Enter a player name to begin or load your saved progress.
The primary historical evidence for the wicker man as a sacrificial tool comes from the Greek historian Posidonius.
Answer: False
Explanation: While Posidonius is believed to be the original source, the primary *surviving* historical evidence for the wicker man comes from Julius Caesar's *Commentary on the Gallic War*.
Julius Caesar's account in *Commentary on the Gallic War* described the wicker man as a large figure made of stone, filled with criminals and set ablaze.
Answer: False
Explanation: Julius Caesar described the wicker man as a large figure made of wickerwork, not stone, filled with living men, preferably criminals, and then set on fire.
Strabo's account of the wicker man explicitly stated that victims were burned alive, similar to Caesar's description.
Answer: False
Explanation: While Strabo described men and animals being burned in a large figure, his account did not explicitly state that the victims were burned alive, unlike Caesar's description.
Diodorus Siculus wrote that the Celts sacrificed human and animal captives on huge pyres, along with the first fruits of their harvest, suggesting a ritualistic offering.
Answer: True
Explanation: Diodorus Siculus recorded that Celts sacrificed human and animal captives on large pyres, incorporating first fruits of the harvest, which implies a ritualistic offering to their deities.
Druids were the priests of Celtic paganism and were purportedly responsible for carrying out sacrifices using the wicker man.
Answer: True
Explanation: According to ancient Roman accounts, the druids, as priests of Celtic paganism, were the figures purportedly responsible for conducting sacrifices, including those involving the wicker man.
Julius Caesar's *Commentary on the Gallic War* is a 1st-century AD account detailing Roman political strategies in Greece.
Answer: False
Explanation: Julius Caesar's *Commentary on the Gallic War* is a 1st-century BC account detailing his military campaigns in Gaul, not Roman political strategies in Greece.
Posidonius is significant because his direct, surviving works provide the most detailed accounts of the wicker man.
Answer: False
Explanation: Posidonius is significant as a likely original source, but his direct works on the wicker man do not survive; later accounts by Diodorus Siculus and Strabo are believed to be derived from his writings.
Strabo's account suggested that the ashes from wicker man burnings were believed to promote crop growth.
Answer: True
Explanation: Strabo's account of the wicker man included the detail that the ashes from these burnings were believed to promote crop growth, suggesting a ritualistic agricultural purpose.
Which ancient Roman general provided the primary written evidence for the practice of using a wicker man for sacrifices?
Answer: Julius Caesar
Explanation: Julius Caesar, in his *Commentary on the Gallic War*, provided the primary written evidence for the purported use of the wicker man in Celtic sacrifices.
Besides Julius Caesar, which Greek geographer also mentioned the wicker man as a method of sacrifice used by the druids of Gaul?
Answer: Strabo
Explanation: The Greek geographer Strabo, in addition to Julius Caesar, also documented the wicker man as a method of sacrifice employed by the druids of Gaul.
According to Julius Caesar, who were the preferred victims for burning in the wicker man?
Answer: Criminals, though innocent people might be used if criminals were unavailable.
Explanation: Julius Caesar's account specifies that criminals were the preferred victims for burning in the wicker man, with innocent individuals being used only if criminals were not available.
What additional detail did Strabo include in his account of the wicker man that was not specified by Caesar?
Answer: That the ashes from the burnings were believed to help crops grow.
Explanation: Strabo's account uniquely included the detail that the ashes resulting from the wicker man burnings were thought to promote crop growth, a detail not present in Caesar's description.
From which earlier Greek historian are Diodorus Siculus and Strabo believed to have obtained their information about Celtic sacrifices?
Answer: Posidonius
Explanation: Diodorus Siculus and Strabo are thought to have derived their information concerning Celtic sacrifices from the earlier Greek historian Posidonius, whose original works are no longer extant.
What did Diodorus Siculus write about Celtic sacrifices in his *Bibliotheca historica*?
Answer: Celts sacrificed human and animal captives by burning them on huge pyres with first fruits.
Explanation: Diodorus Siculus documented that the Celts sacrificed human and animal captives on large pyres, along with the first fruits of their harvest, indicating a ritualistic offering.
Who were the druids in the context of purported wicker man sacrifices?
Answer: Priests of Celtic paganism.
Explanation: In the context of ancient accounts of wicker man sacrifices, druids were identified as the priests of Celtic paganism, responsible for conducting these religious rituals.
What is the historical context of Julius Caesar's *Commentary on the Gallic War*?
