The Celts
1
Who were the Celts?
The Celts came from central Europe to Ireland around 600 B.C. They
were fearless warriors and they were very skilled in working with metal.
They discovered iron. This was much stronger than bronze (which was
used before) so their weapons were stronger in battles. This time (600
B.C. – about 43 A.D.) was known as the Iron Age.
The early Celts didn't read or write. Luckily, the Greeks and Romans
wrote about the Iron Age Celts. They tell us that the Celts lived in tribes,
they wore gold and loved to fight and drink wine. They also wrote about
the power of the Celts' priests, who were called druids.
The Celts
2
Houses
The Celts lived in
roundhouses with thatched
roofs of straw or heather.
The walls were usually
made from wattle and daub
(wood, clay and straw).
Families lived together in settlements - children, parents,
grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.
Here, the roundhouses were built in groups. The walls protected
them from wolves and wild boar.
The Celts
3
Ogham writing
•The Celts used Ogham writing.
•They started off by carving Ogham onto pieces of wood but then they
began to carve onto rocks which became known as ‘Ogham Stones’.
•If you were reading an Ogham stone, you would read it from the
bottom to the top.
•There are only twenty letters in the early Irish Ogham alphabet instead
of the twenty-six we have in our alphabet.
The Celts
Celtic designs
4
The Celts
5
Clothing
The Celts liked colourful clothes.
They used berries and plants to dye
wool different colours.
They often used tartan patterns
The Romans tell us that some Celts painted patterns all over their
bodies using a special plant.
Men sometimes used lime to spike their hair up before battle.
Men would wear a tunic with a
belt, a cloak and trousers.
Women wore dresses fastened
with brooches.
The Celts
6
Warriors
The most famous soldiers wore
fancy bronze helmets on their
head to show how important they
were.
Often there were model birds,
animals or horns on the helmets
which made them even more
special.
Warriors carried huge
shields decorated with
signs or patterns.
The Celts
7
Food
The Celts were very
good farmers. Their
iron tools helped them
to cut down forests
and plough land.
They lit fires in the
centre of their
roundhouses to cook
meat such as beef and
pork.
They also ate vegetables
like cabbage, turnips and
carrots.
They grew cereals like
wheat, barley and oats.
They used the barley to
make bread, porridge and
beer.
The Celts
8
Religion
The Celts worshipped many gods. The main god was
Daghda, god of the afterlife. Lugh was the god of war
and harvest.
Druids:
Druids were pagan
priests. It could take up
to 20 years to become a
druid.
The Celts believed that
druids had magical
powers and could see
into the future.
This is a sculpture of a
druid near Tullamore,
Co. Offaly.
NAME: _________________________________ _____
DATE:____________
Station 1:
1. Place an “X” on this timeline to show when the Celts arrived in Ireland:
2000BC
1500BC
1000BC
500BC
1AD
500AD
1000AD
1500AD
2000AD
2. How have we found out about the Celts?
___________________________________________________________________
Station 2:
1. What were roundhouses made from? __________________________________________
2. Why did the Celts build walls around their settlements?___________________
___________________________________________________
Station 3:
Write your name in Ogham:(bottom to top!)
Station 4:
Design this shield using a Celtic design:
Station 5:
How did the Celts make their clothes colourful? __________________________________________
What clothes did Celtic women wear? _________________________________
Station 6:
Look at the helmet. What designs can you see? ___________________________________________
Do you think it belonged to a famous soldier? _________ Why? __________________
______________________________________________________
Station 7:
What meat did the Celts eat? _________________________________________
What do you think the people in the picture might be cooking? ______________________
_____________________________________________________________
Station 8:
Name two Celtic gods. ___________________________________
What were Celtic priests called?
______________