the world of celts
TRANSCRIPT
-
8/13/2019 The World of Celts
1/7
The World of the Celts
2009
-
8/13/2019 The World of Celts
2/7
The historical Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies
in Iron Age Europe. Proto-Celtic culture formed in the Early
Iron Age in Central Europe (Hallstatt period, named for the site
in present-day Austria). By the later Iron Age (La Tne period),
Celts had expanded over a wide range of lands: as far west as
Ireland and the Iberian Peninsula, as far east as Galatia (central
Anatolia), and as far north as Scotland.The earliest direct attestation of a Celtic language are the
Lepontic inscriptions, beginning from the 6th century BC.
Continental Celtic languages are attested only in inscriptions
and place-names. Insular Celtic is attested from about the fourth
century AD in ogham inscriptions. Literary tradition begins with
Old Irish from about the eighth century. Coherent texts of Early
Irish literature, such as the Tin B Cailnge, survive in 12th
century recensions.
-
8/13/2019 The World of Celts
3/7
Origins
The Celtic languages form a branch of the larger Indo-
European family. By the time speakers of Celtic
languages enter history around 400 BC (Brennus's attack
on Rome in 387 BC), they were already split into several
language groups, and spread over much of Central
Europe, the Iberian peninsula, Ireland and Britain.
Some scholars think that the Urnfield culture of northernGermany and the Netherlands represents an origin for
the Celts as a distinct cultural branch of the Indo-
European family. This culture was preeminent in central
Europe during the late Bronze Age, from ca. 1200 BC
until 700 BC, itself following the Unetice and Tumulus
cultures. The Urnfield period saw a dramatic increase in
population in the region, probably due to innovations in
technology and agricultural practices. The Greek
historian Ephoros of Cyme in Asia Minor, writing in the
fourth century BC, believed that the Celts came from the
islands off the mouth of the Rhine who were "driven
from their homes by the frequency of wars and the
violent rising of the sea".
-
8/13/2019 The World of Celts
4/7
Archaeological evidence
In various academic disciplines theCelts were considered a CentralEuropean Iron Age phenomenon,
through the cultures of Hallstatt and LaTne. However, archaeological findsfrom the Hallstatt and La Tne cultureswere rare in the Iberian Peninsula, anddid not provide enough evidence for acultural scenario comparable to that ofCentral Europe. It is considered equallydifficult to maintain that the origin of
the Peninsular Celts can be linked to thepreceding Urnfield culture, leading to amore recent approach that introduces a'proto-Celtic' substratum and a processof Celticization having its initial rootsin the Bronze Age Bell Beaker culture
-
8/13/2019 The World of Celts
5/7
Historical evidence
Polybius published a history of Romeabout 150 BC in which he describes theGauls of Italy and their conflict withRome. Pausanias in the second centuryBC says that the Gauls "originallycalled Celts live on the remotest regionof Europe on the coast of an enormoustidal sea". Posidonius described thesouthern Gauls about 100 BC. Thoughhis original work is lost it was used bylater writers such as Strabo. The latter,writing in the early first century AD,deals with Britain and Gaul as well asHispania, Italy and Galatia. Caesar
wrote extensively about his Gallic Warsin 58-51 BC. Diodorus Siculus wroteabout the Celts of Gaul and Britain inhis first century History.
-
8/13/2019 The World of Celts
6/7
Warfare and weapons Principal sites in Roman Britain, with
indication of the Celtic tribes. Tribal warfareappears to have been a regular feature ofCeltic societies. While epic literature depictsthis as more of a sport focused on raids andhunting rather than organised territorialconquest, the historical record is more oftribes using warfare to exert political controland harass rivals, for economic advantage,and in some instances to conquer territory.The Celts were described by classicalwriters such as Strabo, Livy, Pausanias, andFlorus as fighting like "wild beasts", and ashordes. Dionysius said that their "manner offighting, being in large measure that of wild
beasts and frenzied, was an erraticprocedure, quite lacking in military science.hus, at one moment they would raise their
swords aloft and smite after the manner ofwild boars, throwing the whole weight oftheir bodies into the blow like hewers ofwood or men digging with mattocks, andagain they would deliver crosswise blowsaimed at no target, as if they intended to cutto pieces the entire bodies of theiradversaries, protective armour and all"
-
8/13/2019 The World of Celts
7/7