Chapter 3 - The Iron Age And The Arrival Of The Celts Flashcards
When did the celts begin to control europe?
Around 650BC
When did the celts first settle in ireland?
From 500BC onwards
How do we know so much about the celts?
- celts left no written accounts on how they lived or ruled
- the celts traded with greeks and romans who left behind scholars about the celts
What type of objects have archaeologists discovered from the Iron Age?
Weapons and jewellery
What is Ogham?
- a basic type of alphabet
- a series of notches
- engraved in standing stones
How did Celtic men dress?
- woollen trousers called bracae and boots made of soft leather
- in summer : sleeveless shirts
- cold weather : woollen tunic , long sleeves , heavy woollen cloaks
What did Celtic women look like?
- long woollen dresses fastened around the waist
- shawls / heavy cloaks
- leather boots or sandals
How did celts dye their clothes?
They used berries and plants to dye wool and produce checkered and striped patterns
What arts and crafts did the celts do?
- large pins/brooches : made by skilled craftsmen to fasten clothes
- gold was the preferred choice for crafting jewellery
- torcs were gold and silver necklaces
What were torcs?
Celtic gold and silver necklaces
What the celts discover in around 250BC?
How to make glass
How was the country divided?
The country was divided into approximately 150 kingdoms or “tuath”
Who was the leader of the tuath?
-each tuath was controlled by the “rí” (king) and the royal family the derbhine
How was celtic society divided?
Rí : king Derbhine : royal family Tánasite : a successor to the king Nobles : landowners, warriors, Aos Dána (brehons, druids, fílí, craftsmen) Labourers Slaves
What was fosterage?
When nobles would send their sons away to be brought up in other families until the age of 14
Who were the warriors?
Warriors were knobles who:
- were trained to protect the tuath
- hunted boar and led cattle raids against other tribes
- held feasts to celebrate successes
- ‘heros portion’ - the warrior who was bravest had the biggest puece of meat
- cut off enemies heads and kept them as trophies
Who were the brehons?
Members of the Aos Dána who:
- were judges and settled disputes
- were responsible for remebering ancient brehon laws
- fined celts who broke the law
Who were the druids?
Memebers of the Aos Dána who:
- were priests
- preformed ceremonies during important celtic festivals
Who were the filí?
- poets
- trained for 20 years
- learned history and the celtic legends by composing it and learning it by heart
- Filí called ‘bards’ were employed by nobles to compose poetry praising them
Who were the craftsmen?
Members of the Aos Dana who were carpenters and workers
What part did women play in celtic society?
- important role
- cooking, cleaning and bringing up children
- noble women were respected and could bring up children
What is the Táin Bó Cuailinge?
The irish ledgend that tells us that Medb was a powerful queen of connacht
Name three celtic settlements?
- rath/ringfort
- crannóg
- hillfort
What was a rath or ringfort?
- common form of celic dwelling
- nobles and large farmers lived here
- poorer people lived nearby in mud cabins
- circular area
- raised bank
- timber wall
- surrounded by a ditch
- houses built within enclosure
What was a cashel?
A rath or ringfort made with stone walls
What was a souterrain?
An underground passage used to store food and as refuge during attack
What was a crannóg?
- A dwelling built on man made islands on lakes
- artificial island - built by dumping stones, rocks, mud and wood
- island reached by boat or wooden bridge
- great protection from attackers and wild animals
What was a hillfort?
A dwelling built on hills for protection e.g. Hill of tara
A promontory fort was built on a cliff - Dún Aengus
What did celts farm?
- wheat, barley, oats, cabbage, carrots, turnips
- berries and fruits picked
- amount of cows determined wealth
What were the Celtic pastimes?
- brandubh + ficheall : celtic games like chess and draughts
- báire : similar to hurling and golf
What were the celtic religious beliefs?
- many gods… polytheistic
- believed gods were all around them - rivers, mountains, forests
What were the Celtic burial customs?
- celts cremated their dead and put the ashes into a cist grave or pit
- grave goods
What happened in 700BC?
Discovery of iron in central europe
