Förromersk religion i Gallien : med utgångspunkt i Caesars De bello Gallico

Författare

Elisabeth Enochsson

Summary, in English

Thid thesis concerns pre-Roman religion in Gaul, taking as its starting point Caesar's De bello Gallico. Caesar's account of the Gauls and their religious customs is compared with the accounts of Lucan, Pliny the elder and Ammianus Marcellinus. These are also compared to, and contrasted to, the archaeological evidence. There is some discussion of the nature of the common interpretations of this evidence. The concept of 'the Celts' is touched upon, since much of the relevant evidence has, in our time, been thought of as Celtic. Certain themes are explored in depth: druids, sacrifices, and the gods. These themes are mentioned by Caesar. The other themes, not mentioned in depth by Caesar but occurring in the other accounts and evidence, are sanctuaries and animals. Throughout, a critical analasys is applied when interpreting the evidence and when relating the interpretations made by scholars. In conclusion, not much can be said for certain regarding pre-Roman religion in Gaul. Rather, we have several attempts at interpreting elusive evidence.

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