Calendar of Events for the month of:
All presenters will speak during the midday break for ariston (lunch).
This month we will highlight tales of travel to the distant north. Far to the north lay several islands that are inhabited by the Keltoi or the Celts. The Celts are a widespread group. Herodotus first speaks of them in the fifth century B.C. near the source of the Danube. He also says that they lived beyond the Pillars of Herakles. This month we will be concerned with those Keltoi or Celts who live beyond the Pillars of Herakles in the northern islands of Ierne or Hibernia (Ireland) and Albion or Britannia (England). We will end the month with a discussion of the culture of Celtic Gaul and Iberia (Spain), which both have strong ties to Hibernia and Britannia. (1, 3)
Day 1: Sainrith and his wife, Scathach, both of Emain Macha, will talk about life in distant Hibernia (Ireland). The Greeks have known of Hibernia or Ireland since the 6th or 7th century B.C. The oldest name for Ireland was Ierne. This then became Ivernia, Ibernia, and then Hibernia. Around the 6th or 7th century B.C. traders from the Greek colony at Massilia (Marseilles) ventured past the dread Pillars of Herakles and sailed into the bay at Tartessos, a city on the Atlantic coast of Iberia (Spain). The Tartessians told the Greek traders about the people of the tin lands of the Oestrymnides (Brittany). The Oestrymnides had contact with the peoples of Ierne and Albion. Colaeus of Samos accidentally visited Tartessos in 638 B.C. when his ship was blown out passed the Pillars of Herakles. These Greek traders traveled to Tartessos before the Carthaginians overthrew Tartessos and closed the Atlantic to Greek travellers. The Carthaginians say that their general, Himilco, visited Ireland in the 6th century B.C. but others say that he never got that far. Pytheas later traveled to Ierne around 325 B.C. He called the northern islands "the Pretanic Islands". More recently, Ptolemy is in the process of gathering information about the people of Ireland from their cousins in Gaul and Roman Britain. He describes the place as a land with many rivers, including the Buvinda and the Senos. In the northern part of the island there is a large cult center called Isamnion that belongs to the Voluntii. Sainrith and Scathach say that Ptolemy describes their land fairly well. The Buvinda that he speaks of is the Boyne and the Senos is the Shannon. The big cult center in the north is called Emain Macha and it is the home of the powerful Ulaid. (1, 2)
Sainrith and Scathach will also talk about Irish traditions. According to tradition, the first people to Ireland were called the people of Partholon. They fought the sea-faring Fomore, who were led by a giant, Balor. The people of Partholon all died of a plague. They were followed by the people of Nemed, who also fought the Fomore and who also all died. Then the Fir (Men) Domnainn, Fir Bolg, and Galiain came. They were related to the Dumnonii of Britannia. The Belgae also came at this time. This invasion probably represents the Hallstatt Celts around the 5th century B.C. They were followed by the Tuatha de Danann or the tribes of the goddess Dana. Some have identified them with the megalith builders and suggest that they were descended from the Nemedians. The Tuatha de Danann joined with the Fomore and defeated the Fir Bolg. They became the dominant group after the second battle of Mag Tured. The Tuatha de Danann were known for their wisdom and were known as bringers of civilization. They were followed by the Milesians or Gaels from Iberia (Spain). The Milesians defeated the Tuatha de Danann at the battle of Tailtiu. The Gaels were a "Q-Celtic" speaking people who may represent the La Tene Celts. The modern people of Hibernia also speak a "Q-Celtic" language. (8)
According to the traditions of Hibernia, the Celts arrived in Hibernia (Ireland) before the came to Britannia (Britain). Some scholars believe that the Celts came to Hibernia (Ireland) before 500 B.C. and only arrived in Britannia sometime after 500 B.C. The oldest Celtic speakers spoke "Q-Celtic" while later speakers spoke "P-Celtic". As Sainrith and Scathach will explain, "Q-Celtic" languages retain the old "qu" or "kw" sound while "P-Celtic" languages replace this sound with a "p". The Celtic-speakers of Hibernia (Ireland) speak a Q-Celtic language while the Celts of Britannia speak P-Celtic languages. (3)
Day 8: Caratawc of Durocornovium (Tintagel) and Talorcan of Dunadd will talk about the Celtic history of Britannia (Great Britain) . Caratawc will focus on the traditions, artwork, and long history of Britannia rather than on the recent revolts led by Boudicca, and others against the Romans. (6)
