The ancient Celts inhabited vast areas in Europe. The first mentions of this people are found in sources of the 5th-4th centuries BC. In particular, the ancient Greek historian Herodotus mentions the Celts, talking about the peculiarities of tribal relations, about their cities and culture, which was distinguished by its vivid originality.
Features of the Celtic religion
In the cultural life of Celtic society, priests - druids played an important role. They were a fairly closed community that had serious political and religious influence. It is believed that the Druids came from an ancient family of aristocrats called horsemen. The power of the priests extended to many aspects of society.
The functions of the druids included the leadership of religious ceremonies and rituals. The priests were responsible for the education of the younger generation. For a long time, there was a religious ban on writing among the Celts, so information was usually disseminated in the form of legends passed from person to person. Most often, the legends took the form of ancient myths and legends about fairy-tale creatures endowed with supernatural powers. The Celts had great respect for the forces of nature, which they deified.
Ancient Celtic Art
The heritage of the Celts in the field of art is not numerous. Items made of bronze, gold and silver have survived to this day in more or less good condition. But objects made of wood and leather were only partially preserved, since they were badly destroyed by time. But the objects of artistic culture that have come down to modern times very well reflect the life of the barbarian tribe of the Celts.
The roots of the artistic culture of the Celts go back to the idea of the complete dependence of man on the forces of nature. Broken shapes, consisting of geometric shapes: circles, rhombuses, curls, prevail in the jewelry. Similar motifs, complemented by floral ornaments, are characteristic of pottery. On the dishes of the Celts, you can find decorations in the form of palm and lotus leaves, which indicates the connection of the tribes with the southern regions.
The Celts richly decorated their weapons and sword scabbards using engraving and stamping. In a later period, in the design of weapons, images of living beings began to be used: a lion, deer, horse or a fabulous sphinx. By the 4th century BC, images of a human mask began to appear on utensils, which was crowned with an element that looked like a crown.
Celts - people of megaliths
The religious beliefs and superstitions of the Celts, influenced by the druid priests, are reflected in rituals that are directly related to the burial of the dead. After the Celts, numerous megalithic structures remained, which were burials. Scattered throughout Europe, such structures looked like majestic burial mounds and dolmens. Only in the territory of modern France, scientists have counted about three thousand dolmens, built of massive stones.
A dolmen in its appearance vaguely resembles something like a house, the walls of which were standing straight stones, which were usually not processed. The Celts used large solid stone slabs as a roof. In terms of plan, the dolmen most often had a wedge-shaped shape. Quite often there are cromlechs - circles of free-standing massive stones, in the center of which there is a dolmen.
Researchers suggest that the original function of such a megalithic structure was to be the resting place of dead relatives. At a certain stage in the development of culture, the Celts began to decorate stone blocks with ornamental decorations or individual symbols that were skillfully carved on the surface. Such majestic buildings bring the culture of the ancient Celts closer to the traditions of the Egyptians and other peoples who practiced the use of grandiose burial structures.
