The Celts
Known as the ancestors of the French or British peoples, the Celts, also called Gauls (for those who lived in Gaul), were rich in their own culture, with their languages and their myths.
However, information on this people remains uncertain and the knowledge we possess is partial. But who are the Celts?
The Celts are an Indo-European population group, which appeared around 1200 BC. JC, with the Hallstatt civilization .
A civilization which was located in central Europe and extended over a vast territory including Austria, Switzerland, part of Germany, Italy and even France. Celts who, over the centuries, settled in Central Europe, as well as in the Iberian region and in Great Britain.
Celts who predominated in Gaul and who were then called Gauls.
Far from the image that we have had over the millennia, and that we can sometimes have today—thanks to the archaeological finds that have been made—we now know that the Gauls seemed to be rather refined, and invented numerous instruments and cosmetic products of all kinds, for example.
Gaul which fell under Roman influence in 58 BC. JC, following the conquest of the territory by the famous Julius Caesar. Then followed 5 centuries of Roman Gaul, before it fell to the Franks in 486 CE.
Many remains that we call Gallo-Roman today—such as the amphitheater of Arles, the Gier aqueduct or the Porte de Mars in Reims—date from this Gallo-Roman era.
However, after the conquest of Gaul, Celtic culture only seemed to survive primarily in Ireland and Scotland, with most Celtic populations having been absorbed into larger, coherent polities.
The Celts unfortunately left very few written traces. We know it, therefore, mainly through the writings of other peoples, archaeological finds, and through their art.
A particularly interesting art where we can notice a strong predominance of anthropomorphic or natural motifs, such as interlacing (ornaments evoking ropes, generally symmetrical), and a tendency towards abstraction.
Concerning Celtic mythology, it was rich in a pantheon of very varied deities, and often different depending on the place.
Epona, the goddess of horses and fertility, was one of the most famous deities among the Celts in Gaul.
In Ireland, other deities are part of their mythology. I am talking here about the mythical story of the Tuatha Dé Danann (tribe of the goddess Dana) who conquered the island.
Dagda (Ollathair), the Druid god par excellence, is thus the most important god in Irish Celtic mythology after Lugh (god inventor and practitioner of all arts), who was also the main divinity of the Gauls (Lug).
(Of course everything is not said here, many things can be added if one wishes to go into much greater detail. Then the origin of the Celts, and proto-Celtic cultures can be traced back much further in the past according to sources and studies. The origin of the Celts dating back to the cultures of Hallstatt and La Tène being one hypothesis among others.
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An extremely varied Celtic culture and people, just fascinating, and of which you will discover more through the designs of our next collection inspired by them!
Click on the link below to discover now the clothing designed by ARCHAIA CREATIONS highlighting this incredible civilization!