CELT
Noun. Also Kelt. Mid-16th century.
[Latin Celtae plural from Greek Keltoi (later Keltai, perhaps from Latin); later from French Celte Breton (as representative of the ancient Gauls.]
1 Historical. A member of any of a group of ancient peoples of western Europe that included the Gauls and Britons. M16
2 generally. A member of any of the people descended from the ancient Celts
or speaking a Celtic language, as the Irish, Gaels, Manx, Welsh, Cornish, and Bretons. L18
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Boudica Haranguing the Britons
John Opie (1761-1807) |
Who Were the Celts?
The Celts have a bad rap. Popularly imagined as something between drunken, kilt-wearing buffoons and Braveheart, they're confused with Vikings and are often jumbled up with contemporary nationalism, stoking particularly strong feelings in modern-day Britain and Ireland. But who were the Celts? What happened to them? And (critically for us wordy types) how is Celt pronounced?
The Celts were essentially an ethnolinguistic
group of loosely connected tribes and societies with a similar set of technologies and culture. However, they were not one unified group: rather, they were a
population of peoples whose spread throughout continental Europe and the
British Isles can be traced through
archaeological records and the (often derogatory) accounts of other cultures around them. Thus, a lot of what we know about the Celts comes from ancient Greek and Roman texts. One such gem of an account comes from Roman historian Cassius Dio (155-235AD) who wrote:
“They dwell in tents, naked
and unshod, possess their women in common, and in common rear all the
offspring.
Their form of rule is democratic for the most part, and they are
very fond of plundering; consequently they choose their boldest men as rulers.”
Unfortunately for historians and their own posterity, the Celts themselves weren't great record keepers. Even Boudica, queen of the Celtic Iceni tribe and a British folk hero for her rebellion against Rome, is largely known from the likes of Dio and Tacitus, and again their personal angle is suspect. One historian, Gildas, was probably talking about Boudica when he wrote of a "treacherous lioness [who] butchered governors who had been left to give fuller voice and strength to the endeavours of Roman rule." Unsurprisingly, Gildas makes no mention of what the Romans did to Boudica, which was renege on a deal made with her late husband (the king), flog her, and rape her daughters; her subsequent fury and rebellion are easy to understand and, though she was ultimately defeated, her army sacked both Colchester and London, inflicting significant losses on the Romans stationed in Britain.
Celtic History
The Celts were a society (or, more
accurately, a collection of societies) who lived in Medieval Europe and were
united by related Celtic languages, the use of iron, and a certain degree of
ethnic and cultural similarities. In contrast to the Braveheart/buffoon of
modern imagination, the distinguishing features of the Celts were their common
art, mythology, and language.
They spread throughout Europe and more or
less ran the place for a few hundred years until the Romans drove them out.
Although dates are notoriously tricky in that era, archaeologists mark the
start of the Celtic formation at around 1200 BC, with the first real flourishing
in Austria in approximately 800 BC. By 450 BC, the Celts had spread from
central Europe to France, Bohemia, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Northern
Italy, the British Isles, and (later) the Balkans.
The specific point of origin for the Celts is
hotly debated in academic circles (my favorite kind of bickering, if you’ll recall). The key archaeological sites are Hallstatt, Austria (800-475BC) and La
Tene, Switzerland (500-50BC). If you’re excited about ancient tribal
history, the Gauls were Celts, and were
mentioned by none other than Julius Caesar himself. And if you're excited about comics, Asterix was a Gaul and thus, yes, Axterix was also a Celt.
Notably, the Celts in the British
Isles - England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland - became known as Insular Celts and became
particularly well-established in the region. As the Romans and Germanic peoples spread
throughout Continental Europe during the first part of the Common Era,
the Celts were mostly displaced except for these Insular Celts, particularly in
Ireland and northern parts of Britain.
Due to their lack of written records, much of what it known about the Celts comes from the artifacts they left behind.
The iron swords and distinctive jewelry (particularly gold torcs - large
necklaces) mark their territory, but it's often difficult to definitively link them to a specific time or people. One example is the
important recovery of a La Tene sword in County Donegal, Ireland, which has a
distinctive Gaulish style bronze hilt and was found in a fishing net. Other artifacts are commonly recovered in Ireland during turf-cutting, but this often leaves the items damaged and the site destroyed. Other
aspects of Celtic culture, such as druid-led polytheism, leave even fewer artifacts for historians to study. Referenced: A New History of Ireland Vol. 1: Prehistoric and Early Ireland, edited by Daibhi O Croinin, 2005
How is Celt Pronounced?
- The word
Celt is derived from the Greek word keltoi, meaning 'barbarian'.
- Both
modern Irish and Welsh use the letter 'C' to indicate the English 'K' sound (which is interesting but turns out to not be particularly relevant,
since the Celts did not refer to themselves this way - probably because they
didn't like being known as barbarians).
- It sounds
better (or is that just me?)
- However, the OED says both are correct, so you can decide.
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Vercingetorix, chieftain of the Celtic Arveni tribe, surrendering to Julius Caesar
Painting by Lionel Royer (1852-1926) |
What Happened to the Celts?
Varying waves of innovation, invasion, and
other changes meant that the Celts largely disappeared from Continental Europe, with the Roman Empire being particularly responsible for their decline. However, the British Isles, particularly in Ireland and
Scotland, saw a continuation of the Celts and their culture. The Celts mingled
with the existing peoples as well as subsequent visitors to the territory.
A modern reemergence of Celtic identity
began in the 18th century, with linguistic, political, and cultural
implications for many in the British Isles. This was particularly at work in
the Irish Home Rule Movement in the 1900s and the nationalist movement based on
a Celtic identity, as separate from the British identity. Some
scholars argue that the idea of a common identity between the Celts was not
even in operation in ancient times, and so this remains a debated issue. For those many individuals (including this humble blogger, herself a descendent of the Celts via the Irish diaspora), the
Celtic history and identity continue to exert a strong influence on the
ancestral imagination.
Are you of Celtic ancestry?
Do you identify with Celtic culture?
Do please comment in the box below.
This post is Part I of a two-part special in Lexicolatry.
Check back tomorrow for John Kelly's analysis of Celtic languages and their influence on English.
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