The Greeks and Romans have known of Britannia since the 4th century B.C., when the land was called Albion. It later became known as Prettania, then Brettania, and then Britannia. Before the Celts came to Britannia and Hibernia (Ireland), the land was inhabited by bronze-using pastoralists. This culture peaked for two to three hundred years around the fifteenth century B.C. Around the tenth century B.C., an increase in the supply of metals and improved sheet metal working techniques stimulated the metal trade in Britannia. Iron-using warriors on the Continent (whom we will call the "Hallstatt" people) caused some groups to leave Gaul (France) for parts of southern Britannia, especially around Kent. The numbers of immigrants increased greatly by the 8th century B.C. (1, 3)
Around the fifth century B.C., the iron-using Hallstatt warriors were themselves pushing into southern and eastern Britannia. These Hallstatt warriors were a Celtic-speaking people who may have called themselves the Pretani. They may have come as warriors and not as family groups. In the course of two centuries, they had pushed into Britannia as far as the Pennines. (1)
On the Continent in the fifth century B.C., the Celtic Hallstatt culture gave rise to another Celtic culture. We will call this second culture the "La Tene" Celts. The stronger La Tene Celts may have been responsible for forcing the bearers of the older Hallstatt culture into Britannia. The La Tene Celts did not themselves invade Britannia until the middle of the third century B.C. when they came in small family groupings. The new groups first appeared in southern Britannia, especially in Sussex. They spread as far as southwestern part of the land of the Scots. The La Tene Celts did not form their own enclaves but rather became overlords over existing populations.
The most recent Celtic wave of settlers are the Belgic peoples. They are a mixed group of Urnfield-Hallstatt and La Tene people from the Rhine and Seine areas who have settled in southeastern Britannia. These groups still have ties with their southern cousins. The Atrebates live in both southern Britannia and in Belgica. (1, 8)
The latest people group to settle in Britannia are, of course, the Romans. Caesar first attacked the area to discourage rebellions amongst the Gauls. Claudius later established a more permanent presence. (3, 5)
The P-Celtic languages of Britannia are very similar to Celtic languages spoken on the Continent from Iberia (Spain) to Gaul (France) and northern Italia. The main P-Celtic dialects in Britannia are Cumbric, spoken in the north and northwest, Cornish, spoken in the southwest, and Welsh, spoken in the west. (3)
Talorcan of Dunadd will talk about the peoples of the far north (Scotland). Like Sainrith and his wife, Scathach, Talorcan comes from a people who live outside of Roman rule. The iron-using Celts gradually moved into northern Britannia (Scotland) some time after 500 B.C. Examples of their pottery and metalwork date to 450 B.C. They gradually mixed with the older, bronze-using, non-Celtic peoples. The non-Celtic presence remains strongest in the distant northeast. The Celtic population of the north (Scotland) speaks a P-Celtic dialect that is related to the Cumbric dialect of the people of northern Britannia. Although the northern peoples (of Scotland) have recently resisted Roman rule, the people have a rich oral tradition and fine artwork. Talorcan will entertain us with many fine tales and examples of their pottery and metalwork, including their fine jewelry. (3, 4, 7)
Day 15: Guerngen of Vorgium in Armorica will talk about the Celtic people of Gaul. The Celtic homeland is thought to be just a little to the east of Gaul. Some scholars believe Celtic evolved from another language, called "proto-Indo-European", around 1000 B.C. Wherever the Celts went, they brought with them the use of iron. The iron-using Celtic Hallstatt culture gave rise to the La Tene Celts in the fifth century B.C. (1)
The people of Gaul speak a P-Celtic language that is similar to the Celtic languages of Britannia. The Celtic tribes of Gaul include the Ligures, Saluvii, Boii, Cadurci, Allobroges, and Helvii in the south, the Petrocorii, Santones, Pictones, Lemovices, Averni, Velavii, Sequani, Carnutes, and Lingones in the middle, and the Ambiani, Atrebates, Morini, and Menapii in the north. Some of these groups can also be found in Hibernia (Ireland). The Menapii live in both Belgica and southeastern Hibernia and the Atrebates can be found in Belgica and southern Britannia. (3, 8)
The Celtic tribes of Armorica (Brittany) include the Osismi, Namnetes, Redones, and Curiosolitae, and the Veneti. The sea-faring Veneti have a monopoly on trade between the Breton peninsula and Britannia. The Veneti were originally a Belgic tribe. Their name comes from the Gallic word vindu, which means "white" or "blond". Groups in southern Armorica have maintained contact with the western and southwestern coasts of Britannia and Hibernia (Ireland) since Megalithic times. (8)
