Rude warriors who fought the Romans or matriarchal societies with refined arts and extensive trade? The history of these European peoples is full of mysteries. But some of them have already been discovered. Weighing 3.7 kilograms, the 483 Celtic gold coins represent the largest discovery of their kind in the 20th century – and a treasure of inestimable value for researchers of this civilization. They were stolen in November 2022 from the Museum of the Celts and Romans in Manching, Bavaria, in an operation worthy of Hollywood and despite the alarm systems.
Arrested, the robbery suspects will face German justice in a trial that will begin this Tuesday (21/01). But so far the authorities have managed to recover only 500 grams of the treasure; the remainder is believed to have been melted down. If this were the case, Celtic history – full of mysteries and controversies – has lost a precious testimony.
What do you know, or think you know, about the Celts?
House in Central Europe
Although many tend to associate the Celts with the United Kingdom – where their heritage remains strong, also thanks to linguistic remains -, the origin of this civilization is actually in an area ranging from north-eastern France to the Czech Republic, crossing Germany and Austria.
The oldest archaeological evidence of this people comes from the Austrian city of Hallstatt. The findings date back to around 700 BC, but it is estimated that Celtic culture began to develop much earlier, already in the second millennium BC
The Celts inhabited much of France and northern Spain, reaching the Balkans, the Black Sea area and even Anatolia, an area that today is part of the Asian part of Turkey. The exact movement of these people on the map, however, is still debated among researchers.
As regards the British Isles, the term “Celtic” came into fashion in the 18th century to describe the pre-Roman civilizations present in that region, but there is still no consensus among scholars on the extent to which it is correct to consider them parts of a larger Celtic community.
The name comes from the Greeks
“Celtic” is a term coined by the Greeks, who called the tribes they formed in the 6th century BC Keltoi or Galatians. The Romans used the terms galli or celtae (the “c” was pronounced “k”).
For this reason there are documents that propose the pronunciation of the English term “celt” with both the “s” sound and the “k” sound. It includes a number of individual and heterogeneous tribes that existed for about 2 thousand years, such as the Insubres in northern Italy, the Boii in central Europe or the Helvetii in Switzerland. What united them were linguistic and cultural ties.
Fame of the Barbarians: A Point of View
Rude, drunken barbarians who threw themselves into conflicts at the slightest sign of offense – often naked and painted blue – picking up heads: this is more or less how many Roman and Greek writers described the Celts.
But these writers weren’t exactly neutral. Its people were often at war with the Celts, who in turn left no written records.
But the exquisite jewelry, ornate swords, and other artifacts discovered in the cemeteries of these people point to the existence of complex societies and advanced metalworking techniques, with abstract portraits and graceful lines suggesting complex symbolism and advanced artistic talent.
Warriors above all?
Readers of the Asterix comics might imagine that the Celts – of which the French Gauls were a part – were perpetual warriors, always in battle against the Romans.
And although the Celts actually fought on both offense and defense, they thrived on trade in Central Europe, largely due to the control they exercised over several waterways.
Excavations at Heuneberg, an Iron Age (1200 BC-1000 AD) fortified Celtic city in southwestern Germany that was home to around 10,000 residents, have revealed luxury goods from the Mediterranean, such as Greek wine, Italian gold and Spanish tableware. In turn, excavations in the British Isles have so far revealed agricultural and livestock use.
The Celtic language is alive
And what did the Celtic language sound like?
There is no precise answer to this question, but there are some Celtic languages ​​still alive in parts of the UK and France. These include Welsh, Irish, Gaelic, Cornish and Breton. All other variants became extinct.
Greek and Roman authors called the languages ​​of the Celtic tribes mysterious and enigmatic. Information between these people was transmitted orally, not written.
A matriarchal society?
And speaking of oral information and stories, it was the druids – sort of Celtic religious leaders – who were responsible for telling them. Druids were both men and women, but it is believed that they had a more prestigious social position.
Battle relics found in the excavations suggest that women were also warriors. Traces of DNA collected in the UK even indicate that some Celtic societies may have been matriarchal, a conclusion, however, that still requires further evidence.
Source: Terra

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