Celts
Early Celts [1500]. Early Celts [Urnfield Celts] lived in present-day Hungary. Most were farmers and cattle owners. Some earned their living as members of raiding parties. They became known as the Urnfield culture because they cremated their dead and buried their ashes in pottery jars.
Celts move west [1200]. After moving to present-day Austria the Celts began to bury their dead, instead of cremating them [Hallstat Celts]. Women played an important role in Celtic society. Women, not men, inherited property. Some women fought as warriors. The Celts honored a female goddess of war.
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Halloween. During the festival [Samain] Celts put food outside their houses on the night that the spirits of the dead returned to earth. This may have inspired Halloween.
Iron age expansion [800]. The Halstatt Celts learned to make iron [750] and produced horseshoes, plows, rims for wagon wheels, and two-edged swords. The Haltstats expanded into France and Germany. They called themselves Celts. The Romans later called them Gauls. They are also known as Gaels and their language is known as Gaelic. Many locations in Europe owe their names to Celt tribes: Belgium [Belgae], Switzerland [Helvetii], Britain [Britons], and Paris [Parisii].
CeltIberians [500]. Some of the Hallstat Celts entered Spain. They became isolated from other Celts and intermixed with Spain's Iberian people. Over time they developed a unique CeltIberian culture.
Celts burn Rome [400]. Celt raiders attacked northern Italy [400/350] and burned Rome [390] after the Romans killed a Celtic chief. The Romans rebuilt the city, surrounded it walls, and attacked the Celts in Italy.
Kingdom in Asia Minor [330]. Celts attacked farms and cities in Thrace [285], took treasures from the temple at Delphi in Greece [279], and formed Galatia in Asia Minor. Although the Celt kingdom of Galatia lasted only 50 years [276/220], the Celtic language continued to be spoken in parts of Asia Minor for hundreds of years.
Lose territory [220]. Carthage took part of Spain from the CeltIberians. Many Celts joined the Carthagian army which attacked Italy [216, under Hannibal]. The Romans expelled the Celts from north Italy [192].
Defeat Roman army [150]. Groups of West Germans and Celts defeated two Roman armies [113 BCE, Noricum; 105, Arausio] and raided Italy and France. The Romans divided their army into smaller and faster units and returned to defeat the West Germans and Celts [101, Vercellae]. Celts trained dogs for hunting and sent dogs into battle ahead of their troops. Horses were so important to the Celts that they worshipped a goddess of horses [Epona].
Romans Take France [100]. The Roman general, Julius Caesar, conquered the Celts in France over a seven year period [58/51]. His troops made brief landings in Britain during this campaign.
Ireland [50 BCE]. As Rome expanded some Celts settled within the empire, but others moved off-shore to Britain and Ireland.
Brittany [400]. After East German Vandals attacked France [406] Roman military leaders withdrew their troops from England [407]. Angles, Saxons, and Jutes moved to England during the 100 years after the Roman army left England. During the same period Celtic Bretons left England and settled in the region of France which became known as Brittany.
Christianity [500]. Celts in Ireland became Christians [about 400]. Christian monks who worked as scribes in Irish monasteries played a significant historical role by making handwritten copies of documents. They preserved books which did not survive on the mainland of Europe. The economy of the mainland suffered because of the 'barbarian conquests', the 'fall of Rome', and the Muslim conquest of Mediterranean coastline.
Danes threaten Brittany [900]. Dane raids in Brittany caused many Bretons to return to England [919]. The Bretons were Celts who had left England 500 years earlier. The Bretons returned to Brittany 20 years later [939] and drove the Danes out. The people of Brittany have a culture which incorporates both Celtic and French traditions.
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