The Celts of Ancient Europe

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Mark Cartwright
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In this collection, we examine in detail the Celtic peoples of ancient Europe. We look at their origins in central Europe with the Hallstatt and La Tène cultures, the warfare and migration of the Celts, their society, art, religious beliefs and how they interacted with each other and their neighbours.

One of the striking points of connection between many of the peoples of Iron Age Europe is their common language: Celtic. The Celtic language is a branch of the Indo-European language family. Scholars have divided Celtic languages into two groups: Insular Celtic and Continental Celtic. The latter group was no longer widely spoken after the Roman imperial period, and, unfortunately, the only surviving examples of it are mentions in the works of Greek and Roman writers and some short epigraphic remains such as pottery graffiti and votive and funerary stelae. The best documented of this group is Gaulish.

Articles & Definitions

Ancient Celts
Definition

Ancient Celts

The ancient Celts were various tribal groups living in parts of western and central Europe in the Late Bronze Age and through the...
Hallstatt Culture
Definition

Hallstatt Culture

The Hallstatt culture is named after the site of that name in Austria and it flourished in central Europe from the 8th to 6th...
La Tène Culture
Definition

La Tène Culture

The La Tène culture (c. 450 - c. 50 BCE) is named after the site of that name on the northern shores of Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland...
Ancient Celtic Religion
Definition

Ancient Celtic Religion

The polytheistic religion of the ancient Celts in Iron Age Europe remains obscure for lack of written records, but archaeology...
Ancient Celtic Art
Definition

Ancient Celtic Art

Art, along with language, is perhaps the best way to see the connections between the ancient peoples we label as Celts who lived...
Celtic Warfare
Definition

Celtic Warfare

The Celts were a linguistic group which spanned across a wide geographic area and included numerous cultures and ethnicities. Because...
Celtic Warrior
Definition

Celtic Warrior

The warriors of Celtic Europe were amongst the most distinctive of any fighters in the ancient world. With their great height...
Ancient Celtic Society
Article

Ancient Celtic Society

The society of the Celts in Iron Age Europe was made up of several distinct hierarchical groups. At the top were rulers and...
Ancient Celtic Pottery
Definition

Ancient Celtic Pottery

The pottery of the ancient Celts, although produced over great distances in space and time, shares several common features...
Trade in Ancient Celtic Europe
Article

Trade in Ancient Celtic Europe

Trade in raw materials and manufactured goods in ancient Celtic Europe was vibrant and far-reaching, particularly...
Sacred Sites & Rituals in the Ancient Celtic Religion
Article

Sacred Sites & Rituals in the Ancient Celtic Religion

In the religion of the ancient Celts who lived in Iron Age Europe from 700 BCE to 400 CE, certain...
Death, Burial & the Afterlife in the Ancient Celtic Religion
Article

Death, Burial & the Afterlife in the Ancient Celtic Religion

The ancient Celts who occupied large parts of Europe from 700 BCE to 400 CE displayed a clear...
Oppidum
Definition

Oppidum - The Hilltop Fort of the Celts

Celtic hilltop forts, often called oppida (sing. oppidum), after the Latin name given to larger settlements...
Celtic Coinage
Definition

Celtic Coinage

The coinage of the ancient Celts, minted from the early 3rd century BCE to the 1st century CE, at first imitated Greek and then...
The Ancient Celtic Pantheon
Article

The Ancient Celtic Pantheon

The ancient Celtic pantheon consisted of over 400 gods and goddesses who represented everything from rivers to warfare...

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