Between Archaeological and Figurative Evidence of “Mothering” in Ancient Gaul and Beyond
Résumé
The usual issues related to what place and/or role women had in the pre- and proto-historic communities of Central Europe – commonly called “Celtic” – follow a current a priori that focuses on the female “biological properties.” Biologically speaking, women bear children, giving birth, nurturing and taking care of them. As a result, whatever the medium, any depiction of a woman is consistently related to this “natural” state and condition, the perception of what is emphasized by her nakedness: She is thus regarded, of course, as a “mother,” or even a “matrone,” if not a “mother-goddess” and, furthermore, a “Venus.” Actually, archaeological evidence does not necessarily reflect maternal concerns within these communities, except from the well-known Graeco-Roman model, at the turn of our era. On the other hand, the written descriptions provided by the Graeco-Roman literary tradition do not reflect such an image of women-mothers and wonder instead about the role and initiatives Celtic women have taken among their own people. The question may then arise as to what sense was applied to motherhood and mothering within these communities so far as to make it today as a complete female “characteristic.” The chapter intends to cross-examine the different types of documentation available – be it texts, inscriptions, figurations, and even specific artefacts found especially in female graves – in an attempt to avoid anachronisms and/or “anatopisms.”
