The Celts
Known as being the ancestors of the French or even 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.
Nevertheless, the information on this people remains uncertain and the knowledge that we have, partial. But who are the Celts?
The Celts are an Indo-European population group, which would have appeared around 1200 BC. JC, with the civilization of Hallstatt .
A civilization that 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 named Gauls.
Far from the image that we could have 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 have invented many instruments and cosmetic products of all kinds, for example.
Gaul, which fell under Roman rule 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 into the hands of the Franks in 486 AD.
Many vestiges that we now call Gallo-Roman—such as the amphitheater in Arles, the Gier aqueduct or even the Porte de Mars in Reims—date from this Gallo-Roman period.
However, after the conquest of Gaul, Celtic culture seemed to survive primarily only in Ireland and Scotland, with most Celtic populations having been absorbed into larger, cohesive 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 one can notice a strong predominance of anthropomorphic or natural motifs, such as interlacing (ornaments evoking generally symmetrical cords), and a tendency towards abstraction.
Regarding 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 would have conquered the island.
Dagda (Ollathair), the druid god par excellence, is thus the most important god of Irish Celtic mythology after Lugh (inventor god and practitioner of all the arts), who was also the main deity of the Gauls (Lug).
(Of course not everything is said here, many things can be added if you want to go into much more 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 going 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 clothes designed by ARCHAIA CREATIONS honoring this incredible civilization!