Amazing Celts Bashny.Net

The Celts left a great many tales and legends, which are shrouded in a veil of mystery, intrigue, and, unfortunately, true. There are many misconceptions and false truths about them, but we're going to clear up some.
< 1. Origins

To be honest, no one really knows where they came from. Some historians claim that the Celts appeared in Britain around 1180 BC, in the verily while others argue that it was still early. However, it is generally accepted that the Celts began migrating from Central Europe in 400 BC They spread vo all directions until they were face to face with the Romans.

The problem was that their neighbor - Rome was united multinational empire and the Celts consisted of a dozen tribes that fought against each other in the same chasto as they fought against the Romans. In kontse all, nekotorye of these tribes were destroyed polnostyu, some agreed to be ruled by the Romans, verily in while others were driven out to the farthest corners of the known world: Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

2. They did not fight naked

The mention of the Celts in the West makes people smile, "Oh, these are the guys who fought with bare gold rim on the neck (called Tork)?»

However, it is one of the biggest misconceptions about the Celts, which is absolutely ridiculous if you think a little. Delo is today chto all known information about the Celts come from Roman sources, and the Romans and the Celts were enemies. We can confidently say chto Roman historians, somewhat exaggerated.

When your enemy describes you and your life, you can say with certainty that he would write about yourself only good, but their enemy or bad or anything. It is in our time can be seen, when the American sources claimed that during World War II won a decisive battle once they and the Soviet Union waged a long war with Germany on the Eastern Front.

You can also see from another angle; Celts lived in a period known as the Iron Age. It was a time when iron was used instead of bronze to make weapons, armor, and tools. The Celts themselves produced good weapons such as swords, axes, spears and two-handed hammers, metal plates and chain mail for use as armor. Knowing this, it is unlikely that the Celts dressed in cool weather on a naked body iron chain mail.

3. Druids


Celtic Druids were very honored. In addition, they are normally chto wore long white robes and sacrificed people, they do very interesting things. They advised the chiefs and kings, which adopt laws (such as advisers or parliament today), and they even acted as judges, implementing its own laws. Druids were considered clever and wise because they are 20 years of their lives to teach them skills. Their expertise ranged from astronomy to philosophy. Because they have extensive knowledge, they advised the people when to plant crops and even predicted the future.

In addition, the Celtic Druids gave many traditions that are alive and Po today. The Druids believed the oak - a holy tree, because they believed that their gods live everywhere: in the streams, rocks, trees. According to the beliefs of the Druids, the only thing more holy and magical than oak - a mistletoe that grows on oak. The Druids believed mistletoe miraculous properties, cut her golden sickle and carried out purification rituals. Therefore, to this day, according to their traditions in English-speaking countries, there is a belief that if you were under the mistletoe, should definitely kiss.

4. Celtic woman


Women are among the Celts could be powerful, have the right to own land, and even divorce, which was unheard of in the ancient world. Unlike the Roman women, Celtic could climb up the social ladder or by inheritance status or, having achieved it with their deeds. If the woman was a landowner, during the war, she went to fight as a soldier on the orders of his king. Also, women warriors mogli devochek train young boys and the art of war.

They could even become a druid. What's really interesting about the Celts, is that the children they were considered innocent and are protected by law. This is quite a contrast to the Roman world in which useless throwing children and left to die in the trash.

5. The Celts built excellent roads

Romans usually attributed to fame that they were the first to build a reliable network of roads that connected all of Europe together. In the end, it is a historical fact, right? Wrong again! Contrary to popular belief, the Celts in the Pre-Roman samom actually built a network of roads to connect the wooden poseleny various Celtic tribes, so that they can engage in trade.

The problem with wood roads that chto they have not survived: by their very nature, most of them rotted. However, several boards have been found in bolotah Ireland, England and France. Because the Romans never really been in Ireland, we can assert uverennostyu chto these old boards were actually part of the Celtic road system. You can also view more information about the example of Celtic Roads Trails Corley (Corlea Trackway), which is located in Ireland. Here are preserved many of the old road, which has been partially restored to give an idea of ​​how it could look in his golden days.

