Thecarnyx is awind instrument that was common inCeltic cultures during theIron Age, betweenc. 200 BC andc. 200 AD. It is a type oftrumpet made ofbronze 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-mouthedboar or other animal.
The Celts used the carnyx in warfare, probably to incite troops to battle and to intimidate opponents, asPolybius recounts.[1] The instrument's significant height allowed it to be heard over the heads of the participants in battles or ceremonies.
The wordcarnyx is derived from theGaulish rootcarn- orcern-, meaning 'antler' or 'horn,' and the same root of the name of the godCernunnos.[2] It is cognate with theWelshcorn[3] andcarn.[4]
InIron Age Britain, animal symbolism deliberately conveys aggression and ferocity, with examples including aboar on theWitham Shield, the snoutedDeskford carnyx in Scotland and the dragon pair sword scabbard from theRiver Thames.[5]
There is evidence to suggest that the carnyx would be held by a chieftain, as shown by a potential Gaulish kingBituitos figure.[6]
In 2004, archaeologists discovered a first-century-BC Gallic pit atTintignac inCorrèze, France. The deposit contained more than 500 fragments of metal objects, including seven carnyces, one of which was nearly complete. Prior to this discovery, fragments of only five carnyces had been found, in modern-day Scotland, France, Germany, Romania, and Switzerland.[7] Four of the carnyces had boar's heads, the fifth appears to be a serpent-like monster; they appear to represent a ritual deposit dating to soon after theRoman conquest of Gaul.[8] The Tintignac finds enabled some fragments found in northern Italy decades before to be identified in 2012 as coming from a carnyx.[9]
The first example found in Britain was dredged from theRiver Witham at Tattershall Ferry (53°05′23″N0°12′53″W / 53.08981°N 0.21462°W /53.08981; -0.21462), Lincolnshire, in 1768. It is interpreted as avotive offering consigned into the river during the Iron Age. Made from hammered sheets ofbronze fastened together withtin solder, it was destroyed during an attempt to analyse the composition of the metal used to make it.[10][11]
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The next example found in Britain is the Deskford Carnyx, discovered at the farm of Leitchestown (57°39′31″N2°48′15″W / 57.6585°N 2.8041°W /57.6585; -2.8041[12]),Deskford,Banffshire, Scotland, in 1816. Seemingly, it too was placed as a ritual deposit. Only the boar's-head bell survives. It was donated to Banff Museum, and is now on loan from Aberdeenshire Museums Service to theMuseum of Scotland. The location and age of the Deskford Carnyx in the Pictish heartland suggests the instrument may have had a ceremonial use and was not used only in warfare. Before 2004 this was the best surviving example, and generally copied in earlier reconstructions.[13]
The Deskford find was made almost entirely of brass, a metal used almost exclusively by the Romans after their conquest of Southern Britannia and strictly controlled by them, so just as with the vast majority of Iron Age and Roman-era Celtic brass found in Britain, the carnyx may have been made "with some care" from recycled metal.[14] Based in part on the metallurgy, the Museum of Scotland give a date of 80—250 CE for its construction, noting that it was a locally-produced piece, "a specifically Scottish variant" distinct in design from known continental carnyces and that its "decoration is typical of metalwork in northeast Scotland at the time, where there was a flourishing tradition of fine bronze-working."[15]
In 2025 a collection ofIron Age military hardware was unearthed in west Norfolk, within the former territory of theIceni tribe.[16] The items were probably buried within the first century AD. The finds included a bronze carnyx, a bronze war standard in the shape of a boar's head, and fiveshield bosses. The carnyx requires extensive conservation but is exceptionally complete: one conservator described it as "the most complete carnyx ever found".[17] It is unusual or unique in having the ears of the animal head intact.[18][19]
Roman-struck coins suggest that a war trumpet was used by the Celts, which they called a carnyx. These celtic trumpets are dissimilar to Roman trumpets that are not described as having a "monster headed extremity".[20] The Celtic or Gaulic carnyx was used by the Celts in a similar way to how a standard functioned for the Romans and there is an example of a Dragon-headed carnyx in the base ofTrajan's Column.[21] The carnyx has been described as identical to aDacian trumpet. There is a clear similarity between Celtic carnyx and the DacianLa Tène dragon standard and jewellery with dragons and serpents.[22] A dragon-headed carnyx also appears to be held by a Gaulic woman on the breastplate of Augustus.[23]
The name is known from textual sources, carnyces are reported from the Celtic attack on theDelphi in 279 BC, as well as fromJulius Caesar's campaign inGaul and theClaudian invasion ofBritannia in 43 CE byAulus Plautius. Around 60—30 BC,Diodorus Siculus wrote:
Objects found atTintignac were exhibited at the 2012 exhibition "Les Gaulois, une expo renversante" (The Gauls, a stunning exhibition).
The reconstruction of the Deskford Carnyx was initiated by Dr.John Purser, and commenced in 1991 funded jointly by the Glenfiddich Living Scotland award and the National Museums of Scotland. In addition to John Purser as musicologist, the team consisted of the archaeologist Fraser Hunter, silversmith John Creed, and trombonistJohn Kenny. After 2,000 years of silence the reconstructed Deskford Carnyx was unveiled at the National Museum of Scotland in April 1993.[27]
In 1993 Kenny became the first person to play the carnyx in 2,000 years, and has since lectured and performed on the instrument internationally, in the concert hall, on radio, television, and film. There are numerous compositions for the carnyx and it is featured on seven CDs. On 15 March 2003 he performed solo to an audience of 65,000 in theStade De France in Paris.[27]
On 15 June 2017 "The Music of the Forest", a specially commissioned work by Lakeland composer, Christopher Gibbs, featuring a reconstructed carnyx, received its world premiere atSlaidburn Village Hall. The four-part song cycle evoked the landscape and history of theForest of Bowland and was performed by the Renaissance Singers ofBlackburn Cathedral under the direction of Samuel Hudson. The carnyx was played by John Kenny.[28]
In 2024, theFootball Association of Wales commissioned a reconstructed carnyx from a Belgian metalsmith to incorporate into pre-match performances as "another way of expressing our [Welsh] identity to the world". It was first played before aUEFA Nations League fixture on 19 November 2024, versusIceland, by a trumpet player fromthe Barry Horns fans' brass band.[29]
The carnyx is featured in the opening battle scene of the 2000 filmGladiator, and is used as a musical instrument in thesoundtrack of its 2024 sequelGladiator II.[30] It appears in several battle scenes of the French film,Druids (2001).[citation needed] A carnyx appears near the beginning of the 2012Pixar computer-animated filmBrave.[citation needed] The carnyx is used in the Gallic soundtrack inSid Meier'sCivilization VI.[citation needed] The bardCacofonix from theAsterix series is often pictured carrying or occasionally blowing a carnyx.
Brazen swine's head found
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