The Celts

Who were they?  The term refers to any number of ancient tribes in Europe using the Celtic languages

Origins and geographical distribution  Some historians believe that they originate from the Caspian steppes  The first records date back to 600BC  By that time they had spread over much of Central Europe, the Iberian peninsula, Ireland and Britain spread

Geographical Distribution  the core Hallstatt territory, expansion before 500 BC(yellow)  maximum Celtic expansion by the 3rd century BC (blue),  the boundaries of the six commonly-recognized 'Celtic nations', which remained Celtic speaking throughout the Middle Ages (green).  areas that remain Celtic- speaking today (dark green)

Celtic languages in Britain  Pictish (Scotland)  Brythonic (England)  Scotti (Ireland)  Cornish (South-England)

Other Celtic languages  Belgae (Belgium)  Gaulish (France)  Proto-Basque (Spain)  Galatian (Greece)  Etc.

The Celts before the Romans  Social hierarchy: kings warrior aristocracy druids, poets, jurists everyone else

Organization of society  Around wars  Kings were elected – the best warriors became the high and low kings Kingswarriors Kingswarriors  Women were also participating in all spheres – they could become queens  They were hunters and raiders – all the goods were shared

Celtic arts  They were literate, but preferred the oral tradition  Highly skilled in visual arts (on clay, metal, wood)

Faith  Druidism, after the Roman conquest `Celtic Christianity`  Druidism: -Immortality of the soul -When somebody dies the soul passes to a newborn child -They believed that they descended from a supreme being

a Celtic king

Celtic Warrior

Druids  Classes: prophets, bards and priests  Assisted by sorcerers (female priests)  Druids had the power: -of mastering astrology -of magic -to control animals and plants -of healing

A Druid and his Sorcerer

Mistletoe and Oak tree

Sacred rituals  Rituals carried out in oak forests  Sacred plants: oak trees and mistletoes oak trees and mistletoesoak trees and mistletoes  Used altars (stone monuments)  Stone temples (Stonehenge) Stonehenge  Providing sacrifices (human heads, plants, animals) to animistic gods (gods of the wood, elements, rivers, etc.)

After the Roman conquest  Julius Caesar conquered Gallia, and parts of Britain; Claudius went deeper into the inlands of Britain; Hadrian's limes established the northern border against the Pictish and Scottish invasions  3 rd to 5 th century AD

Roman influence  Christianity  Roads, aqueducts  Urbanization  Taxation, commerce

Anglo-Saxon invasion  From 6 th century onwards  Lots of Celts fled to Ireland  Some melted  Remained only in Wales (Cymru, Cardiff = Caerdydd) and Scotland (Gaelic: Alba)  Language slowly disappeared

Celtic influence on Modern England  Christianity  Beliefs/Customs: Wiccas, Halloween, May Day  Language (qw- queen, kn- knight, knife -gh burgh, loch, lake-kh) -gh burgh, loch, lake-kh)