2. Page 1:Who were the Celts? Page 2:Where did they live? Page 3:F00d & farming Page 4:Clothes Page 5:The Spirit of Things Page 6:Warriors

3. The Celts were a group of peoples who came from Europe, and who existed around 2800 years before now. The Celts were very powerful, as they discovered a use for iron. Celtic families were called clans. Clans lived in tribes. Druids were highly respected members of the tribe. They were priests, bards* and also advised tribe leaders. Druids also did other things. Some Celtic stories are ‘The Salmon of Knowledge’, ‘Oisín and Tír Na nÓg’ and ‘Táin Bó Cualinge’. The Celts spoke Celtic(Old Welsh). Welsh in the Welsh language is ‘Cymraeg’. Celts in Welsh is ‘Y Celtaid’. Celts used ‘woad’, a blue mixture used as war paint. They painted swirly patterns on their skin. They thought mistletoe had very special powers. The Celts would put mistletoe in a bog-man’s** stomach. *Bards are like poets. **Bog-men were men that the Celts buried in bogs. That’s why they were called ‘bog-men’! Here’s some pictures of Celtic designs and knots.

4. The Celts lived in roundhouses made of a thatched roof and woven wood, wattle and daub-a sticky mixture made of straw, clay and animal droppings! It smelt very bad! They usually lived in hill-forts surrounded by a palisade fence or in a crannóg. A crannóg is like a roundhouse, but is based on water. The Celts were very particular about where they chose to build their hill-forts. The chieftain and his family, soldiers and craftsmen, lived in a high hill-fort because they were easy to defend. Here is a picture of a beautiful crannóg scene. Here’s a picture of a roundhouse.

5. Celts worked hard every day tending to their animals and crops for food to eat. They also fought over cattle. If you had lots of cattle, you would be considered wealthy! Women were also allowed own land, which was unusual. Celts were of pagan people, originally from Belgium and France. It is believed that they used to eat sheep, goats, hens and pigs. They also farmed cereals such as wheat and barley. On their farm, they kept horses, oxen, cattle, pigs, domestic pigs, chickens and dogs. Here are some pictures of Celtic farmers.

6. The Celts sheared sheep to get their wool. Sometimes, they dyed the wool with natural colours like berries. They then spun the wool with a spindle whorl and weaved it with a loom. If it was cold in the autumn and winter, Celtic peoples would use their cloaks as blankets. This was very smart, as it would have been so cold during the night, that they most probably would have gotten ill. This is a spindle whorl. This is a bowl that the Celts might have used to mush berries in to make dye.

7. “The objects which the Celts used in ceremony and even in everyday life were often rich in religious symbolism. Ornamental metalwork incorporated motifs of celestial significance : the wheel, swastika and spiral were attributes of a sky god, who controlled sun and lightning. The torc symbolized authority and often accompanied representations of gods. Cauldrons were especially prized and sometimes enjoyed the status of cult object within a tribe; Irish myths tell of cauldrons of abundance, which seems to indicate their use in ritual feasting.” The Celts : Sacred Symbols (published by Thames and Hudson,London) Here are a few things they used during ceremonies: Model boats, cauldrons, fire, helmets, the ‘S’ shape, the Swastika, Torcs and Wheels. This is a torc. This is a Celtic clan. Celts were of Indo-European origin, and were Pre-Christian pagans. However, they did believe in spiritual things.

8. The Celts often used horses in battle. The horses would ride with the warriors on their backs or pull chariots. Celts also used dogs to defend themselves and as guards. Cú Chulainn was a famous Irish Celtic warrior. He was a hero of Ulster. He got his name when he killed Culann’s Irish Wolfhound and agreed to take its place. He was killed in Baile Átha Fhirdia (Ardee) by his friend Ferdia. This is a very famous statue of Cú Chulainn when he died. It is on display at the GPO, Dublin.