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"A numerous race, and fierce, as fame reports them, Were the first colonists, Britain, Chief of the Isles: Natives of a country in Asia, and of the region of Grafis, A people said to have been skillful: but the district is unknown. That was mother to this progeny, these warlike adventures of the sea. Clad in the long dress, who could equal them? Celebrated for their skill, they were the dread of Europe..." (The Pacification of Llud).
The Celts left us with a legacy of their culture in their artwork and literature, a lot of which is being rediscovered in modern times. Let us briefly remind ourselves of our history from scholars:
Ages of Pre-history
Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age - 8,000 to 2,700 BCE Neolithic or New Stone Age - 2,700 to 1,900 BCE Bronze Age - 1,900 to 500 BCE Iron Age - 500 BCE to 43 CE
Ages of Recorded History
The Dark ages (Anglo-Saxon and Vikings) - 430 to 1066 CE Norman Conquest 2066 to 1154 CE The Plantagenets - 1154 to 1216 CE Medieval Period - 1216 1377 CE War of the Roses - 1377 to 1485 CE Tudor Age - 1485 to 1603 CE The Stuarts - 1603 to 1641 CE English Civil War - 1641 to 1649 CE Puritans - 1649 to 1651 CE The Stuarts (Restoration) - 1651 to 1714 CE, etc.
When we look at the history of the Ancient Celts, we have to consider the aspects in pre-history of which we have little knowledge of. However, archaeological evidence is useful in determining what happened long ago: i.e. carbon-dating, geo-physics and other empirical research into sites that is left of our ancestors existence. Television programmes such as 'Meet the Ancestors' and 'Time Team' are worthy vehicles for the layperson to learn from, as are magazines like 'Coins and Antiquities' that offer interesting and intelligent articles for study.
First, the Ancient Celts were most active around 500 BCE to the first century CE, placing them around the Bronze/Iron Ages. They were a nomadic race, and spread themselves far and wide, leaving their influence almost everywhere they went. If we go back into what is known as our pre-history, we can discern some of the roots of our Celtic ancestors. The discovery of Boxgrove Man from the Palaeolithic Age has given us evidence of how humanity lived long ago. The dating of the stone circles like Avebury to 2,500 BCE as centres of religious worship, have placed them in the Neolithic Age, and Stonehenge was built in stages from 3,100 to 1,100 BCE. But by around 2,000 BCE, a new material was being developed and used instead of stone -bronze, an alloy made of copper and iron.
The Beaker People were an enigmatic race who originated from the Rhine, arriving in Britain around 2,000 BCE. Their name derives from their peculiar custom of burying pottery in their ancestors burial mounds, called a Fogou. They also brought with them the skill of making bronze and new farming methods, which resulted in a population explosion. These Bronze Age Britons lived a harsh life, living in round wattle and daub huts in small communities, with some livestock on their farms. By the Iron Age, things had improved a tiny bit. Hill forts were set up to serve as defences against invading neighbouring tribes, being continually occupied and modified over the centuries, and even streets have been excavated at some, called an oppida. Iron was a stronger material than bronze, though we have little data as to where the Celts got it from. This was still a barbaric time and we must not romanticise, for it was a violent era, especially when the Romans invaded!
It was also around this time that the Belgae introduced Britain's first coinage from Gaul, showing the image of the famous 'Gallic Goddess'. The Celts actually copied the Greek staters as mercenaries serving in Philip II of Macedon's army hence horses appearing on Celtic Iceni coins in later times, for example. It was during this time that the La Tene Culture was springing up and and producing fine jewellery like diadems, torcs, lunulae, brooches, bracelets, armlets, pins; war items like swords, shields, daggers, axe-heads, helmets, and domestic items like mirrors, cauldrons, figurines, buckets and models. The Celts made these from gold, silver, bronze and semi- precious stones. As the Celts were fond of throwing their personal objects into rivers, bogs, and lakes as offerings to the Gods, there are many examples that have survived intact and are now in museums.
There also some marked similarities worldwide in Celtic Art to others cultures, in Chichester Museum during 1998, there was an exhibition called 'Life before the Romans', and amongst the artifacts on display, they had a carnelian and jet necklace from Iron Age Scotland that resembled in construction an Egyptian collarette. In the antiques shop in Chichester recently, I noticed a piece of Egyptian textile from the Byzantine Period, that had on it a circular knot work pattern that would not be out of place in the Book of Kells. Liz Murry also brought back a piece of pottery from India with a Celtic design on it. Coincidence? One could argue trade, but I don't think that this accounts for all of it, as we shall see.
In J. Romilly Allen's 'Celtic Art' there is a photo of a woman with two huge penannular brooches on her dress, and bearing in mind that the book was first published in in 1904, I hope you get the picture! Allen also writes interestingly of the 'spiral' design, that has so eluded scholars as to its meaning appearing at places like Newgrange, but was also known to the Greek Mycenaeans and has appeared in Egyptian tombs dating from the 12th Dynasty! The design was also known in Scandinavia and South America. Allen also classifies the main designs from the Bronze Age as: a) the chevron, b) the Concentric Circle, c) the Spiral, and d) the Winding Band. Of the symbols employed, he also cites the cup and ring and the wheel motifs, which had their origins in sun-worship. Distinguishing between the Goidelic and Brythonic Celts, the former being the Beaker People during the Bronze Age and latter the later influx from Europe during the Iron Age, he lists archaeological finds as being: a) sepulchural remains, b) remains found on inhabited or fortified sites, c) hoards of objects purposely concealed, d) objects accidentally lost, and e) sculptured rocks and stones. Of the pottery left by the Beaker People, he classifies them as : a) cinerary urns, b) food vessels, c) drinking cups and d) incense cups. For the Iron Age alone, with regards to dating, the finds are classified as: a) burials of a particular kind, b) objects from the Bronze Age, c) finds from the Hallstatt Culture, d) finds like brooches (Celtic 'safety pins'!) of Las Tene Culture, e) objects imported from Celtic Europe, f) finds of ancient British coins, g) objects on Romano-British sites, and h) finds of Roman origin. There is more of Allen's book than space permits, so I refer the reader to it for further study.
Celtic knotwork though known in the Iron Age, really came of age during the Celtic Christian period when a resurgence occurred, This era produced some fine intricate designs that will be familiar many. The knot work signifies eternity, and the recent wave of interest in Celtica has meant that these designs are becoming popular again in shops like 'Past Times' on the High Street. The Celtic Christians also produced some lovely jewellery, like the famous 'Tara Brooch' from Ireland, a credit to the craftsmanship of the Celtic people considering what tools and conditions they worked with! Despite the last 4,000 years, from the Bronze Age to the start of the Space Age, some designs haven't changed a bit and are still as popular as ever. Maybe because of their simplicity and also because they touch us from our ancestors, speaking to the depths of our psyches of lost mysticism, that was also shared by other peoples likewise in the ancient world.
Some Suggestions for Further Reading
Pagan Celtic Britain - Anne Ross Celtic Coinage in Britain - Philip de Jersey Practical Celtic Magic - Murry Hope Meet the Ancestors - Julian Richards Time Team - Mick Aston and Tim Taylor 'Coins and Antiquities' magazine (available monthly)
ooOoo
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