The Celts were the first major civilisation which came to Britain, as opposed to the nomadic hunter gatherers.

Celts were tall, with blue eyes and fair hair.

There is evidence that the Celts arrived in Britain during the Iron Age, in the fifth century BC.

|Language|

The Celt bought Brythonic languages which were Celtic languages spoken in Britain; and Goidelic, or Gaelic, language spoken in Ireland.

|Modern Words of with Celtic Origin|

Ach ...... oh (used in Scotland)
Ass ...... animal like horse with long ears
Beet ..... plant with swollen root
Car ...... road vehicle (Celtic: to move swiftly)
Down ..... hill
Gravel ... small stones
Gull ..... sea bird
Hog ...... pig (Celtic: the age of a sheep or pig)
Hubbub ... excited fuss
Iron ..... metallic element
Lawn ..... area of short cultivated grass
Mantel ... fireplace frame
Peat ..... deposit of organic debris
Pico- .... One millionth

As Anglo-Saxon pushed in later in history, the Brythonic languages were compressed into of Wales and Cornwall. Some fled to Brittany in France, where their language became Breton.

Gaelic made it’s way back to mainland Britain from Ireland when Ireland invaded Scotland in the sixth and seventh centuries. In the eleventh century, this Gaelic developed into a separate Scottish language. In the eighteenth centuary, when the clans fell, so did Scottish.

|Celtic words that remain in place names:|

? Avon ...... River/ water
? Bre ....... Hill
? Cumb ...... Deep valley
? Pen ....... Top/ headland
? Tor ....... Peak/ high rock

|Traditions|

Regional Celtic traditions were the foundations of modern celebrations. Hallowe’en, for instance, originated from the Celtic festival of Samhain, where fires were lit to mark the end of a year, because winter would begin the next day (1 November).

|Religion|

Druids were priests of a Celtic pagan religion that was suppressed by the Romans in the first centuary, AD. Druids studied and taught astronomy, mathematics and oral poetry.

Oak trees were sacred to the Druids, and mistletoe which grew on the trees were meant to have magical powers.

Druids’ reputation was for cruelty, but this may have been Roman propaganda and slander.

In modern times, with the revival of interest in Britain’s Celtic past, the Druid Circle of the Universal Bond was formed in 1717. Modern druids practise nature worship based on ancient rituals.

|Celtic Gods|

Bran .... giant God who ruled Britain
Gwern ... son of Bran, ruled as King of Ireland
Mab ..... God of light
Ogma .... God which supposedly created their alphabet

|Lindow Man|

A 2000-year-old body was kept well preserved in Lindow Moss in Cheshire until it was discovered in 1984.

Features of the Lindow Man:
? Wore only a fox-fur armlet;
? Was in his early 20s;
? Had manicured nails and trimmed beard;
? Skull was fractured and throat cut;
? Had been garrotted and laid face-down in water;
? Traces of mistletoe found in his stomach.

He was believed to have been a victim of ritual sacrifice.

|When the Romans Came|

A lot of details about these ancient ancestors is hard to come by. The main reason for this is Roman slander.

|Britain’s First Hero|

Boudica, later mistakenly known as Boudicea, lead a rebellion in AD 61 against the Romans (who came in AD 43). She took control of the Iceni, a tribe in Norfolk.

She attacked Camulodunum (Colchester) and Londinium (London) and massacred entire Roman garrisons.