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CELTIC HISTORY
The Celtic peoples occupied vast areas of land in what is
now Eastern Europe, Greece, Spain, Western Europe, England,
Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Northern Italy. Their heritage
can be traced for more than 25 centuries.
Because they were a
non literate people their history and literature was preserved
primarily through oral tradition. The only written
records of their civilization are the texts left by classical
authors, the first which appeared in approximately 500 BCE.
Celts came into cultural contact and sometimes competed
with early Greek and Roman civilizations. The Greeks
and Romans were impressed with the bold dress and powerful
appearance of the Celtic people. Celts are generally
characterized as a people of fair hair and fair complexions.
Most Celtic women were taller than the average Roman
citizen.
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Most of what is known about the Celts comes from the
Romans, their victims and vanquishers, and from the weapons and
ornaments they buried with their dead. From these traces emerges a
history of a sophisticated people who dominated Europe for 1000
years.
Understanding the culture and lives of the ancient Celts,
in the absence of clear archeological or textual record, is
not an easy task. No one is even sure where the term
"Celtic" came from. The Greeks called them
Keltoi
and Galatatae whereas the Romans called them
Celtae
or Galli. Up to 2000 years ago, Celts were
considered the peoples inhabiting continental Europe.
The peoples of England and Ireland were not called "Celts"
until seventeenth and eighteenth-century authors began to
identify them as such.
The quality of Celtic metal and stone work was artistically
and technically advanced. Celtic art is widely recognized for
its originality and outstanding quality. Most Celts lived in
well-populated farming villages close to larger towns which
were the cultural hubs.
The bravery of the Celts was recognized by all. They
would often spurn protective armor and go naked into battle.
Their woman were also able warriors, merchants and rulers
because Celtic society gave women the same status and rights
as men.
Despite their advanced culture, lack of unity was the
downfall of the Celts when the Roman military machine began to
overrun their lands. Gaul fell, then the south of Britain. But
the Romans were stopped in Scotland by the Picts, a
Celtic people. The Romans retreated, and Scotland and Ireland
remained unconquered.
Modern Celtic languages include Welsh and Breton
as well as Irish and Scottish Gaelic.
Variants: Celtae
(Roman), Galatatae (Greek), Galli (Roman), Keltoi (Greek).
May your
hands be forever blessed in friendship
and your hearts joined forever in love
Celtic Blessing
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