Day 22: We will end our trip to the peoples of north with a visit to the land of the Pillars of Herakles. Dumnorix of Brigantium in northwest Iberia, who last spoke in May, will again entertain us with tales of Celtic Iberia (Spain). Long before the Celts arrived in Iberia, the megalith builders dominated northern Europa (Europe). They were building megalithic tombs in Iberia around 3800 B.C. (1, 9-12)
Phoenician contact with the Tartessians of southern Iberia began with the founding of Gadir. While some claim the Phoencians arrived in 1100 B.C., others claim they did not arrive until the ninth century B.C. The Phoenicians sought Tartessian silver and offered oil and wine in exchange. Tartessian villages surrounded the early Phoenician colony and showed little Phoenician influence until after 770 B.C. (1, 9-12)
According to tradition, the Tartessians began trading with the Greeks in 638 B.C. when Colaeus of Samos (or Phocaea) was blown off course and found himself swept out beyond the Pillars of Herakles. Herodotus reports that at that time, the Tartessian king was named Arganthonius, which means "Man of the Silver Mountain". The name may have a Celtic origin. The Tartessians traded with the Oestrimnides in northern Gaul [i.e., Brittany]. The Oestrimnides in turn have trading contacts with the lands of Ierne and Albion [Ireland and Britain]. (1, 9-12)
The Celts arrived in Iberia (Spain and Portugal) around the 7th century B.C. via southern Gaul (France). The first wave of Celts has been called by some, the "Bronze Age Urnfield" culture. The Hallstatt Celts arrived around 500 B.C. It is thought that the name "Keltoi" comes from the name of a royal tribe within Hallstatt culture. The name "Galatae" may have a similar, although possible later, origin. That name is possibly associated with the La Tene Celts. (1, 9-12)
The Celts eventually dominated the northern and western regions of Iberia. While the language of the Iberian Celts has elements of both branches of Celtic, their language seems to be more closely related to the language of Ierne [Ireland, i.e. Q-Celtic] than that of Albion [England, i.e. P-Celtic]. Their hill forts had round houses like those of the island Celts rather than being rectangular like the houses of other continental Celts. (1, 9-12)
While "La Tene" culture influenced much of the Celtic world and spread from Gaul [France] to Albion [England] by 400 B.C., "La Tene" culture never dominated the Iberian Celts. By that time, the peoples living between the Celts in the north and west and the Iberians in the south and east had formed their own unique culture, the Celtiberians. The Celtiberians spoke a language related to Celtic. (1, 9-12)
After Carthage was defeated by Rome in 241 B.C during the First Punic War, the Carthaginians turned their eye on Iberia. The Carthaginians first attacked the Celtiberians around 230 B.C. After the Romans drove the Carthaginians out of Iberia in 206 B.C., the Romans continued to attack the Celtiberians. The Romans finally defeated the Celtiberians at Numantia in 133 B.C., but Celtiberian resistance continued in northwestern Iberia until 19 B.C. The Celts of nearby Gaul were conquered by Julius Caesar in 51 B.C. By AD 1, the only independent Celts on the Continent were in small enclaves north of the Danube. (1, 9-12)
Sources:
(1) The Celts, T.G.E. Powell, New York: Thames and Hudson, 1980, 1997.
(2) The Oxford Illustrated History of Ireland, R. F. Foster (ed)., New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.
(3) Celtic Britain, Charles Thomas, New York: Thames and Hudson, 1986, 1997.
(4) The Picts and the Scots, Lloyd and Jenny Laing, London: Sutton Publishing, 1993, 1996.
(5) Celts and the Classical World, David Rankin, New York: Routledge, 1996.
(6) Who's Who in the Classical World, New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
(7) Lost Kingdoms: Celtic Scotland and the Middle Ages, John L. Roberts, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1997, 1999.
(8) The Celts: Uncovering the Mythic and Historic Origins of Western Culture, Jean Markale, Rochester, Vermont: Inner Traditions International, 1976, 1993.
(9) Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome, Lesley Adkins and Roy A. Adkins, New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.
(10) Historical Atlas of the Classical World: 500 BC to AD 600, John Haywood, New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 1998, 2000.
(11) The Phoenicians, Sabatino Moscati (ed.), New York: Rizzoli International Publications, Inc., 1988, 1999.
(12) Spain: A History, Raymond Carr (ed)., New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
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