Celt

:This article is about the European people. For the tool, see celt (tool).

Development of the term "Celt"

The first literary reference to the Celtic people, as keltoi or hidden people, is by the Greek Hecataeus in 517 BC. According to Greek mythology, Celtus was the son of Heracles and Celtine, the daughter of Bretannus. Celtus became the primogenitor of Celts (Ref.: Parth. 30.1-2, http://homepage.mac.com/cparada/GML/Heracles1.html). In Latin Celta, in turn from Herodotus' word for the Gauls, Keltoi. The Romans used Celtae to refer to continental Gauls, but apparently not to insular Celts, which were divided into Goidhels and Britons, and possibly other peoples.This is likely due to the posibility that, at those times, the term "Celta/Keltos" was tied to those cultures or people descendant from the Cental Europe Celts, while no ties were known to the insular people (especially the Gaels whose language was extremely different from that of Brythonic Celts).

Related Topics:
Hecataeus - 517 BC - Greek mythology - Celtus - Heracles - Celtine - Bretannus - Herodotus - Goidhels - Britons

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The English word is modern, attested from 1607. In the late 17th century the work of scholars such as Edward Lhuyd brought academic attention, then in the 18th century the interest in "primitivism" which lead to the idea of the "noble savage" brought a wave of enthusiasm for all things Celtic and Druidic. The "Irish revival" came after the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829 as a conscious attempt to demonstrate an Irish national identity, and with its counterpart in other countries subsequently became the "Celtic revival".

Related Topics:
1607 - 17th century - Edward Lhuyd - 18th century - Primitivism - Noble savage - Druid - Catholic Emancipation

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Nowadays "Celt" is usually pronounced as {{IPA|/kɛlt/}} and "Celtic" as {{IPA|/'kɛltɪk/}} (in IPA) when referring to the ethnic group and its languages, while the pronunciation {{IPA|/'sɛltɪk/}} remains in use mainly for certain sports teams (eg. the NBA team, Boston Celtics, and the SPL side, Celtic F.C., in Glasgow). (The pronunciation with /s/ reflects historical palatalization of the letter 'C' when it occurs before 'I' or 'E' in words of Latin origin; in the Classical era Latin 'C' was always pronounced as /k/. The modern pronunciation with /k/ is a reversion to the original, whereas the pronunciation with /s/ has not been reverted.) The word spelt as "Celtic" is (arguably) English, as the Latin was "Celticus" or "Celticum", the Welsh is "Celtaidd", and the Irish Gaelic is "Ceilteach". By this argument, a pronunciation with /s/ should therefore be acceptable.

Related Topics:
IPA - NBA - Boston Celtics - SPL - Celtic F.C. - Glasgow - Palatalization - Latin - Classical

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The term "Celt" or "Celtic" can be used in several senses: it can denote a group of peoples who speak or descend from speakers of Celtic languages; or the people of prehistoric and early historic Europe who share common cultural traits which are thought to have originated in the Hallstatt and La Tène cultures. In contemporary terms the 'Seven Celtic nations' are usually defined as Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Cornwall, Isle of Man, Brittany and Galicia. Other areas of Europe are associated with being Celtic, such as Asturias and England (particularly Devon and Cumbria). Modern day DNA research (such as that by University College London) indicates that the current population of England is primarily descended from Celtic/ancient British ancestry, although England lacks a surviving common Celtic language. In Scotland, the Gaelic language came from migration and settlement of the Irish Dalriada/Scotti and is therefore still more predominant in the country's northern and western fringes.

Related Topics:
Hallstatt - La Tène culture - Ireland - Wales - Scotland - Cornwall - Isle of Man - Brittany - Galicia - Asturias - England - Devon - Cumbria - University College London - Gaelic language - Dalriada - Scotti

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The use of the word 'Celtic' as a valid umbrella term for the pre-Roman peoples of Britain has been challenged by a number of writers — including Simon James of the British Museum. His book The Atlantic Celts - Ancient People Or Modern Invention? makes the point that the Romans never used the term 'Celtic' in reference to the peoples of the Atlantic archipelago, i.e the British Isles. He makes it clear that the term was coined as a useful umbrella term in the early 18th century when England united with Scotland to create Great Britain. The Unionists found it expedient to use the hitherto neutral term British for their own imperial ends. He contends that a new term was needed to unite nationalists in Scotland, Ireland, Wales and Cornwall, although Celtic nationalism was never a strong factor in these countries' politics. James makes the point that, despite the obvious linguistic connections, archaeology does not suggest a united Celtic culture and that the term is misleading, no more meaningful than 'Western European' would be today. Miranda Green (Celtic Goddesses) by contrast describes archaeologists as finding a "a certain homogeneity" in the traditions in the area of Celtic habitation including Britain and Ireland. She sees the inhabitants of the British Isles as having become thoroughly celticized by the time of the Roman arrival, mainly through spread of culture rather than a movement of people.

Related Topics:
Britain - Simon James - British Museum - The Atlantic Celts - Ancient People Or Modern Invention? - Romans - Atlantic archipelago - British Isles - 18th century - England - Scotland - Great Britain - Unionist - Imperial - Ireland - Wales - Cornwall - Celtic nationalism - Archaeology

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In his book Iron Age Britain, Barry Cunliffe concludes that "..there is no evidence in the British Isles to suggest that a population group of any size migrated from the continent in the first millennium BC...". Cunliffe tempers his remarks by pointing out that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, but modern archaeological thought tends to disparage the idea of large population movements without facts to back them up, a caution which appears to be vindicated by genetic studies. {{fn|1}}.

Related Topics:
Barry Cunliffe - Chariot burial - British Iron Age

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Michael Morse in the conclusion of his book How the Celts came to Britain concedes that the concepts of a broad Celtic linguistic area and recognisably Celtic art have their uses, but argues that the term implies a greater unity than existed. Despite such problems he suggests that the term Celt is probably too deep-rooted to be replaced and -- what is more important -- it has the definition that we choose to give it. The problem is that the wider public reads into the term quite anachronistic concepts of ethnic unity that no one on either side in the academic debate holds.

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