Abstract

In Iron Age Europe, the severed human head carried symbolic associations with power, fertility, status and gender. Evidence ranges from classical literary references to iconography and skeletal remains. Traditionally, this was associated with a Celtic “head-cult,”. This lecture explores instead how the rich ethnographic literature can help us develop new understandings of Iron Age practice.

Reference

Ian Armit (Bradford University), “Headhunting and the Body in Iron Age Europe”, IAST General Seminar, Toulouse: IAST, October 20, 2017, 11:30–12:30, room MF323.