Carnyx
Celtic musical instrument; type of bronze trumpet with an elongated S shape
The carnyx (pl.: carnyces; , KAR-nicks) is a wind instrument that was common in Celtic cultures during the Iron Age, between c. 200 BC and c. 200 AD. It is a type of trumpet made of bronze with an elongated S shape, held so that the long straight central portion was vertical and the short mouthpiece end section and the much wider bell were horizontal in opposed directions. The bell was styled in the shape of the head of an open-mouthed boar or other animal.
The Celts used the carnyx in warfare, probably to incite troops to battle and to intimidate opponents, as Polybius recounts. The instrument's significant height—typically around 1.8 metres (6 feet), standing as tall as its player—allowed it to be heard over the heads of the participants in battles or ceremonies. The carnyx was not only used by the Celts but also by the Dacians in modern Romania, and depictions have even been found on a Buddhist sculpture in India, attesting to the far-flung connections of the Iron Age world.
Etymology
The word carnyx is derived from the Gaulish root carn- or cern-, meaning 'antler' or 'horn', and the same root of the name of the god Cernunnos. It is cognate with the Welsh corn and carn. The Greek form karnon (κάρνον) or karnyx (κάρνυξ) is preserved in late lexicographers such as Hesychius, who defined it as a trumpet used by the Galatians.
Archaeology
Symbolism
In Iron Age Britain, animal symbolism deliberately conveys aggression and ferocity, with examples including a boar on the Witham Shield, the snouted Deskford carnyx in Scotland and the dragon pair sword scabbard from the River Thames.
There is evidence to suggest that the carnyx would be held by a chieftain, as shown by a potential Gaulish king Bituitos figure.
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This entry incorporates text from “Carnyx” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.