An early group of wandering people known as Celts lived throughout Europe in ancient times. The oldest proof of their existence are graves of Celtic leaders in Austria, which date from about 700 BC. Celts are believed to have originally lived in an area beyond the Caspian Sea (a body of water that helps separate Asia and Europe).

Social structure

The tribe was the basic unit of Celtic life. Each tribe included a chief, warrior nobles, freemen farmers, and slaves. Most tribes lived in a protected village, often built on a hilltop, with fields and pastures nearby for farming and raising cattle.

Tribes often fought with one another. The chief of a powerful tribe that had taken over many others was known as a king.

Religion

Celts practiced a religion called druidism. The Celts never wrote about their religion, so not much is known about it. It is believed that druidism taught that a person's soul lived forever by being passed from one person to another at the time of death.

Nature was important to druidism, with religious ceremonies often being held in oak forests. Magic and astrology (believing that the location of stars and planets could influence daily life) are also thought to have played a part in their belief system.

Lifestyle

The Celts had an interesting style of art that featured geometric designs and stylized birds and animals. They also enjoyed music and spoken forms of literature.

The Celts knew a great deal about metalworking for people of their time. Particularly, they knew how to make useful things out of iron. Other skills included curing hams, keeping bees, and making wooden barrels.

Celts traded with other groups, including the Greeks. Celts also were known as raiders who stole things from the societies they took over.

Celtic decline

Celtic power in Western Europe lasted for only a few centuries before the Romans, the Carthaginians (people from the city of Carthage in North Africa), and German tribes took over. On the western fringes of Europe the Celts managed to keep their distinctive traits and languages—in Brittany, the Isle of Man, Wales, Ireland, and the Scottish Highlands. There traces of Celtic culture still survive in folklore and in the Gaelic languages.