Education & Children’s Services Group
ICT Unit
Find out about
The Celts
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Who are the Celts?
The Welsh are descendents of people from
the past we call the Iron Age Celts.
When did they live?
Find out by looking at the timeline and
reading the information at
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/celts/factfile/index.shtml>
Can you draw your own timeline?
How do we know about the Celts (read
the information underneath the timeline)
Where did they live?
The Celts lived in houses (though they were
not like our houses!) which were grouped
together in hillforts.
There were lots of hillforts. Many were
in Wales.
The Houses
Celtic houses were called
roundhouses, and it is easy to see
where they get their name!
Roundhouses
There is a reconstructed Iron Age
roundhouse, built on a hillfort site in Castell
Henllys, Pembrokeshire.
Find out how the
roundhouses here
Celts
built
their
http://www.castellhenllys.com/english/howtobuild.htm>
<
Click on the link at the bottom of the
webpage to see an animation showing how
they were made.
Describe how roundhouses were made.
Make a model of a roundhouse.
Inside a Roundhouse
Read about what it was like inside a
roundhouse at these websites:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/celts/factfile/homes.shtml
http://www.nmgw.ac.uk/dynamic/www.php/414
Use this information to answer the
questions on the next slide
What was inside a roundhouse?
Use your answers to these questions to
write a paragraph about roundhouses.
What was a firedog?
How did Celts cook their food?
What did they have to do to make bread?
What else would have been inside the
house?
Family Life
Click on the cartoons here to find out
more about family life in Celtic times.
http://www.nmgw.ac.uk/education/forfun/celticfamily/
Describe the
blacksmith).
work
of
a
smith
(or
What sort of foods would Celts have
eaten?
Can you finish Nain’s story?
Clothes and Appearance
You can find out more about what we think
Celts look like here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/celts/factfile/clothes.shtml
Draw a picture of a Celtic family.
The picture on the next slide may help you.
The “A Tale of Weaving” story here helps
you understand how they made their
clothes:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/celts/factfile/clothes.shtml
Celtic home life
Hillforts
The Celts built their roundhouses in forts
to protect themselves from enemies.
Most of these forts were built on hills. Can
you think why this would have offered
protection?
More about hillforts
Click on the ‘Build a Hillfort’ link on this
webpage to try creating your own hillfort.
Remember, you have to make it strong and
safe!
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/celts/>
Draw a plan for a strong, secure hillfort,
based on what you have learned. The plan of
Castell Henllys on the next slide may help
you get started.
Castell Henllys
Celts at Work
You have already found out something
about the work of the blacksmith.
Smelting (melting the metal
ready for shaping).
Shaping the
metal
Celts at Work
There was always work to be done around
the hillfort.
Look at the pictures of some of these
jobs on the next slide.
Can you work out why each job was
important to the Celts
For example,
Blacksmith – makes weapons and shields, for
protection. Makes firedogs to help with cooking.
Celts at Work
Pottery
Ploughing
Woodwork
Weaving
More about jobs and tasks
Were you right about the jobs done by
Celtic people?
You can find out, and learn about more jobs,
here:
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/prehistory/ironage_tasks_gallery.shtml >
See if you can find
out what these men
are doing.
What did they look like?
The pictures of the Celts at work provide an
idea of the sort of clothes they wore.
You can find out more here:
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/celts/factfile/clothes.shtml>
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/celts/activities/weaving.shtml>
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/prehistory/ironage_intro_05.
shtml>
Design some Celtic clothing.
Make your design out of fabric and dress a
doll or card figure.
What do you remember?
So far you have discovered a lot
information about Celtic everyday life?
of
How much of it do you remember?
You can test yourself here:
<
http://www.ngflcymru.org.uk/vtc/Phase3delivery/Wales/History/
Keystage2/TheCeltsinWales/Whatwasitliketo/Onlineactivity/ >
Enemies
Although the Celts were farmers, life was
not always peaceful in the villages.
Follow Caradog here
<http://www.nmgw.ac.uk/education/forfun/celticfamily/car_0.shtml
to find out what sort of things threatened
the Celtic way of life.
Copy the headings and complete the table:
Threats to the Celtic way of life
How the Celts protected themselves
Celts at War
When the
Romans invaded
Britain, they
became the
Celts’ bitter
enemies for
many years.
There were
many wars
between the
Celts and the
Romans.
Celtic Warriors
Bran is a Celt, from a tribe called the
Silures. Tadius is a Roman legionary. They
have different views and experiences.
Compare them here:
<http://www.nmgw.ac.uk/dynamic/www.php/415>
<http://www.nmgw.ac.uk/dynamic/www.php/417>
Find out more about Celtic warriors here:
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/celts/factfile/warriors.shtml >
Also go to < http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/celts/index.shtml?1 >
and look at:
The Smartest Warrior and
The War Chariot.
Celt or Roman?
Would you rather be a Celtic warrior or a
Roman soldier?
Choose one and write about a typical day.
Explain why you would rather be this
person. What are the differences
between the lives of the two?
(You can find out more about life in the
Roman army here:
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/romans/army.shtml > )
Boudicca
Celtic
women
often
fought
alongside the men. One of the most
famous Celtic warriors was the
wife of the leader of the Iceni
tribe. Her name was Boudicca.
Find out about her here:
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/romans/rebel.shtml >
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/walk/timestrip/cara_boud.shtml >
Draw a picture of Boudicca on
her chariot going into battle.
Roman Rule
Although the Celts fought hard, the Romans
were very organised and eventually defeated
them. The Celts then lived under Roman rule.
Read Tadia’s story to find out how the
Romans and Celts began to live in peace:
< http://www.nmgw.ac.uk/dynamic/www.php/416 >
The Romans taught the Celts in Britain
many things and brought many inventions
with them. How many can you list?
Religion and Belief
The Celts worshipped
lots of different gods
and goddesses. Their
priests were called
Druids.
Find out more on this page:
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/celts/factfile/religion.shtml >
You can also read a story about a druid on:
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/celts/index.shtml?1 > click on
Dream for a Druid
Back to that jewellery. . .
By now you should have
discovered that the Celts
were great craftsmen and
very clever at making things.
They are called the Iron Age Celts because
of the work they did with metal. Lots of
metalwork has been discovered in Rhondda
Cynon Taf at a site which has now become
famous. Look at this page to find out what
it is called:
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/celts/factfile/art.shtml >
Llyn Fawr
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southeast/sites/celts/
pages/llynfawr.shtml
What was found at Llyn Fawr when the
artificial lake was being created?
What does this tell us about the area?
How does this help us discover where the
jewellery you found came from?
Celtic Metalwork
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/celts/index.shtml?1
Go to the site above and click on Design A Torc
to try designing your own Iron Age jewellery.
Your teacher might let you make your design.
(You could use clay, salt-dough, wire and foil, wire and mod-roc, etc.)
Congratulations!
You have gathered enough information about
the Celts to be considered an expert.
Have you written your factsheet yet?
Yes
Not yet
(Click below)
(Click below)
It`s the last thing you have to do!
Remember...
Gather all your information together and decide
which you should use.
Decide on a layout and subheadings for your
factsheet.
Put together and present the factsheet to
experts who will decide whether the museum
should accept your research.
Click the tick on the previous slide when you
have finished it.
Click this button to go
back to the information
about Celts.
Well Done!
The museum staff throw a party
in your honour!