Who were the Celts

1
Who were the Celts?
2
Who were the Celts?

• Before going any further it is important to
  explain what is meant by the term Celtic.
• The story of the Celts begins around 750BC. At
  this time they lived around Hallstatt in Austria
  and became wealthy and powerful from Hallstatts
  profitable salt and copper mines, they also
  traded in iron.
• They had a reputation for being fierce warriors
  who mainly travelled on horse-back. They were
  feared and respected. The Celts were made up of
  lots of different tribes, not just one big
  kingdom. They gradually started to move to other
  parts of Europe, this is called migration.

3
The Celts migrate

• The years 400 to 200BC are a time of movement.
• Celts move northwards to Germany and southwards
  to Italy. Some also invade Hungary, then head
  south into Greece. Another group of Celts settled
  in Turkey. At the same time, other Celtic peoples
  moved into south-western France, Spain, Portugal,
  Britain and Ireland.

4
Celts Vs Romans

• These migrations brought the Celts face to face
  with the Roman army the strongest fighting
  force in Europe. For the next 200 years, Romans
  and Celts were at war. By around 60AD, Celtic
  power was completely destroyed. Only in remote
  areas such as Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Galicia
  and Brittany did Celtic traditions survive.
  Surviving Celtic parts of the world are shown on
  the map opposite.

5
The making of Scotland

• The Romans were in Scotland from around 80AD and
  during this time there are many battles between
  them and the various Celtic tribes, particularly
  the Picts.
• The Romans leave Scotland in 410AD probably
  because the army was needed elsewhere in the
  Roman Empire. By this time four main kingdoms
  emerged the Picts, the Scots, the Angles the
  Britons.

6
Celtic Scotland

• Have you ever wondered why Scotland is called
  Scotland? Well the story which follows may
  surprise you.
• Scotland was anything but a united nation, nor
  was it even called Scotland. The Romans referred
  to the area north of Hadrians wall as Caledonia
  and it was made up of many warring Celtic tribes.

Hadrians wall was built by the Romans possibly
to keep the Celts at bay.
7
Caledonia or Scotland

• Even after the Romans leave we still have
  fighting between these kingdoms.Its not until
  AD843 that things start to take shape. Two
  kingdoms unite. The Scots of Dalriada and the
  Picts unite to form what became known as Alba
  under King Kenneth McAlpin. Marriage between
  tribes probably had a lot to with this

8
A Nation is Born

• So Scotland starts to form. It usually comes as
  a surprise to hear that Scotland gets its name
  from a tribe from Ireland. Yes, the Scots were
  from Ireland!
• Marriage between men women in different
  kingdoms may have been one reason why unification
  took place.
• However, there was an even bigger reason- the
  arrival of Christianity played a major part in
  the shaping of our nation.
• We will see later how the spread of Christianity
  helped make Scotland a nation

9
Celtic religion

• When Christians first arrive in Scotland they
  are faced with different Celtic tribes practicing
  pagan religions. The Celts worshipped gods who
  protected the tribe and gave strength in war, and
  goddesses who protected homes and brought
  fertility. The gods were associated with the sky
  and the goddesses with the earth. Gods and
  spirits controlled the elements and natural
  forces, such as water and thunder, and they were
  given different names in different parts of the
  Celtic world. Both gods and goddesses were
  worshipped close to water and in groves of trees.
  Rich offerings were left for them. The Celts
  believed that terrible things would happen if
  they did not make sacrifices of their most
  valuable possessions, including living things, to
  the gods. Their priests were called the druids.

10

• There is no direct record of druids in Scotland,
  but it is assumed that some kind of learned men
  or women did exist to mediate between people and
  gods by conducting ceremonies. There is little
  surviving evidence of how the dead were treated
  since burials are seldom found in Scotland in
  this period. Sacred places
  included mountains, woodlands and rocks. Water
  was always important
  and pools and wells were
  special sites.
  Sacrifices of
  animals, objects or even people
  were made to the gods in
  these special
  places.

11
Christianity makes an impact

• So this is what the Christians were up against.
  Bringing Christianity to the Celts would not be
  easy as the Celts had strong beliefs already
  beliefs that were very different.
• Nonetheless, we will now see that Christianity
  did gradually become accepted by the Celts. This
  was thanks to the efforts of some of the Celtic
  Christian missionaries such as Ninian and
  Cuthbert. We will look at them later.
• Now read the information sheet on the Celts
  and complete the two activities which follow.