Q&A
Where did the Celts come from?
• SHORT ANSWER
The answer to this one is like Disney’s greatest works: a fairy tale
• LONG ANSWER
Today, there are six so-called Celtic nations – Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, Cornwall and Brittany – but they are where Celtic cultures and languages survived, not where they were born. The origin of the Celts is a hotly debated issue, not least since the term is a tricky one. It was used by the Greeks (‘Keltoi’) and Romans (‘Celtae’) as a pejorative for barbarians threatening what they saw as true civilisation.
The Celts were not a distinct race, rather a collection of tribes loosely linked by custom and language. During the first millennium BC, these peoples spread out to the fringes of Europe, from Turkey to Scotland, first emerging from other cultures such as the Urnfield on the River Danube, Hallstatt in modern-day Austria, and La Tène in central Europe. It is generally thought the oldest evidence of Celtic culture comes from 700 BC, in graves of chieftains found near Salzburg, Austria.