Answer: A 1st-century BC first-hand account of military campaigns in Gaul.
Explanation: Julius Caesar's *Commentary on the Gallic War* is a primary source from the 1st century BC, detailing his military campaigns and providing a Roman perspective on the Gallic peoples.
What is the significance of Posidonius in the historical accounts of the wicker man?
Answer: He was an earlier Greek writer whose work is believed to be the source for later accounts by Diodorus Siculus and Strabo.
Explanation: Posidonius is significant because, despite his direct works not surviving, he is widely considered the original Greek writer whose accounts influenced later historians like Diodorus Siculus and Strabo regarding Celtic practices, including the wicker man.
Modern scholarship generally accepts ancient Greco-Roman accounts of Celtic human sacrifice, including the wicker man, as entirely factual and unbiased.
Answer: False
Explanation: Modern scholarship approaches ancient Greco-Roman accounts of Celtic human sacrifice with skepticism, recognizing potential biases and exaggerations due to political motivations.
Archaeological evidence strongly supports widespread human sacrifice among Celtic peoples, particularly involving wicker man structures.
Answer: False
Explanation: Archaeological evidence for human sacrifice among Celtic peoples is considered rare, and there is no direct archaeological support for widespread use of wicker man structures for this purpose.
Greeks and Romans had political motivations to portray Celts negatively, which might have led to exaggerated accounts of their practices.
Answer: True
Explanation: Modern historians acknowledge that Greco-Roman authors had political reasons to depict Celts as 'barbarians,' potentially leading to biased or exaggerated accounts of their sacrificial practices.
What is the modern scholarly perspective on ancient Greco-Roman accounts of Celtic human sacrifice?
Answer: They are regarded with some skepticism due to potential exaggeration or fabrication for political reasons.
Explanation: Modern scholarship views ancient Greco-Roman accounts of Celtic human sacrifice with skepticism, acknowledging that these sources may have been influenced by political motivations to portray Celts negatively.
What does archaeological evidence suggest about human sacrifice among Celtic peoples?
Answer: There is some evidence, but it is considered rare.
Explanation: Archaeological findings indicate that human sacrifice among Celtic peoples did occur, but the evidence is limited and suggests it was a rare practice, not widespread.
Why do modern historians and archaeologists advise caution when interpreting ancient Greco-Roman accounts of Celtic practices?
Answer: The Greeks and Romans had political motivations to portray the Celts negatively.
Explanation: Modern scholars advocate caution with ancient Greco-Roman accounts of Celtic practices due to the political motivations of these writers to depict Celts as 'barbarians,' potentially leading to biased or exaggerated narratives.
The Gaulish gods Esus, Teutates, and Taranis were mentioned by Lucan as deities to whom human sacrifices were made.
Answer: True
Explanation: The Roman writer Lucan, in the 1st century AD, specifically named Esus, Teutates, and Taranis as Gaulish gods who received human sacrifices.
The *Commenta Bernensia* specified that sacrifices to the god Taranis involved drowning victims in a wooden container.
Answer: False
Explanation: The *Commenta Bernensia* indicated that sacrifices to Taranis involved burning victims in a wooden container, not drowning them.
Which Gaulish gods were mentioned by Lucan in connection with human sacrifices?
Answer: Esus, Teutates, and Taranis
Explanation: The Roman writer Lucan identified Esus, Teutates, and Taranis as Gaulish deities to whom human sacrifices were purportedly made.
According to the *Commenta Bernensia*, how were sacrifices to the Gaulish god Taranis carried out?
Answer: By burning victims in a wooden container.
Explanation: The *Commenta Bernensia* specifies that sacrifices dedicated to the Gaulish god Taranis involved burning victims within a wooden container.
The 1973 British horror film *The Wicker Man* played a significant role in bringing the concept of the wicker man into contemporary popular culture.
Answer: True
Explanation: The 1973 British horror film *The Wicker Man* is widely credited with popularizing the concept of the wicker man in contemporary culture, leading to its broader recognition and use in modern festivals.
In 18th and 19th century France, large wickerwork figures were burned, including a giant in Brie and a soldier in Paris.
Answer: True
Explanation: Historical accounts from 18th and 19th century France describe the burning of large wickerwork figures, such as a giant in Brie and a soldier in Paris, as part of local traditions.
The Midsummer Eve tradition in Luchon, Pyrenees, involved burning a wickerwork column filled with flowers and singing folk songs, but no animals.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Midsummer Eve tradition in Luchon, Pyrenees, involved burning a wickerwork column filled with leaves and flowers, but it also included burning live snakes, not just flowers.
