Title: Celtic Culture
1Celtic Culture
A Powerpoint Presentation by Catherine Chenoweth
2Who were the Celts?
- It is difficult to define what it is to be
Celtic. Celtic culture is an umbrella term used
to encompass cultures from modern England to the
Mediterranean, from Spain to Turkey. While
historians continue to refer to all of these
people as Celts it is important to know that
individual cultures within the Celtic
over-culture are both distinct and sometimes very
different. For example, while most Celtic
societies were agricultural and rural some
subsisted through hunter gathering and others
created cities and even had written language.
This presentation focuses on larger trends which
hold up in most cultures considered Celtic and
especially on Ireland and the area of modern
Great Brittan because the most information is
available in places which managed to avoid the
Roman conquest such as Ireland.
3Where did they come from?
- Celtic culture is a hybridization of both
indo-european culture and that of the people
preceding the indo-europeans. This connection of
cultures shows in archaeological findings and in
religion as well as art. The Celts had both a
strong female and male deity, the male from the
indo-european culture and the female from an
older, pre-existing culture.
4 Appearance
- The Celts were fond of color and wore as many
colors as possible. Men wore trousers and knee
length tunics and women wore dresses or tunics
over skirts. Both sexes wore long wool cloaks to
keep warm. Women also wore make up to brighten
their cheeks and eyes and sometimes paint stripes
on their faces. During battle, warriors went
naked or shirtless and covered their bodies with
designs in a die called wode which was an indigo
blue and was supposed to protect them from harm.
5Jewelry
- The Celts were fond of jewelry and both men and
women used it to decorate themselves. Gold was
the metal of choice. The women wore rings,
bracelets, armbands belts, girdles and necklaces,
while men wore bracelets, rings, and belts. They
also wore toques around their necks. A torque is
a piece of metal in the shape of a u or a circle
that is worn around the neck and equated with a
persons honor. Pictured to the right, a torque.
6Celtic Art
- The style usually associated with Celtic artwork
is in fact a style particular to only some of the
areas and cultures defined as Celtic. This La
Tene style is by far the most recognizable and
best preserved of all Celtic art because of the
use of it by christians on manuscripts especially
in Ireland.
7La Tene Style
- La Tene is a title referring to an area in
modern Switzerland where there was a flourishing
of Celtic culture and arts between 600BCE and the
Roman conquest of the area after 100C. The term
La Tene is most frequently used to describe the
artistic style typically associated with the
Celts. It is characterized by swirling geometric
knot work and stylized animal and vegetal
designs.
8Celtic Knots
Although Celtic knots have been described as
important religious symbols, most historians
agree that they are simply decorative. The use
of this distinctive style in later Christian
works comes from the idea that to depict sacred
things is a form of idolatry.
9 Christian Art
- After St. Patrick converted much of Ireland to
Christianity, Celtic artwork was preserved
through the illuminated manuscripts created by
monks and stone carvings used to decorate
churches. The Christians, especially in Ireland
where the culture had not already been overrun by
Rome, preserved and the artistic style of the
Celts even as their culture moved away from the
traditional Celtic way of life. In many ways
these religious orders perfected the elaborate
and unique technique the Celts have become famous
for. -
10The Book of Kells
The Book of Kells is an Irish illuminated
manuscript of the Four Gospels and other
Christian texts which is generally considered the
height and perfection of the Celtic La Tene style
of art. Each page is decorated in elaborate
designs and pictures that are both very beautiful
and show clearly the hybridization of both Celtic
and christian lifestyles and beliefs.
11More Pictures from the Book of Kells
12- Although usually thought of as preserving Celtic
artwork and culture, these Irish monks were
recording their own culture as it changed from
more traditionally Celtic to christian,
especially in Ireland the transition from
polytheistic animism to christianity was a
transition and not a death of culture.
13Celtic artwork and the La Tene style continue to
be passed on to this day through modern artwork.
People descended of the ancient Celts are working
to reclaim their cultural heritage through
artistic, spiritual, and historical means
14Class Structure
Celtic society was organized based on families,
it was very important to know at least four or
five generations worth of ancestors. An
individual who was excommunicated from their
family was considered as a slave or outcaste.
Although Celtic society was varied, most groups
were fluid in there allegiance with rulers,
allying themselves only when it benefited their
larger family. They also have a system of three
social classes. The highest class was composed
of druids, bards, and skilled crafts people. The
next class was made up of those who may have
owned land and the warriors. Next came the
producers, the laborers and the freedmen.
15Connection to India
- Many striking connections and parallels have
been found between the cultures of ancient Vedic
India and the Celtic people of Europe. Rituals,
linguistic connections and similarities in social
order all point to the fact that these seemingly
different cultures split from each other
relatively recently. Many historians believe the
caste system in India to be the same as the three
class social organization in Celtic society.
16Bibliography
- http//www.cs.ubc.ca/nest/imager/contributions/sch
arein/celtic/sorta- celtic.html - http//www.craytech.com/drew/knotwork/knotwork-mea
ning.html - http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_knot
- http//www.vedanet.com/HinduCeltic.htm
- http//www.angelfire.com/home/thefaery5/
- http//www.natall.com/national-vanguard/116/celts2
.html - http//www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/world/anceur/r
elwale5.htm - http//www.ares.u-net.com/celtindx.htm (the term
celtic) - http//www.internet-at-work.com/hos_mcgrane/celtic
/ - http//www.accd.edu/sac/vat/arthistory/arts1303/Ce
lt1.jpg - http//labyrinth.georgetown.edu/
- http//www.ipl.org/div/pf/entry/48449
- http//www.unc.edu/depts/art/verkerk/celtic/celtic
/ - http//celticdejavu.tripod.com/celticculture.html
17Bibliography Continued
- Cahill, Thomas, How the Irish Saved Civilization,
Anchor Books, New York, 1995. - http//www.suite101.com/course.cfm/17702/seminar
- http//www.celtdigital.org/
- http//www.celticcorner.com/index.html
- http//members.optusnet.com.au/dwkneen/Celts/hist
ory.htm - http//www.geocities.com/dubricius/
- http//www.greyhawkes.com/text/celts.txt
- http//www.haverford.edu/engl/faculty/Sherman/Iris
h/ardagh.htm - http//celtdigital.org/Durrow.htm
- http//www.snake.net/people/paul/kells/
- http//www.ragnarokpress.com/artype/kells/
- http//www.virtualireland.ru/ivi/celts.jpg
- http//www.spa.edu/jjohnson/images/Celtic20Art.jp
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