Pillar of the Boatmen: Encyclopedia II - Pillar of the Boatmen - Description

Pillar of the Boatmen - Description

The pillar is made of a type of limestone called "pierre de Saint-Leu-d'Esserent", from Saint-Leu, Oise, France. The original pillar would have been 5.24m high, 0.91m wide at the base and 0.74m wide at the top. (Saragoza 2003).

It is formed in four tiers. Although the order from top to bottom is reasonably certain from the relative sizes of the blocks, we do not know the rotational order in which the blocks were arranged; there are 64 possibilities.

The top tier, of which only the top half remains, depicts Cernunnos, Smertios, Castor and Pollux. Cernunnos (see picture) has stags antlers from which hand two torcs. From the amount of the body in the top half, Cernunnos is assumed to have been depicted in a cross-legged seated position as with other Cernunnos depictions; there is insufficient room for him to be seated on a chair or standing. Smertios is shown kneeling, brandishing a club and attacking a snake. Castor and Pollus are shown standing beside their horses, each holding a spear (Busson p.451).

The second tier, which is complete, shows Jupiter, Esus, Tarvos Trigaranos and Vulcan. Jupiter is shown standing, holding a spear and a thunderbolt. Esusis shown standing beside a willow tree, which he is cutting down with an axe. Tarvos Trigaranus is depicted as a large, heavy-set bull standing in front of a willow tree. Two cranes stand on his back and a third on his head. Vulcan is shown standing, with hammer and tongs. (Busson pp.449-450)

The third tier, of which we have the top half, bears the main dedicatory inscription on one face. Since this has a border and appears complete, we do not know what was on the bottom half of this face. The other sides show a group of three young men with shields and spears; a group of three older, bearded men with spears and shields, bearing the inscription Iurises; and a group of three figures, at least one of which is female. They are unarmed, dressed in flowing gowns, and have an inscription Senani U[s]eiloni. (Busson p.448)

The fourth, lowest tier is slightly wider than the upper three. Only the top half remains, and the inscriptions are badly damaged. Each face shows a pair of standing figures. Mars, with spear and sword, is accompanied by a female deity with large round ear-rings and a flowing garment which is held over one arm. Mercury, with caduceus and is She may be Rosmerta, a frequent companion to Mercury in Gaulish art. Fortuna is accompanied by another female deity, perhaps Juno. Two other unidentified female deities are on the fourth face, the one to the left is naked to the waist and holds a large cloak behind her with upraised arms; the other is clothed and has large round ear-rings. (Busson p.447)

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Description", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki