Who were the ancient Celts?

I am often asked this question so I thought I would share a bit of information on these mysterious people. This is taken from my website where I have two pages dedicated to the ancient Celts.

The Greeks encountered the Celts around the sixth century BC and called them Keltoi. When Julius Caesar encountered the Gauls around 58 BC, he said they called themselves Celts. One suggestion is that the word is derived from the Indo-European root ‘kel,’ which means ‘hidden.’ The Celts were the hidden people. The term ‘Celt’ applies to any of the European peoples who spoke a Celtic language. The historical Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age Europe.

The Celts left their legacy behind in Britain, Ireland, Spain, France, southern Germany and the Alpine lands, Bohemia, Italy, the Balkans and even central Turkey.

Greeks and Romans portray them as barbaric and there are no written texts written by the Celts to defend this accusation.

Archaeology has proved that these people were not the barbarians they were accused of being, but that their society was a superior one, especially in the areas of metalworking. Many of their lands were well populated and farmed, dotted with settlements and gathering places. Forts and shrines were often found at these sites. The Celts were wealthy and intelligent and played a pivotal role in the making of Europe.

Kelley Heckart

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