i6 Donald A. Mackenzie — Scottish Pork Taboo 



Apamea (quoted by Strabo. iv. c. 4 § 3) states that the Celts 

 '' have so many sheep and swine that they supply saga and 

 salted pork in plenty, not only to Rome, but to most parts of 

 Italy .... They live on milk and all kinds of flesh, that of 

 swine, which they eat both fresh and salted, being the most 

 common." 



Dr. Sullivan, in his introduction to O'Curry's ^' Manners 

 and Customs of the Ancient Irish," shows that the Irish Celts 

 regarded pork as a great delicacy. They cured hams '^ in the 

 smoke of greenwood, such as beech, ash, and white thorn." 



" The general name for bacon was Tini, but smoke-cured 

 hams and flitches were called Tineiccas. This is almost 

 identical in form with the Gallo-Roman word Taniaccce or 

 Tanacce, used by Varro (116-27 B.C.) for hams imported from 

 Transalpine Gaul into Rome and other parts of Italy. 

 Puddings prepared from the blood of pigs also formed an 

 article of export from Gaul to Italy, as we learn from Varro. 

 Puddings of the same kind were also made by the Irish." 

 (21, ccclxix, et seq.). 



It no doubt comes as a shock to those who have been of 

 late years viewing the Celt through the coloured spectacles 

 supplied by Renan, and Arnold and by the exponents of the 

 Neo-Celtic school of poetry, to find the so-called dreamy Celt 

 of their imaginations appearing at the dawn of Western 

 European history as a greasy pork merchant. 



The eastern wing of the Celts was in Asia Minor and gave 

 their name to Galatia. According to Hieronymus of Cardia, 

 (quoted by Pausanias, i, 3 § 5), " the name Galatia is of late 

 origin, for originallv they were called Celts, both by themselves 

 and bv all other peoples." Thev were eaters of pork to begin 

 with, but ultimately tabooed it. The explanation given for the 

 change of diet is contained in the following significant 

 passage : — 



" Thereupon Attis himself and several of the Lydians 

 were slain by the boar, in consequence of which the Galati 

 who dwell in Pessinus will not eat swine " {op. cit., vii, 17). 



Lucian (2nd century a.d.), writing of the GalH (19. chap. 



54), says : — 



'' They sacrifice bulls and cows and goats and sheep ; pigs 

 alone, which they abominate, are neither sacrificed nor eaten. 

 Others look on swine without disgust, but as holy animals." 



