Celts are a group of people who lived in Indo-European areas in the ancient era. With time, their diaspora extended to a significant number of areas, including Britain, Ireland, and France. This article aims to discuss everything from the Celts and Celtic eras to their different tribes, religions, and rivals.
Celts And Celtic Era
Celts inhabited European countries from 750 BC to 43 AD, or the Iron Age. Their actual origination is uncertain because they did not prefer to record their history. That’s why a minimum of data is available. Greek authors were the first ones to describe them in written form. Celts were influential in their era and maintained their grip over countries until the Roman invasion.
Today, Celtic nations or countries comprise six geographical areas, including Scotland, Ireland, Britain, Whales, Cornwell, and Isles of Men. Celts also reside in other countries but are not significantly numerous. The shared identity of Celts worldwide is the language they speak.
Celtic Tribes
The exact number of Celtic tribes is unknown. In the ancient era, they covered a large area of Europe, ensuring the number of tribes was relatively high. Some common Celtic clans are discussed below.
Britons:
The Britons, or the Celtic Britons, were a large tribe that inhabited Great Britain from the Bronze Age to the High Middle Ages, from 1000 AD to 1300 AD.
Gaels:
Gaels were another Celtic group living in Scotland, Ireland, and the Isle of Man. The word “Gael” is derived from the Gaelic word Gaidheal, which means strangers or foreigners.
Caledones:
This particular tribe inhabited the Scottish Highlands and Islands. The Romans gave it this name for those who inhabited the Great Glen.
Taexali:
According to Roman historians, this tribe lived in the Grampian Mountains, Scotland. The Romans defeated them in 84 AD but couldn’t wholly occupy them.
These are just a few tribes, but they were pretty powerful. Many other tribes still inhabit the Celtic countries. Some familiar names are Carvetii, Venicones, Epidii, Damnonii, Atrebates, Picts, Boii, etc.
Celtic Languages
The ancient Celts spoke many traditional languages identical to them, which they learned from their ancestors. Some of these languages are still spoken today, such as Welsh, which is the most common Celtic language and has millions of followers worldwide.
- Welsh
- Cornish
- Scot Gaelic
- Manx
- Breton
Many other Celtic languages are still alive, but their speakers are minimal compared to Welsh. Cornish is a standard language of Celts in Cornwall. Similarly, Scot Gaelic is the mother language of many Scots and is still spoken. Other Celtic languages people still speak in different parts of the world are Manx and Breton. These languages are native to the Isle of Mann and Brittany in France.
Celtic Religion
Ancient Celtic religion is an interesting topic to discuss. As discussed earlier, a major part of Celtic history was not written, the story of their ancient religion is the same as well. Most indications about their ancient religion historians know about are derived from their archaeological sites.
One of the Celts’ most prominent religions was Celtic Paganism, which was closely affiliated with the natural world. Celts worshipped different gods and holy places such as lakes and rivers. The moon, the sun, and the stars were also important to them, and they considered them supernatural forces.
Dressing of Ancient Celts
The dress code of ancient Celts was a way to identify them. Their dresses had long-sleeved shirts and tunic trousers, which were usually made with wool, linen, or silk. The fabrics used to make their dress also served as their identification. Silk-made suits were worn by wealthy Celts, while linen or wool was worn by commoners.
Celts also had accessories to complete their dresses, like the Scottish kilt outfits of today. Some standard components of their attire were brooches and armlets. Moreover, they used to wear torcs usually worn around the neck. It was usually made of metal and sometimes of gold. According to History, Celts were the first to wear pants in European countries.
Celtic Foods
The population of Scots was scattered throughout Great Britain and different European countries with time, so their diets varied according to the area where they reside. Celts were skilled hunters and great farmers ensuring they had a large number of diets for every season. Some common parts of their diet were
- livestock
- vegetables
- herbs
- honey
- Eggs
Celtic Traditional Events
Celts have been celebrating different traditions as their cultural ones. Some of the most common customs still part of their traditions are spring equinox, samhain, bealtaine, lughnasadh, etc. Overall number of festivals in their traditions is significant but we will discuss the mentioned ones here.
Spring Equinox
Spring Equinox, also known as Easter or Ostara is considered as the most traditional event which is still celebrated passionately among celts. A day regarding this occasion is the first Sunday after 21st March. Initially, the event was observed at night when Celts found the duration of day and night equal.
Samhain
The next event, traditionally common among the Celts, is Samhain. The celebrations aimed to say farewell to summer and welcome winters. Celts had been celebrating this day on 1st November, while the preparations used to start on 31st October. They considered this day when the boundaries between the physical and spiritual worlds break down.
Bealtaine
Another festival or Celtic tradition started in Celtic era but still common now is Bealtaine. They traditionally have been commemorating on the 1st May to mark the summer solstice. Celts used to perform the rituals surrounding the fire in the center and considered it to bring life and fertility back.
Lughnasadh
Farming was the primary source of income for Celts, so they always honored the cropping. This Lughnasadh event was specific to the harvest season at the end of summer. Moreover, the day to celebrate this event was 1st August. The event is called thanksgiving today as well and many traditional feasts are made. In the past, Celtic used to serve the first fruits to others in the meal.
Famous Celtic Wars
Celtic society comprised 3 main parts: warriors, intellectuals, and ordinary people. If we specifically talk about the warfare of the Celts, they were a symbol of bravery and had many warriors in every era. Similarly, having horses was essential to be a warrior. They battled many wars in their peak time. Some of their everyday battles are:
Battle of the Allia:
The Battle of the Allia was fought in 387 BC between the Celtic group led by Brennus and Romans near the Allia River. The strength of warriors on both sides is not certain. The sources claim 40,000 Romans while Gaelic were almost 70,000. Many Romans were killed and the battle ended in favor of Celts.
Battle of Anio River:
This war occurred in 361 BC between Romans and a group of Gauls near Anio river. The Romans defeated the rivals. The number of Celts was high but they tried to settle the issue with discussion and sent their bravest men to talk. However, the other side did not respond until their aid arrived. Romans won this rivalry at the end of the day.
Battle of Santium:
Santium’s war took place in 295 BC, and a large number of people were killed. Romans and Celtic Gauls were the rivals, and the Celts were defeated badly. 25,000 Celts were killed, while 8,000 were captured. On the other hand, just 8,700 Romans were killed, which sounds minimal compared to rivals.
Battle of Alclud Ford:
The battle was fought between the Celts and Anglo-Saxons. Much information about this war is unavailable, but some Celtic poems mentioned it.
Rivals of Celts
The diaspora of Celts became significant with time. However, this expansion resulted from hundreds of battles they fought against different nations. They even fought against each other, making other nations their allies. Celts won against many rivals, but Romans, Germanic tribes, Slavs, and Huns were quite powerful to be beaten. Here are a few rivals of the Celts:
| 1. Romans | 2. Germanic Tribes |
| 3. Slav | 4. Huns |
| 5. Germanic Cultures | 6. Thracians |
| 7. Dacians | 8. Illyrians |
| 9. Greeks | 10. Fomoire |
Conclusion
Celts are people who inhabit six countries, known as Celtic nations. They are primarily recognized by their language today. Their history dates back to the initial days of 700 BC, according to information available today. Celts did not consider writing their history, which is why actual information about their past is obscure. They had their specific languages and followed different religions, including Celtic Paganism. Moreover, they were great warriors, fought many wars, and made many rivals.
