Celtic/roman Culture

[Zeke]

What do you know of Celtic/Roman culture off the top of your head? Being that my name is Zeke the Celt I am more inclined to Celtic/Roman Culture then most people and would like to know a little bit more about it.

What are some thoughts about it,

Zeke

[Ursus]

This isn't my area of expertise, but from what I've read:

 

Celtic is a general catch all phrase for people who had related languages, religions and culture. Within that very broad range of people there were some significant differences. It's a bit like using "Romance languages" to lump in Italians, Spanish and French with one another.

 

The various Celtic tribes were similar to the various Germanic tribes, and there were areas around the Rhine where the two civilizations graded into each other.

 

While a few Celtic tribes were on their way to developing literacy, elected government and urban civilization when the Romans came, generally they were a rural and illiterate society presided over by a tribal aristocracy and chieftan. And in Britain and some parts of Gaul, the Druids were perhaps the real power.

 

It seems like the Celtic society basically lived around show and display, social status in other words. They were as concerned about honor as Romans, but they had different ideas about honor. They were always fighting and arguing to prove their worth.

 

The Celtic nobles lived to accumulate wealth and display it. They traded extensively with the Mediterranean for such high status items as wine and Greek vases. When trade failed, they resorted to raiding and pillaging. The Celtic nobles would then redistribute some of these items in the form of gifts to his retainers, and his retainers would thus be in debt to the noble. In this way the Celtic noble had many clients indebted to him, and there is a parallel to Roman society with the patron-client social bonds.

 

Celtic women were noted for having more rights than their Greek and Roman counterparts. They would speak their mind, and even fight sometimes on the battlefield. If we are to believe some of the classical writers, they were considerably free with their sexuality

[Fatboy]

UP THE CELTS!!

I'm the great, great, great, great.....................grandson of Red Hugh, High King of Ireland of the mighty O'Neill clan. So, unfortunately, I'm a complete barbarian, but on the plus side I'm pure blooded Celtic royalty! :pimp:

 

Yours,

His Royal Highness, Rory Hugh O'Neill, Heir to Red Hugh and the Throne of Ireland

[Ursus]

I should mention, Zeke, I have something of an interest in this area too. While my heart belongs to Rome, most of my ancestors did come from Celto-Germanic stock.

 

I do see the Celts as having many of the core values of the Romans. They merely expressed them within a primitive, illiterate tribal society and learned to find more "advanced" ways to express those values when they were assimiliated into the Empire. Which is to say being a government functionary or businessman is a better way of gaining social status than raiding you neighbor's cattle and chopping off someone's head to decorate your house.

 

So if anyone has some serious information to deliver on Romano-Celtic culture and religion, I'd be most interested.

[Zeke]

Yeah I would to....I am going to Ireland and want to live that truly "Celtic Life" but I want to keep worshiping my Roman Gods and perserving Roman Culture. Do you think it is right to have a blend of Celtic/Romo Cutlure? Or do you think its odd in a place like Ireland? Honestly

Zeke

[Ursus]

Well, Ireland and the Scottish highlands were never conquered by the Romans, but the other Celtic lands were conquered and some amount of blending in cultures and religions did transpire.

 

I see nothing wrong with it. There is a historical backdrop to a Celto-Roman lifestyle. In modern revivals of paganism you don't see very much of Celto-Roman. Many pagan Celts do seem to have a hostility to all things Roman, but I think they are in denial about how much their luxury loving ancestors readily assimiliated into the rich Roman Empire.

 

Sometimes I've thought about being Celto-Roman rather Greco-Roman. Greek philosophy bores me, honestly. There is a side of me that would rather hoard luxury items and chop off the heads of people I don't like - I think it must be the latent Celt in me.

[pompeius magnus]

May not be Irish, but I am part of the MacKay( alternate spelling McKay) clan from northern Scotland. Even got that bad temper.

[Zeke]

I agree....Greco phislosphy isn't the most exciting thing in the world. Roman outlook on life is much more cooler...and my Celtic Ansestory draws me to Celtic Culture in general. Hence "Zeke the Celt." Celtic Soceity is really exciting as well...chopping off heads, raiding Cattle getting so drunk you can't piss straight not being afraid of anything... screaming while naked and running up and down like a lunatic..you get the picture lol. Though when I mean Celtic Culture I am thinking about the clothing I wear and the family values I will incoporate when I do start a family. I enjoy the Celtic Warrior spirit and the honor of trust. (Though the Celts broke their treaties with Romans alot)

 

Although when in comes to Celtic Spirtuality....I find it not as structured as Roman Paganism the Gods are confusing to remember. I also think Celtic Arcitecture isn't the most advances in the world compared to the glory of a Roman Villa.

Zeke

[Demson]

One of the key aspects in my understanding of the Celts was their religious zeal. Personally, I believe the afterlife was a big, huge thing in Celtic society.

 

It's hard to tell how exactly it influenced them, with all the 19th century fables. It might have been to prove their worth for a place in 'heaven'. It might have been to prove their worth for a passage to a next life. They seemed to believe in re-incarnation so the latter is most plauble; failure to do so means you'll just have to try again. Which could explain why such superstitious Celts were so overly worried about leaving behind a good heritage

 

Think of the heroic ideal. Think of the way religion, druids and magic influenced day-to-day life. It makes sense, doesn't it?

 

It's one of the things what makes a Celt different from a Roman. While a Roman tries to prove his worth by survival, a Celt tries to prove his worth by dying with a sword in his hand...!

