The Celts In Europe:
  • Home
  • Early Celtic Cultures
  • La Te'ne
  • Personalities of The Celtic world
  • Interactions with other civilisations
  • Celtic Religion
  • Celtic legacies
  • Women of Vix And The Hochdorf Grave
  • Bibliography

Early Celtic Cultures:

It has been suggested that the earliest features of a Celtic culture can be traced to the bronze age Urnfield culture of central Europe.

Urnfield Culture:

    • Also known as pre-hallstatt cultue
    • Spoke early form of celtic tounge
    • cremated the dead and placed the remains in pottery urns that were then buried in communal plots in the ground.
    • Produced bronze weapons, tools and eating & cooking vessels.
    • Culture of which the celts emerged as an argricultural people
    •  justifiably considered to have been the ancestore of celtic cultures, their descendents in Central Europe, the people of the Hallstatt culture, were certainly full Celtic.


The 2 cultures, Urnfield and Hallstatt, seem to haveco-existed for some time between 1200-1000BC until the Hallstatt culture became dominant.

Hallstatt Culture:

  • Archeaological evidence suggests that the Hallstatt era lasted in central Europe from c. 1200 to 475 BC.
  • It takes name from the Austrian village of Hallstatt where an important celtic site was uncovered
  • celtic economy was based on a variety of activities: mixed farming, the mining of metals (iron, copper and tin); the mining of minerals such as salt, as well as extensive trade throughout europe.
  • Until the 8th century BC they lived in farms and villages, but hillforts (oppida) became common between 800 and 600 BC. E.g. Heuneburg, Germany, Danebury and Maiden Castle, Britain.
Picture
Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.