Page 72 - All About History - Issue 38-16

Celts: Cult of Death

FUNERALS AND THE AFTERLIFE

C e l t i c b u r i a l s w e re c e re m on i a l a f f a i r s t h a t prep a re d
Celtic burials were ceremonial affairs that prepared
the deceased for the next life

Size and structure
The burial grounds would be approximately 50
metres in diameter and six metres deep, but this
depended on the importance of the individual.
The structure consisted of wooden walls and a
layer of stones that would be covered by sod.
The corpse
The body would be made up to
look its best for the Otherworld.
The dead from noble
backgrounds would be dressed in
the smartest clothes they owned
while the poor would be covered
and wrapped up in cloth.

Location of the body
The corpse would always be
laid horizontally. Depending on
social status, this would be on
the base of the carriage within
the burial ground or on a sort
Drinking culture of raised bronze platform.
As well as food and equipment, beverages and
drinking vessels were buried as tradition. In
one tomb alone, 1,100 litres of wine were taken
underground. Gravediggers sometimes targeted
Celtic burial grounds and huge amounts of drink
could be a valuable find.

The carriage
Often one of the main
components of a Celtic tomb,
the carriage would be present at
burials of kings and queens and
other members of the richer elite.
It contained jewellery, weapons,
tools and other instruments
needed for the Otherworld.

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