Celts

INTRODUCTION

The Celts are a mysterious people whose history is shrouded in myth and misinformation. The latter stems largely from the fact that many of the Celtic people were opponents of the Roman Empire, and of course it was the victors that wrote the history books. Thus much of what we know about the Celts is distorted by Roman misunderstanding or misrepresentation, further coloured by later generations' veneration of Rome.

The fashion for all things classical in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries led to the widespread belief that Ancient Greece and Rome were the source of all cultural virtue, and thus by definition the 'barbarians' that opposed these civilizations were filthy, uncultured savages who needed saving from themselves at the point of a sword. The image put forward in Roman writings is one of bringing the light of civilization to the dark and savage corners of the world, and since much of what Celts might have recorded about themselves was destroyed in the process this concept became the widely accepted version of events.

Celts spread across Europe from the Atlantic coasts to the Danube basin, and even into Asia Minor. Over such a large area, regional variations in their culture were inevitable, but a distinctive 'Celticness' can still be discerned.

On the mainland of Europe, Celtic society was absorbed into the Roman Empire and changed enormously, while in the British Isles there were other influences that caused the Celts to change over time. Much of what we know about the Celts has been pieced together from fragmentary evidence or biased accounts, but one truth has emerged: they were anything but uncivilized.

Although today's popular view of the Celts is still influenced by the version accepted in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, we are beginning to understand these people a lot better, and to realize just how influential they were upon the course of European history. This is hardly surprising - the Celts were a widespread and numerous people who settled in much of Europe and the British Isles.

Early interactions between Celts and Romans had profound consequences for the future of Europe. Had relations not broken down, leading to the sacking of Rome, history might have taken a very different course.

Small wonder, then, that as the Roman Republic expanded its sphere of influence it came into contact with Celtic people. Relations were sometimes good, sometimes less so. It was a Celtic army that sacked Rome around 390 BCE, leading to a military revolution that ultimately created the all-conquering legions. It was Celts, usually referred to as Gauls by the Romans, who provided much of the resistance to Roman expansion in Europe. Without proud Gallic warriors on the opposing side, the glory of Rome might have shone less brightly. After all, glory is won by defeating worthy opponents. and the Celts certainly were that.

Survival of the Celts

The culture of the European Gauls was largely absorbed into that of the Roman Empire, and some elements were distorted or destroyed. However, this was a two-way street to some extent, and Celtic influences did find their way into the Roman culture. In areas that were less thoroughly Romanized, or which were not conquered at all, the Celtic way of life survived and was melded with other cultures. While the tongue of the Roman Empire, Latin, is a dead language, some Celtic languages are still spoken today.

The Roman Empire did not reach Ireland, and attempts to push into Scotland were fought to a standstill until the Empire ceased to expand. Tribes in the border region traded with Rome, generally via Roman Britain, and absorbed some elements of Roman culture while remaining independent. Beyond this border zone the Roman influence was much less, and Celtic society continued as it had for generations before.

The Celtic languages live on mainly in Scotland and Ireland, with significant numbers of speakers in Canada and some cities of the USA. They are minority tongues, but proudly clung to by their speakers as a symbol of independence and an honourable heritage.

The Celtic Cross is an important symbol of early Christianity. Once they adopted the new religion, the Celts were instrumental in spreading it, and in so doing helped shape the development of the early Church.

Although the Celtic languages are diminishing, some elements of Celtic society have found their way into the mainstream of modern culture. Traditional folklore and even everyday practices have in some cases come from the Celtic people. It is possible that the habit of throwing coins into a fountain or pool for good luck is derived from a Celtic ritual, or from an even earlier era. Some traditional monsters and otherworldly spirits also bear a distinct resemblance to those of Celtic mythology.

Many place names in Europe are Celtic in origin, and have been inhabited since the heyday of Celtic culture. Often, once a settlement's pattern has been established it survives through subsequent rebuilding, with the general layout of streets and squares remaining roughly the same from the Iron Age. Thus in some towns and cities we can today walk the same paths as our ancestors, stopping to browse the wares of a market that has been held in the same square for hundreds of years. In wilder places, fragments of Celtic society still remain in the form of standing stones and monuments of long-ago forgotten events.

The Spread of Christianity

The Celts were also heavily influential in the spread of the Christian Church, and elements of their complex and fascinating mythology found their way into European Christian practice. It is easy to think of the Church as a monolithic structure whose ways are the same everywhere, but visiting a few old churches soon reveals that religion, like everything else, was heavily influenced by the characteristics of the people who first practised it.

Celtic designs and motifs are often found in churches, gravestones and monuments. These are the same symbols as were used by the pagan Celts, now co-opted by Christianity and part of its traditions. Similarly, once the Celtic people had adopted Christianity, they were enthusiastic in practising and spreading it to others. Many of the great religious figures during the early spread of Christianity came from Ireland and other Celtic regions.

Celtic zeal for Christianity took some believers very far from home. When Norse explorers discovered Iceland, they found a small community of Irish monks already living there. Upon realizing that the Vikings were moving in next door these monks, probably wisely, decamped. Their presence in Iceland is perhaps more remarkable than the arrival of the Norsemen; the latter were in the habit of sending out raiding and trading expeditions, and explored distant waters to find new lands. A land mass as big as Iceland was bound to be spotted sooner or later.

For a small group of monks to find Iceland and set up a community there represented far more individual effort than an entire culture of explorers eventually stumbling upon a large island. The colony on Iceland was a significant achievement, for all that it was eventually abandoned. Certainly the Celtic Christians put a lot of effort into their religious endeavours, and thus helped shape the future of the northern European Church.

This bronze-faced shield was found in the River Thames, London, where its wooden backing had rotted away leaving only the highly decorated front. It is likely that the shield was thrown into the river as a religious offering.

Traders and Craftsmen

The Celts were also great traders. Goods have been found in remote parts of Scotland that originated on the Continent and were bought as part of a continuous trade network. The image of filthy barbarians in their squalid huts is at least challenged, if indeed it is not shattered, by the knowledge that these 'barbarians' were trading for decorative goods from half a continent away, and making both functional and beautiful items for use and trade.

The Celts were great workers of metal, producing high-quality weapons and armour as well as decorative items of silver and gold. They were also excellent weavers, using sophisticated machinery to produce clothing that was more than merely functional. This level of economic activity was made possible by a stable society with laws and social rules that were enforced upon those that did not want to observe them.

Despite the success of Celtic society, much of what we know today has had to be pieced together from fragmentary or unreliable sources. Few of the Celts' own records survive, and accounts left by Greek and Roman scholars are - deliberately or otherwise - misleading in places. This may be partially a result of what amounts to propaganda, and partly because the scholars did not understand Celtic society.

Having seen the Celtic way of life only from the outside and on a fragmentary basis, Roman scholars were not in a position to write in an informed manner. Not only had they not experienced the Celtic way of life, but they also tended to see only those groups that were in contact or conflict with Rome. The inner workings of Celtic society were probably a mystery to their chroniclers, who made guesses or simply recorded what little they knew for certain.

The Broch of Gurness in the Orkney Isles was constructed between 500 BCE and 200 BCE and is the best preserved of all Iron Age Broch villages. The settlement consisted of a central tower (Broch) and several...