6. Strange hats

Now, kogda you know that the Celts had metal armor and chain mail, it is not hard to guess that they had and helmets. In fact, the Celts had a bunch of really crazy hats, Shout of kotoryh was discovered in Chumesht (Ciumesti), Romania (remember, the Celts were widespread throughout Europe?). There was found an old cemetery from the Iron Age 34 graves. It turns out that these graves belonged to rich Celtic chieftain who was buried there, along with many objects, such as bronze weapons and armor (to serve him in the afterlife). Among these objects was found a very strange hat, on top of which was a picture of a large bird of prey.

What's really cool in this helmet is the fact that the wings of birds have also been attached to the hinges. This meant that, during human walking - bird flaps its wings. Historians believe that the helmet was a parade and in battle is not used.

7. The Celts loved battle

The Celts not only traveled, they also fought, and sometimes not at all free. Celtic mercenaries in ancient times famous for its reputation of brave and wild warriors. We know that they are in the service of the Pharaoh Ptolemy II, king of Ptolemaic Egypt. Mercenaries were nastolko good that Ptolemy II was afraid that they might seize Egypt, so he dropped them on a deserted island in the middle of the Nile.

The Greeks also met in battle with the Celts, who at that time were trying to expand their territory. This war is known as the Gallic invasion of the Balkans and the Delphic battle in 279 BC, in which the Celts were defeated. The Greek army was well organizovano srazhalos and cohesion, so that they could easily defeat the Celts fought in isolation.

8. Headhunters

If you had to choose some interesting fact about samy keltah, so this is probably the fact that they were hunting for turtles. They believed that the best trophy in the battle was the severed head of an enemy. This fact can be explained by the fact that the Celts believed that the soul of a murdered man lived inside his head.

Collections skulls meant a great honor and prestige of the owner, plus it gave them a reason to be proud. Celts decorate saddle their horses and their doors golovami severed his enemies.

9. The Celts were extremely rich

Here's a little history: In 58 BC Romans and Celts lived peacefully in their respective territories. However, at this time the novice politician Julius Caesar had huge debts, and he needed somewhere to get money. That he did. He invaded peaceful Celtic territory.

Gallic War is often regarded as the greatest military victory of Julius Caesar. It was the beginning of the rapid expansion of the Roman Empire. During the war, Caesar systematically beaten several Celtic chieftains, gaining control over more and more territory. This territory, which was annexed to the Roman Empire was called Gaul (modern France). This led to the fact that Caesar has earned a lot of fame for his military successes. Interestingly, Caesar began a war under the pretext of protecting some of the other Celtic tribes. As a result of such "protection" in Gaul were killed over a quarter of a million people (Celts). Caesar continued to "defend" the Celtic tribes, until they were eventually all destroyed.

What does this have to the wealth of the Celts? First of all, Caesar was a politician. He desperately needed the money to pay off his debts, and he needed a military conquest to boost his political career. A Celtic Gaul were rich deposits of gold. It is known that at that time in Gaul, employed more than 400 gold mines. Thus, the Celts were very rich, and no wonder why Caesar wanted to get their hands on control of these mines. Oddly enough, the Romans began to mint their own gold coins just after the conquest of Gaul.

10. The Celts were not simpletons

In addition, the Celts had serious knowledge of mathematics and astronomy. The Romans were the Julian kalendar, but the Celts had their own calendar. He called Coligny calendar. It was found in Coligny, France (hence nazvanie) in 1897. The calendar consists of a series of mysterious metal objects, decorated with intricate ornaments, lines, ports, numbers, letters and Celtic. In 1989, kalendar was finally deciphered. It has been found that it is a lunisolar calendar, which calculates the time of the year, based on the cycles of the sun and moon. It is very accurate kalendar that was peredovym for your Time interval and more accurate his peers - the Roman calendar.

Perhaps more importantly, that this calendar is living proof that the Celts had a mathematical and scientific knowledge. Just to show how accurate was this thing, let's compare it and the Roman calendar. The Roman calendar is considered to be too precise enough for svoego time and lagged behind the real solar time only 11, 5 minutes per year. However, after being passed century, even a slight inaccuracy increases with time. Calendar of Coligny was so accurate on sravneniyu to Rome, that if we had lived in the Roman calendar until today, the beginning of spring we would have noted in mid-August, and the Celts remains to the spring in the spring.

Here they are - the Celts.
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