The Celts emerged into history in the millennium before the birth of Christ when they began to spread from their homelands in central Europe east toward Turkey and Greece, west toward Germany, France, Britain and Ireland, and south into Italy and Spain. They were a vigorous, warlike people, skilled in metalworking and horsemanship, and keen to trade. They had a distinctive curvilinear artistic style which they used on both weapons and items of personal adornment. Rich graves found in their homelands in Austria and Switzerland show that this was sophisticated society with strong links to the classical world.
By the fourth century BC the Celts dominated northern Europe. The Romans challenged their expansion and invaded both Gaul (France) and Britain to plant their own colonies. According to Julius Caesar the Gauls were a vital, child-like people who liked colorful clothes and plenty to drink, and were brave and reckless in battle, He admitted them in certain ways, but still considered them to be barbarians whose civilization was much inferior to his own. The Celts fought bitterly again the Romans, including several battles in which they were led by the warrior queen, Boudicca. There was a heroic last stand at Anglesey, but the Celts eventually lost and had to accept the Roman colonization of their lands.
However, the Romans were gracious in victory, respecting Celtic cultural traditions. Many of these survived in various forms until waves of new invader—Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Viking –arrived and suppressed them more brutally. Some Celtic peoples were absorbed into the culture of the invaders, some fled west to Wales and Cornwall. The Romans never conquered Ireland, sot eh Celtic culture remained pure there until the coming of the Vikings toward the end of the eighth century. As a result, early Irish literature is one of the richest sources of information about the Celts.
Nowadays, people of Celtic origin have spread all over the world, particularly to North America, Australia and New Zealand. Sometimes their culture survives in a remarkably pure form: there are Gaelic speaking communities in Nova Scotia in Canada and Welsh speakers in Argentina. Celtic are and music are enjoying a spectacular renaissance as people begin to recognize that they represent a vital part of Europe’s ancient native tradition.
