, as Strabo briefly mentions above. Always wondered if it was true or not.
 
In the case of Ribemont, JL Brunaux explained that there should'nt have been any people sacrified.


seems more likely if any sacrifices were to take place it would likely have been before an actual battle as maybe a prayer for victory to the gods.

although they did sacrifice prisoners of war, in this case there were no male prisoners taken, as they were all virtually wiped out and decapitated.
 
Although they did sacrifice prisoners of war, in this case there were no male prisoners taken, as they were all virtually wiped out and decapitated.
We don't have any proof they sacrified prisonners, although we have proof that Romans did it!
 
We don't have any proof they sacrified prisonners, although we have proof that Romans did it!

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I am looking for help in establishing Roman Emperor Hadrian Y dna I believe he has living relatives can anyone help with surnames linked with him in the post Roman period please goggle onkelos
 
how could there be any surnames linked to a Roman Emperor?
 
I am looking for help in establishing Roman Emperor Hadrian Y dna I believe he has living relatives can anyone help with surnames linked with him in the post Roman period please goggle onkelos

Hadrian was from the gens Aelia;
If there still are living relatives of Hadrian they should at least trace back to this gens as well;
 
As they were Belgian Kelts does this mean they slaughtered some Germanics? I mean, what other tribe did they behead, maybe a different tribe of Gauls, who knows.
 

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