An English observer in 1890 described the Luchon wickerwork figure as being approximately 10 feet tall and shaped like a pyramid.
Answer: False
Explanation: An English observer in 1890 described the Luchon wickerwork figure as approximately 20 feet tall and 'shaped like a mummy,' not 10 feet tall and pyramid-shaped.
Modern burnings of wicker man figures at festivals like Burning Man involve symbolic human sacrifices as part of neopagan rituals.
Answer: False
Explanation: Modern burnings of wicker man figures at festivals like Burning Man are symbolic acts of release and renewal, explicitly *without* human or animal sacrifices.
The Caretos Festival in Northern Portugal concludes with the burning of a gigantic human effigy featuring horns.
Answer: True
Explanation: The Caretos Festival in Northern Portugal culminates in the burning of a large human effigy adorned with horns, a traditional cultural event.
The 'Dimoni' tradition in Badalona, Catalonia, involves burning a wooden figure representing a saint, chosen annually by the local clergy.
Answer: False
Explanation: The 'Dimoni' figure burned annually in Badalona, Catalonia, represents a devil, not a saint, and its decoration is chosen through a public contest, not by local clergy.
The 18th-century illustration of a wicker man by Thomas Pennant provides direct archaeological evidence of ancient Celtic practices.
Answer: False
Explanation: The 18th-century illustration by Thomas Pennant is a visual representation of how the wicker man concept was understood in later periods, not direct archaeological evidence of ancient Celtic practices.
The 1910 illustration from *Myths and legends; the Celtic race* by T. W. Rolleston depicts modern neopagan ceremonies involving wicker figures.
Answer: False
Explanation: The 1910 illustration by T. W. Rolleston depicts human sacrifices in Gaul, reflecting early 20th-century interpretations of ancient Celtic practices, not modern neopagan ceremonies.
The primary purpose of burning a wicker man at modern festivals like Burning Man is to reenact ancient sacrificial rituals.
Answer: False
Explanation: The burning of wicker man figures at modern festivals like Burning Man serves as a symbolic act for themes such as release and artistic expression, rather than a reenactment of ancient sacrificial rituals.
The *Archaeolink Prehistory Park* in Scotland is noted for its archaeological excavations of ancient wicker man sites.
Answer: False
Explanation: The *Archaeolink Prehistory Park* in Scotland is known for its modern cultural practice of burning a wicker man, not for archaeological excavations of ancient wicker man sites.
A lifesize modern pagan wicker man has been observed in south east London, England, indicating contemporary practice.
Answer: True
Explanation: A lifesize modern pagan wicker man has indeed been observed in south east London, demonstrating the contemporary practice of constructing and displaying wicker effigies within modern pagan communities.
The 'Wickerman Event' in Wola Sękowa, Poland, in 2013, was a historical reenactment of ancient Celtic sacrificial rites.
Answer: False
Explanation: The 'Wickerman Event' in Wola Sękowa, Poland, in 2013, was a cultural event involving the burning of wicker figures, but it was not described as a historical reenactment of ancient Celtic sacrificial rites.
Which of the following significantly brought the wicker man into contemporary popular culture?
Answer: The British horror film *The Wicker Man* from 1973.
Explanation: The 1973 British horror film *The Wicker Man* is widely recognized for significantly introducing the concept of the wicker man into contemporary popular culture.
What types of wickerwork figures were reportedly burned in France during the 18th and 19th centuries?
Answer: Wickerwork giants and figures of soldiers or warriors.
Explanation: Accounts from 18th and 19th century France describe the burning of large wickerwork figures, specifically giants and figures resembling soldiers or warriors, as part of local traditions.
In Luchon, Pyrenees, what was burned alive in a tall wickerwork column on Midsummer Eve?
Answer: Snakes
Explanation: The Midsummer Eve tradition in Luchon, Pyrenees, involved the burning of live snakes within a tall wickerwork column, alongside leaves and flowers.
How did an English observer in 1890 describe the wickerwork figure in Luchon?
Answer: Somewhat 'shaped like a mummy' and approximately 20 feet tall.
Explanation: An English observer in 1890 documented the Luchon wickerwork figure as being approximately 20 feet tall and having a shape 'somewhat like a mummy'.
What is the purpose of burning wicker man figures at modern festivals like Burning Man?
