Lyon cup

In 1929, during construction on the foundations of the house on 29 Rue Sala, Lyon, ancient masonry was uncovered, consistent with a Roman warehouse building.

At a depth of 5 to 6 metres (16 to 20 ft), the Lyon cup was uncovered, alongside a deposit of Roman pottery.

There are several animals: an eagle, a serpent, a deer, a dog, a wild boar, a raven, and (perhaps) a tortoise.

[2]: 50 [7] Stéphanie Boucher points out that, while the boar is more representative of Celtic art, the presence of a snake and an eagle show broader Mediterranean influences on the cup's design.

[7][9]: 42–43  Dominique Hollard and Daniel Gricourt link the snake coiled around the leafless tree with Cernunnos, as the god is associated with serpents and winter.

[9]: 43  Wuilleumier thinks the dog is a difficulty, given this interpretation, and suggests it belongs rather to the seated figure.

[2]: 50  However, Garrett Olmsted compares this arrangement of animals to a plate on the Gundestrup cauldron, where Cernunnos is surrounded by a deer, a dog, and a (horned) serpent.

[10]: 98  Phyllis Pray Bober suggests the cornucopia evidences a syncretisation of Cernunnos with the Roman god Dis Pater.

[8] Boucher points out that the figure lacks Mercury's characteristic winged helmet and caduceus.

They note that if Cernunnos represents winter on the cup, then Lugus, associated with summer, would be his natural opposite.

He sees, in the presence of torcs, evidence of Apollo's adaptation to Celtic sensibilities and possible syncretisation with a Gaulish god.

Seeing the circular object as a purse dropped by the raven, he tentatively identifies the figure with a human, blessed by Apollo with riches.

[6]: fn 13 Jean-Jacques Hatt [fr] has proposed a complex interpretation of the cup's design in terms of the Celtic triad of gods, Taranis, Teutates, and Esus (syncretised, respectively, with Jupiter, Mercury, and Cernunnos).

He sees the seated figure as Teutates-Mercury receiving riches from the raven, a messenger of Lug-Apollo.

The Lyon cup
Image of Plancus , founder of Roman Lugdunum, making an offering to the genius of the city. At his feet, a bird (perhaps a raven) is perched on a pile of rocks. [ 3 ] : 258
Scene with Cernunnos , a deer, a (horned) serpent, and a dog on the Gundestrup cauldron .
1st-century CE altar from Reims with Cernunnos, accompanied by Apollo and Mercury . Mercury has a cornucopia, while Cernunnos spills grain.
An Augustan -type Apollo with kithara , on a 1st-century BCE altar from Theatre of Arles .