Döden som social överlevnad. Keltiskt människooffer under järnåldern

Abstract

This essay concerns the Celts during the Iron Age, and their ritual practice in human sacrifice. The method applied is an eclectic historic-critic reading of the few classical sources that exist together with archeological material and scholars conclusions of literal sources and archeological material. The hypothesis is that human sacrifice in the Celtic realm not is to be seen as a primitive act of violence, but that it filled a social function to preserve society and the Celtic way of life. The question this essay strives to answer is Which function/s do human sacrifice fill in a Celtic context during the Iron Age? The question is analysed with the aid of Radcliffe-Brown’s and Catherine Bell’s theories on ritual, as well as Malcolm Chapman’s postmodern ideas of the conception of the Celtic. The conclusion of the essay is that the prime functions of Celtic human sacrifice are to preserve society and the Celtic social way of life, combined with an aim to eliminate disturbing elements in that same society, such as crime and individuals who did not fit in to the social community.