Discovering ancient civilizations: CELTS – Who are They? The project is done by Senotov Sergey and Buslayev Alexandr Form 10 a Baltai School

Contents 1.Celts – who are they? 2.What did they wear? 3.What did they eat? 4.Where did they live? 5.What did they believe in? 6.What is left of them today?

The aims of the Project: to find out who were the celts, where and when they lived; to give details about what they looked like; to describe what their lifestyle was like; to explain what is left of them today.

Who are the Celts? Celts lived in Britain before and after Jesus. We're going back a very, very long time - two thousand years ago, in fact. Our years are numbered by starting at the year Jesus Christ was born - and the Iron Age Celts lived here 750 years before that. The Iron Age ended in AD43 (43 years after Jesus was born) when the Romans invaded Britain.

From around 750 BC to 12 BC, the Celts were the most powerful people in central and northern Europe. There were many groups (tribes) of Celts, speaking a vaguely common language.

The period of time in Britain immediately before the Roman period is known as the Iron Age. The name 'Iron Age' comes from the discovery of a new metal called iron. The Celts found out how to make iron tools and weapons. Northwest Europe was dominated by three main Celtic groups: the Gauls the Britons the Gaels

Who are the Celts? The brass plaque was found in 1963 on Cadair Idris in north Wales. The pair of plaques are decorated with human faces. The faces have staring eyes, and straight hair. Archaeologists believe that the head was greatly respected by the Celts.

Celtic warriors carried long, or oval shaped shields, spears, daggers and long slashing swords made of iron.

Some Celtic warriors used lime (like we use hair mousse today) to dress their hair into spikes and tattooed their skin with blue dye, called woad (the name Picts comes from the Latin for 'painted people').

What did they wear? Celts took a great interest in their clothes when they could afford to do so. The Celts were fond of bright dazzling colours. They dyed their woollen trousers and tops in bright colours.

Clothes were made from wool and dyed with natural vegetable dyes (plants and berries) and woven by hand on a vertical loom.

The Celts also liked to wear jewellery made from bronze, gold, tin, silver, coral and enamel.

Cloaks were made from wool and fastened by brooches and pins. Many had colourful designs woven into their clothes called tartan, still shown in Scottish Kilts and Trews today.

Shoes, sandals

What did they eat? There were no supermarkets or shops to buy food so the celts ate that food they could grow or hunt. The Celts in Ireland farmed the land and reared cattle and sheep. In the spring, they would get milk, butter and cheese from the cattle, killing them later in the year for meat. The most famous example of food of any Celtic people is probably the Scottish haggis. In reality, a haggis usually consists of a sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver, windpipe and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, which is traditionally boiled in the animal's stomach for about an hour. Haggis

Where did they live? The Celtic tribes lived in scattered villages. They lived in round houses with thatched roofs of straw or heather. The walls of their houses were made from local material. Houses in the south were tended with wattle (woven wood) and daub (straw and mud) as there was an ample supply of wood from the forests.

The houses had no windows.

The Celts would light a fire in the middle of the roundhouse for cooking and heating. It must have been very smoky inside.

Celtic religion The Celts believed in many gods and goddesses: over 400 in fact. Many gods had no names, but lived in springs, woods and other places. Offerings to the gods were thrown into lakes, rivers and left by springs and wells. The Celts had only created wooden idols (including monuments carved into trees, which were known as sacred poles). Sucellos the sky god, with a hammer that caused lightning

Great feasts were held four times during the year - Imbolc, Beltain, Lughnasa and Samhain. Imbolc - 1st February Beltain - 1st May(See May Day) Lughnasa - 1st August Samhain - 1st November The Celts considered their day began at sunset (and not at midnight like we do today), so they began their feasts at sundown on the evening before the holy day.

The Celts believed that the human soul had an afterlife, so when a person died they were buried with many things they would need for the after life.

Roman Influence The Roman invasion of Gaul brought a great deal of Celtic peoples into the Roman Empire. Roman culture had a profound effect on the Celtic tribes which came under the empire's control. Roman influence led to many changes in Celtic religion, the most noticeable of which was the weakening of the druid class, especially religiously; the druids were to eventually disappear altogether. The regions under Roman rule adopted Christianity along with the rest of the Roman empire. The Romans came to Britain looking for riches - land, slaves, and most of all, iron, lead, zinc, copper, silver and gold. They came from Rome in Italy, fighting other tribes and gaining land across most of Europe and North Africa. In AD 43 they invaded Britain. A Celtic Cross

What is left of them today? After 400 years the Romans left Britain. Their empire was coming to an end. In the western parts of the British Isles, Celtic peoples survived despite a new threat - the Anglo-Saxons. Celts are alive and thriving today! As well, the Celtic diaspora, the descendants of Celts around the world, is vast, being spread greatly through the British Empire. In particular, Novia Scotia, Canada, is a hotbed of modern Gaelic Celtic culture. Their culture lives on in language, music, song and literature.

Conclusion Thus, weve considered one of the most interesting questions: Celts – who are they? Now we know that: 1.From around 750 BC to 12 BC, the Celts were the most powerful people in central and northern Europe. 2.The Celts were fond of bright dazzling colours. They also liked to wear jewellery made from bronze, gold, tin, silver, coral and enamel. 3.The celts ate that food they could grow or hunt. They farmed the land and reared cattle and sheep. 4.The Celtic tribes lived in scattered villages. They lived in round houses with thatched roofs of straw or heather. 5.The Celts believed in many gods and goddesses: over 400 in fact. 6.Celts are alive and thriving today! They live in Wales, Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, Cornwall and in Brittany, France. Their culture lives on in language, music, song and literature.

Resources: junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/celts.htm junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/celts.htm Учебник для 10 класса Enjoy English авт. М.З. Биболетова