[Ursus]

From: Celtopedia

 

ROMAN BRITAIN

 

At the end of april in AD 43 the conquest of Britain was begun with the invasion of more than 40.000 men in the Roman legions, led by general Aulus Plautius under the Roman Emperor Claudius, and it came to an end in AD 476. The civilisation of Roman Britain was a synthesis of things Roman and Celtic. Though it owed an incalculable debt to introductions from abroad and its preponderating element was imported from the civilisation of the Mediterranean, this civilisation took root in a Celtic land and enjoyed a native contribution: 'Romano-British' is a term not wholly synonymous with 'Roman'. Britain formed part of the Roman Empire for close on 400 years, a not inconsiderable slice of her total recorded history; and during this time there was ample opportunity for interaction and development; there were the powerful influences of geographical environment, as well as previous regional differences in the inheritance of the inhabitants to modify and colour the history of the province. Romano-British culture arose from the impact of the civilisation of Rome upon the Celtic people of Britain; the result, however, was not a replacement of cultures, but rather what can broadly be described as a synthesis. A convenient illustration of this is provided at the small town of Brough on Humber (Petuaria), which may have been the caput of the civitas of the Parisi. By the middle of the second century military occupation of the area had ceased, and a civilian town was arising over the site of the fort. It possessed a theatre whose stage-building was presented by a Roman citizen, M. Ulpius Ianuaris, aedile of the vicus of Petuaria, who set up a tablet in honour of the Domus Divina of Antoninus Pius and the deified emperors. It would be hard to find a more Roman scene. But about the same time as this dedication was made there was buried in the cemetery just outside the town a local priest. The burial rite was inhumation accompanied by a native iron-bound wooden bucket and two sceptres. This was a native burial-rite; and as if to emphasise the non-Roamn character of the ritual the two sceptres had been intentionally bent and broken to devitalise them for the journey to the Otherworld. Nothing could illustrate better the dual character of Romano-Brtish civilisation. Outwardly it was Roman, inwardly it remained Celtic; yet it would be wrong to suppose an inner conflict between the two aspects. The result was a synthesis, intended by Rome, and welcomed by the British people as they came to realise the advantages of peace and wealth conferred by membership of the empire.

 

 

 

At any one time, indeed, there was a wide range of variability within the synthesis, owing to the social stratification of Romano-British society on the one hand, and, on the other, to the widely varying conditions of life and opportunity existing in different regions of the province. At one end of the spectrum lay considerable approximation to the classical way of life and at the other a substantial survival of native characteristics. Moreover, the culture of Roman Britain should not be treated as if it were a static historical phenomenon. Through the four centuries of its existence it had its periods of development and decline, of maturity and decay, despite the comparative slowness of such processes of change in the ancient world when compared with our own. It should be studied, therefore, as far as the evidence allows, against the background not only of historical growth but also of varied social achievement. In this quotation from Sheppard Frere's latest edition (1986) of his work BRITANNIA, the author adds, We can measure the Romanisation of Britain only with imprecision, for we have to depend so largely upon the much more revealing evidence of contemporary testimony. Not that the evidence of material things is of little account. Haverfield long ago made the point that when the provincial adopted the use of Roman things he could be declared civilised enough to realise their value and, further, could be seen to have abandoned any inherited hostility towards them. Nevertheless, the evidence of the written word is invaluable in such an enquiry, and Romano-British writings are denied us until the fifth century. The Romanising agents responsible for the new culture were the soldiers of the occupying army, service by Britons themselves in the Roman forces, the colonies of Roman citizens, the merchants from the Continent and, at a higher level, the policy of governors like Agricola or of client kings like Cogidubnus. The civilisation thus introduced was not really the metropolitan culture of Rome or even of Italy: it was the provincial version of this, diluted but none the less real, and sufficiently vigorous to unify an empire whose boundaries touched Scotland, the Black Sea, the Euphrates and the Sahara.

[Morgan]

A great book about the Celtic culture is called "The Celts: A History", by Peter Berresford Ellis. It is well-written and easier to read than many of the historical texts out there in this genre. I highly recommend it.

[Carpe Jugulum]

Im 3/4 irish and a quater dutch, i live in England, im pagan, im a fair hand with a sword and a dead shot with a bow, i have long brown hair and a beard, im 17 and i dont like Romans, does that make me celtic ? what is celtic? i mean how can you class the majority of europe in the iron age as one Celtic people, why dont you use the tribe names ? Helveti, Brigantines, Iceni ?

[Ursus]

If you don't like Romans, what are you doing here?

 

"Celtic" is simply modern short hand for a lot of different people in Western Europe who had similar cultures, religions, and languages. The Romans themselves always seemed to refer to those people by the particular tribe they were in.

[Olympia]

Carpe Jugulum, if you don't lik Romans, why have you got a Latin name?!?

In any case, the Romand dominated the Celts (in Gaul thanks to Julius Caesar and in Britain thanks to the Emperor Claudius).

 

P.S.: if you are a Celts' descendant, I am a Romans' one.

[Demson]

Im 3/4 irish and a quater dutch, i live in England, im pagan, im a fair hand with a sword and a dead shot with a bow, i have long brown hair and a beard, im 17 and i dont like Romans, does that make me celtic ? what is celtic? i mean how can you class the majority of europe in the iron age as one Celtic people, why dont you use the tribe names ? Helveti, Brigantines, Iceni ?

 

Usually we destinguish different cultures because of language. All Celtic languages descended from the same indo-european language branch, proving a common origin. Modern Gaelic as found in ireland is such a Celtic language.

 

As culture and society is restricted by language, this is usually a good way to 'label' cultures.

 

Prove of this is that the society in Iron Age Ireland shared allot of similarities with, for example, the La Tene Gaul. They both shared the Celtic language; they both shared the same culture.

 

You're right - using tribal names would be more appropiate at times. But with all the different tribes, it just isn't a very practical thing to do.