This mysterious artifact of Celtic culture was found in 1909 in Germany. The ceramic piece, 27 cm high, became the subject of fascination for researchers from the Romano-Germanic Museum in Cologne.
The Vase of the Gods is a convex vessel, which, despite its small height, attracts attention with its exquisite execution. It is decorated with a series of deep stamped concentric circles above the heads of the gods, similar to metal rivets. In fact, the shape and decoration imitate metal vessels made of bronze or silver.
The outside of the vessel is decorated with the heads of six gods - hence the name. Four relief male and two female heads of gods are separated from each other by smooth strips and, with one exception, are glued together with arches. Two of the heads were badly damaged.
The head of the god with three faces deserves special attention: one face frontally, one face in profile on the left and one on the right. According to historians, they lack attributes by which the images of the gods could be identified.
Researchers claim that the images on the vessel resemble reliefs on the famous silver cauldron found in a bog near Gundestrup in Denmark. An iconic piece of Celtic art, kept in the National Museum in Copenhagen, which has similar images of Celtic gods.
The vase even somewhat duplicates the fate of the cauldron from Gundestrup. When it was found, it was also broken. After restoration, it is one of the best-preserved examples along with a similar vase of gods from Bave, kept in the Louvre in Paris.
This is not just an archaeological artifact, it is the key to understanding the history and culture of the ancient peoples who inhabited modern Europe.
roemisch-germanisches-museum.de
Source: roemisch-germanisches-museum.de
