Concept in Definition ABC

The Celtic name is one that is normally applied to a set of peoples located in northern and central Europe in times prior to the Roman empire and that they were able to occupy a large part of central Europe, expanding both east and west. The Celts belong to the largest group of peoples known as Indo-Europeans that were located throughout India and Europe. Today, the descendants of those peoples are found in various countries in Europe, mainly Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Spain and France.

The Iron Age, or that period conceived between the twelfth and eighth centuries BC, is esteem as the moment of birth or emergence of the first Celtic groups in central Europe, the region known as Hallstatt that occupies part of the current territories of Germany, France and the Balkans. From there, the Celts were expanding towards the west and north of Europe mainly, reaching the British Isles where it is believed that they managed to establish more deeply the estate of their traditions and culture.

One of the most distinctive elements of the Celts was the group of languages ​​that were developed and later simplified by the British. Among them, Gaelic is the most representative case, a language that is still spoken in some rural places in countries such as Ireland, Scotland or Wales. These languages ​​are also Indo-European although they differ greatly from the other languages ​​used today. Regarding their social structure, the Celts were always characterized by the development of a hierarchy based on the clans or family groups in which the parents of family they were also tribal chiefs. Thus, it is considered that the Celts maintained a patriarchal and highly hierarchical structure that also carried over to life politics with kings and subjects.