The Celts: 500 BC
Artifacts
Society
Tanaiste
Ri
Tuath/Kingdom
Derbhfine
Nobles
Warriors
Aos Dana
Farmers/
Slaves
Warriors
• Fight for the clan
• Go into battle without armour (which they
consider cowardly)
• They also lead the cattle raids
Aos Dana: Skilled People
• Craftsmen / smiths / stone masons and
carpenters
• Bards / recite poems and sing songs
• Fili / Poets
• Druids / Priests
• Brehons / Judges
Whose job was it to recite poems
about Celtic Legends?
Craftsmen
Carpenters
• Houses
• Fences
• Boats
• Wooden Ploughs
• Chariots
• Wooden plates and
bowls
Smiths
• Axes
• Sickles
• Spades
• Hammers
• Swords
• Spears
• Arrow heads
• Jewellery
Commoners / Peasants
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Farming
Farmers rented land from nobles
Barley, wheat, but most importantly cattle
They ate porridge, bread, pork and drank
milk and ale
Arts & Crafts
Smiths
Spirals, curved lines and florals.
Gold, Silver and
Bronze and
polished stones
What is this famous Celtic artifact
called?
Primary Sources
• The Greeks wrote that the Celts “love
decoration. They wear ornaments, torcs
around their necks and bracelets on their
arms and wrists”.
• Natalie found out that the Celts also used
beads. Both men and women wore jewelry
• Silver and gold jewelry was very desired
and if you wore it, it showed you were very
important
Stone Masons
Ogham
Stones
Ogham Alphabet
Carpenters
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Houses
Fences
Boats
Wooden Ploughs
Chariots
Wooden plates and bowls
Buildings
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Dun
Promontory forts
Ring forts or raths
Houses
Promontory fort
Ring Fort / Rath
Julius Caesar says
• “Of the two important classes .... one
consists of Druids, the other of
knights[warriors]. The Druids are
concerned with divine worship, the
performance of sacrifices, public and
private, and the Interpretation of ritual
questions: a great number of young men
gather about them for the sake of
instruction and hold them in great honour.”
Religion
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Many deities
Dagda is the main god
Lug is the god of War
Brigid and Morrigan are goddesses
Deities live in wells, rivers and woods
The druid is the priest: sacrifices to the
gods
Celtic Festivals
• Samhain – November 1 when dead spirits
visit the world of the living
• Bealtaine – May 1 the festival to mark the
beginning of summer
• Imbolc – February 1 the festival of the
goddess Brigid
Do you know these words in Irish?
What do they mean?