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Definition
Indo-European Languages
The Indo-European languages are a family of related languages that today are widely spoken in the Americas, Europe, and also Western and Southern Asia. Just as languages such as Spanish, French, Portuguese and Italian are all descended from...

Collection
The Celts of Ancient Europe
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...

Definition
Samhain
Samhain (pronounced “SOW-in” or “SAH-win”), was a festival celebrated by the ancient Celts halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. It began at dusk around October 31st and likely lasted three days. Samhain marked the transition...

Definition
Druid
Druids were a class of individuals in ancient Celtic cultures known for their great wisdom and knowledge of traditions. Not only priests who managed all religious rituals such as sacrifices (including humans), druids were able to give practical...

Video
Ancient Celtic Religion, Druids and Funerary Beliefs
The Ancient Celtic religion was a polytheistic one, with numerous gods with sometimes overlapping responsibilities. The ancient Celts, who occupied parts of western and central Europe during the Late Bronze Age and through to the Iron Age...

Image
Celtic Warrior Figurine
A terracotta figurine of a Celtic warrior. Likely a Celtic Gaul. From Egypt, 220-180 BCE. (British Museum, London)

Definition
Scythian Art
Scythian art is best known for its 'animal art.' Flourishing between the 7th and 3rd centuries BCE on the steppe of Central Asia, with echoes of Celtic influence, the Scythians were known for their works in gold. Moreover, with the recent...

Image
Celtic Coin with Abstract Horse
Celtic coin from modern-day Romania, 3rd- 2nd century BCE. The reverse depicts a horse and helmeted rider while the obverse depicts the head of Zeus, it is one of many imitations of Greek currency to be minted in Celtic Europe in ancient...

Definition
Cimbri
The Cimbri were a tribe who lived in northern Jutland during the Roman era. Their ethnicity is enigmatic; scholars generally believe that the Cimbri were Germans, though others maintain that they were Celts. The late 2nd-century BCE migration...

Image
Celtic Warrior, Gaul
A Celtic warrior statue from Gaul. Bronze with glass inlay, 1st century BCE or 1st century CE. From Saint-Maur-en-Chaussée, Oise, France. (Musée départemental de l'Oise)