Answer: As a symbolic act representing themes of release, renewal, and artistic expression.
Explanation: At modern festivals such as Burning Man, the burning of wicker man figures is a symbolic act intended to represent themes of release, renewal, community, and artistic expression, distinct from ancient sacrificial rituals.
What traditional festival in Northern Portugal concludes with the burning of a gigantic human effigy with horns?
Answer: The Caretos Festival
Explanation: The Caretos Festival in Northern Portugal is a traditional event that culminates in the burning of a gigantic human effigy adorned with horns.
In Badalona, Catalonia, what is the 'Dimoni' figure burned annually during the Major Festival?
Answer: A wooden figure representing a devil.
Explanation: The 'Dimoni' figure, burned annually as part of Badalona's Major Festival in Catalonia, is a sizable wooden representation of a devil.
What is the significance of the 18th-century illustration of a wicker man by Thomas Pennant?
Answer: It provides a visual representation of how the concept was understood in later historical periods.
Explanation: The 18th-century illustration by Thomas Pennant is significant as it visually demonstrates the historical understanding and depiction of the wicker man concept in periods long after its ancient Roman accounts.
What does the 1910 illustration from *Myths and legends; the Celtic race* by T. W. Rolleston depict?
Answer: Human sacrifices in Gaul.
Explanation: The 1910 illustration from *Myths and legends; the Celtic race* by T. W. Rolleston portrays human sacrifices in Gaul, reflecting early 20th-century artistic interpretations of ancient Celtic practices.
What is the *Archaeolink Prehistory Park* in Scotland known for in relation to the wicker man?
Answer: Burning a wicker man as a modern cultural practice.
Explanation: The *Archaeolink Prehistory Park* in Scotland is recognized for its modern cultural practice of constructing and burning a wicker man effigy within a historical park setting.
Where in London, England, has a lifesize modern pagan wicker man been observed?
Answer: South east London.
Explanation: A lifesize modern pagan wicker man has been documented in south east London, England, indicating contemporary practices within urban pagan communities.
What event related to the wicker man tradition took place in Wola Sękowa, Poland, in 2013?
Answer: A 'Wickerman Event'.
Explanation: In 2013, Wola Sękowa, Poland, hosted a 'Wickerman Event,' which is part of the broader modern tradition of burning wicker figures in various cultural contexts.
A wicker man was primarily constructed from stone and metal, allowing it to withstand high temperatures during burning.
Answer: False
Explanation: Historical accounts describe the wicker man as being constructed primarily from wicker, a woven material made from flexible plant branches or shoots, not stone and metal.
Caesar described the wicker man as a large, abstract figure without specific limbs, designed to hold many victims.
Answer: False
Explanation: Caesar described the wicker man as a large wickerwork figure *with limbs*, implying an anthropomorphic shape, rather than an abstract figure without specific limbs.
Besides human sacrifices, only birds were associated with the wicker man and Celtic peoples, according to ancient accounts.
Answer: False
Explanation: Ancient accounts and archaeological evidence suggest that animals, not just birds, were also associated with sacrifices by Celtic peoples, sometimes involving burning, alongside human sacrifices.
According to historical accounts, what was the primary purpose of a wicker man?
Answer: To be used by druids for human and animal sacrifices by burning.
Explanation: Historical accounts, particularly from Julius Caesar, describe the wicker man as a large figure used by druids for the ritualistic burning of humans and animals as sacrifices.
What material was primarily used to construct a wicker man?
Answer: Woven plant branches or shoots.
Explanation: The wicker man was primarily constructed from wicker, a material made by weaving flexible plant branches or shoots, such as willow or osier.
What was the general description of the wicker man's appearance as given by Caesar?
Answer: A large wickerwork figure with limbs.
Explanation: Julius Caesar described the wicker man as a large wickerwork figure possessing limbs, suggesting an anthropomorphic or human-like form.
Besides human sacrifices, what other type of sacrifice was associated with the wicker man and Celtic peoples according to ancient accounts?
Answer: Animals.
Explanation: Ancient accounts, including those by Caesar and Diodorus Siculus, indicate that animals were also purportedly sacrificed by Celtic peoples, sometimes in conjunction with human sacrifices in the wicker man.
What material was primarily used to construct a wicker man, as described in historical accounts?
Answer: Wicker, made from flexible plant branches or shoots.
Explanation: Historical accounts consistently describe the wicker man as being constructed primarily from wicker, a material derived from flexible plant branches or shoots.