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If you had asked any of the ancient Celts who they were or what they were called, they would have responded with the name of their tribe; rather than, any of the names (like Galatac, Keltoi, or Celtac) given to them by classical Mediterranean writers. The Greeks had been the first to call them Keltoi - their word for barbarian. Basically the Greeks and Romans viewed the Celts as uncivilized because they considered them to be: non-urban (Celts preferred non-city living), illiterate (Celts preferred the oral tradition to written records), and disorderly (Celts preferred the constantly changing permutations of nature to total symmetry and order). Celtic textiles were already quite advanced by the Early Iron Age (1,200-500 BCE). Fabric finds at Hallstat, Austria include checks, silk thread embroidery, stripes, and twill patterns. Around 500 BCE, the marvelously intricate Lá Téne style of Celtic art emerged with its splendid metalwork and its intermeshed curving and swirling lines suggestive of animal or plant life.
The spiraling, swirling patterns which the Celts utilized to express their spiritual
connectivity with the sacred mysteries, mirrored the inspirational beauty and
harmony of the Natural World.
The triple spiral design (above) on orthostat C10 in the north recess at the back of the chamber at New Grange, which is often called the three spiral stone by archaeologists. This patterning was also reflected in a wide range of Celtic artwork from small sacred objects to huge stone monuments. The Celtic penchant for fluidity and curvilinear design was perhaps most aptly illustrated by the 109m long, Uffington White Horse which was carved into the chalk downs in Berkshire, England. Exquisitely crafted bracelets, brooches, cauldrons, cups, household objects, jewelry, religious statues, torcs, and weapons decorated with superbly stylized patterns flourished throughout the Celtic culture. Even though the Celts were highly skilled artists, builders, craftsmen, farmers, merchants, and smiths who shared common customs and spiritual traditions, they were content to remain a pastoral and agricultural peoples, living in harmony with the land and the seasonal cycles. Because they were not interested in building an empire and chose a non-urban lifestyle where they tended crops, herded animals, and worked the fields, the Greeks and Romans viewed them and their small villages and large hill forts as uncivilized... Continue on Go back
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Celts
Celtic Ancient Civilization 
