Four hundred and eighty-three gold coins: the largest discovery of Celtic gold in the 20th century. An invaluable find for Celtic researchers – and also a valuable one for the thieves who managed to steal coins from the Museum of Celts and Romans in Mainching, Bavaria in November 2022. In a Hollywood-worthy heist, they steal the surrounding area’s internet and telephone service, enabling them to snatch the coins without bothering the alarm system.
The thieves were caught and will face trial on Tuesday, but only 500 grams of the original 3.7 kg (8.1 lb) gold was found; The rest are believed to have been melted down. This is a major loss of a valuable piece of evidence of Celtic history, an area where much remains unknown, controversial and mysterious.
So what do we know – or think we know – about the Celts?
Central Europe: home, sweet celtic home
While many people today often associate the Celts with Great Britain, where their heritage remains quite strong due to linguistic remains, their origins actually lie in an area stretching from northeastern France through Germany to the Czech Republic. The earliest archaeological evidence of the Celts comes from Hallstatt, Austria.
Finds there date back to around 700 BC, although it is believed that the development of Celtic culture began in the second millennium BC.
While the exact movement remains debated, the Celtic presence eventually covered much of France and northern Spain, and reached the Balkans and the Black Sea region, as well as further east into Anatolia (in present-day Turkey). In relation to the British Isles, the term “Celtic” came into use in the 18th century to describe the pre-Roman civilizations there, but the extent to which they should be considered part of a larger, continental Celtic society is subject to scholarly debate. The part is made.
Wait, how do you pronounce ‘Celts’ again?
Is it “Celt” or “Celt”?
Both pronunciations can still be heard today and can be found in various dictionaries.
Regardless of how you say it, the name “Celt” comes from the Greeks, who came into contact with the Celtic tribes in the sixth century BC and called them “Keltoi” or, in some places, “Galati”. The Romans used the words “Galli” or “Celte” with a hard “c”.
The pronunciation has gone back and forth both ways over the past centuries, with “k” generally more common nowadays.
Of course, one could circumvent the issue of pronunciation and simply refer to the numerous, heterogeneous, individual Celtic tribes, such as the Insubres in northern Italy, the Boi in Central Europe, or the Helvetii in Switzerland – because that is often referred to under a simple surname. What is referred to was actually a collection of some one hundred linguistically and culturally related tribes that have existed for about two thousand years!
Barbaric: A Perspective
Drunken, uncultured barbarians who would leap into battle at the slightest offense – often naked and painted blue and collecting severed heads: many descriptions of the Celts by Greek and Roman authors fall along these lines. But these writers were not at all neutral – after all, they were often at war with the Celts.
The Celts themselves left no written history. However, the exquisite jewellery, decorated swords and other artefacts found at Celtic burial sites point to complex societies and advanced metalworking techniques, while the abstract depictions and graceful lines speak to complex symbolism and advanced artistry.
Warrior first and foremost?
Readers of the popular French comic series ‘Asterix’ can imagine the Celts, of which the French Gauls were a subgroup, as eternal warriors in constant battle against the Romans.
While the Celts engaged in warfare both defensively and offensively, they flourished with rich trade activities in Central Europe, largely due to their control over various waterways.
For example, excavations at Heuberg, an Iron-Age fortified Celtic city in southwestern Germany that was home to about 10,000 inhabitants, found evidence of luxury Mediterranean goods such as Greek wine, Italian gold, and Spanish tableware.
Meanwhile, excavations on the British Isles testify to crop and livestock farming.
The Celtic language is alive!
So what did the Celts sound like?
Although we cannot know for sure, some Celtic languages still exist today in Britain and parts of France. These include Welsh, Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Cornish and Breton; All other Celtic languages have died out.
Greek and Roman writers described the Celtic tribes as speaking in mysterious, enigmatic ways, and information was transmitted orally rather than in writing.
Matriarchal…maybe
Speaking of transmitting oral information and history, it was the Druids, a type of Celtic religious leaders, who were responsible for this oral transmission. These can be male or female – these men are believed to hold higher social positions.
War equipment found in the excavation of the tomb shows that women also served as warriors. Ancient DNA from recent excavations in Britain also suggests that some Celtic societies may have been matriarchal, although more evidence is needed.
Edited by: Elizabeth Grenier