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Diodorus Siculus (a roman historian) wrote in the first century that the Celts were "tall, with moist whit flesh; their hair is not only naturally blond, bur they also make artificial efforts to lighten. Some shave their beards; others let them grow moderately; noble's keep their cheeks clean-shaven but let their mustaches grow long until they cover their mouths…. They wear amazing clothes: tunics dyed in every color and trousers that they call bracae (breeches). They pin striped cloaks on top, of thick cloth in winter and light material in summer, decorated with small, densely packed, multicolored squares." This is one of the first impressions that we have about the Celts, from the Romans. Unfortunately no direct testimony remains from the Celts themselves, as they were practically illiterate. The Celts felt that writing was wrong. However, they were an intelligent people, creating a sophisticated calendar, and other inventions.
The Organization of Celtic Society
The Celtic society was based in tribes. At the top was the king, or chief magistrate, as Julius Caesar called them. The king ruled together with the aristocracies, who were highly powerful nobles. The next class were the priests (Druids), the Bards, who were singers and poets, and the Vates, or Seers, who interpreters of sacrifice and were also natural philosophers. Then came the freemen, non-nobles who owned property, which included farmers and the best craftsmen. The Celts gave much attention to crafts, because they believed that some craft had supernatural power.
The lower classes consisted of freemen, who didn't have land or property, unlike the higher classes. The lowest class was the slaves, who came from the families that were the poorest in Celtic culture. The king ruled all of the lands, and he was to be married to the land he ruled. The succession of Celtic kings was not necessarily hereditary. Moreover, the succession seems to have been based on strength of the candidate, with the strongest leader winning the kingship. Warrior ability in society as a whole was important. However, although this was an ability that everyone supposed to have, the real society was basically agricultural and pastoral.
Marriage among the Celts did not require fidelity. While women married only one man, they were meant to share sexual favors with ten or more other men, including brothers and close family. Children were also included in the marriage responsibilities. However, women were treated as equals and they could inherit property or be elected as officers or leaders. Women could also go to the war and some of them even commanded troops. The Celts were great warriors who served as mercenaries during many empires. Cartage used them in their Punic wars against the Romans and the Macedonians. The Celts had large swords, which impressed the Romans, and in Britain they painted their faces with a blue paint to make themselves look scarier.
Religion and Druids
The Celts believed in immortality. They thought that after death, the soul traveled to another world, where it took over another body. Unfortunately, little information is available about their gods, since the Romans only discussed them in terms of Roman gods. However, it is clear that the human head was considered very important, since the Celts thought that the human soul was in the head. In battle, the warriors cut their enemies' heads and take them home to nail on the doors of their houses. They believed this brought luck, as well as mistletoe, which were called by a name meaning "universal remedy." Mistletoe was thought to be a remedy against poisons and infertility. The Druids had to cut the mistletoe with a golden sickle. They also used others kinds of plants, but the other plants were not considered as important as mistletoe. The Druids, whom we can consider like priests, were very powerful men. They made group decisions about all discussions or disputes that occurred, and they decided the penalties. The Druids had a single head leader, who was elected among from among the Druids. They were also philosophers and teachers. Moreover, the Druids studied the stars and natural forces. However, they believed that their doctrine should not be written down, because the human soul lives on after death, and therefore their belief should be recorded only in memories.
Celtic's goods and development.
One of the reasons why the Romans were able to conquer the Celts easily was because the Celts had great roads that were easy to travel, which were used against them. When the Romans ended the conquest, they reinforced the Celts' roads with stone. The Celts used four-wheeled vehicles to transport their goods, across the roads, and they used other kinds of vehicles for war.
The Celts built their houses with wood; therefore, there was not much wood left to construct the rest of the Celts' buildings. They used other materials to build some temples, such as the famous example in Stonehenge, England, though we still don't know how they were built. The Celts were very good artisans, in bronze, and later iron. They had a great number of sophisticated instruments, which they used in agricultural labor, as well as for cooking. They also created works of art, including a lot of objets like bracelets and necklaces made of gold. They even decorated their houses with this gold art, which seems to have some religious symbolism. Symmetry was the prevailing form of Celtic art.
One of the things better known aspects in modern times of Celtic culture is their beer. The Celts were the first civilization to create beer. Another important relic of Celtic culture is their music. The Celts had a lot of instruments, such as lyres and harps that were used in festivals after hunting and in religious ceremonies. This musical influence can still be heard today. The bards, the people whom composed and sign, were highly considerate in Celts society.
The Celts had an empire that extended through central Europe, the Iberian Peninsula, Britain, and Ierne. They lived in tribes, with local power established among the various tribes. The Celts may not have an image of being an advanced civilization, but in many ways they were highly developed, such as astrology. They even had a more sophisticated calendar and we do now. The Celts were poets, philosophers and great artists.
Reference:
Litton, Helen. The Celts an Illustrated History
Dublin: Wolfhound Press, 1997
Berresford Ellis, Peter. The Celtic Empire
Durham, North Carolina: Carolina Academic Press, 1990
Dottin, Georges. The Civilization of the Celts
New York: Crescent Books, 1980
Ross, Anne: The Pagan Celts
New Jersey: Barnes & Noble Books, 1986
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