IRON AGE AND CELTS

1st Yr

Iron age in ireland

• Began in Ireland 500 BC• New metal – iron – used• Strong and sharper tools and weapons than

before• Brought over by Celts• Farmers and warriors• Came from central Europe• Origins – Hallstatt in Austria, La Tene in

Switzerland

Sources for our knowledge

• Archaeological evidence in Ireland and La Tene

• Ancient Greek and Romans wrote about the Celts

• Early Christian monks in Ireland wrote about them

• Writing comes to Ireland with Christianity

Tuath

• Celtic Ireland organised into 150 kingdoms called Tuath

• Each Tuath ruled by a King or Ri

• The king’s successor was elected

• Usually came from the Derbfine

• Derbfine – Royal family

The nobles

• Next in importance

• Made up of warriors and Aos Dana

• Warriors – defended the tribe

• Fought with iron weapons

• Fought naked and without armour

• Given land by the king

• Poor farmers rented land off them

Aos Dana

• People with special skills

• Judges – unuderstood the Brehon Law

• Brehon Law – The Irish system of law

• Druids – Very important priests

• File – a poet

• Bards – sang and recited poetry at feasts

Craftsmen

• Very important to the Tuath• Made weapons and tools• Swords, spears• Spades, axes and hammers• Also made jewelry from bronze and gold• Celtic jewelry famous for it’s spirals• E.g. Tara Brooch• Carpenters also very important

Farmers

• Below the nobles

• Farmers who rented land from nobles

• Provided the food for the society

• Part of the rent was the food they produced

• But often very poor

Slaves

• Captured in wars or raids on other tribes

• No rights, no pay

• Lowest part of Celtic society

Women in Celtic society

• Well respected

• Could own property

• Equal rights to men

• But still spent most of their time spinning, weaving, cooking

• Queen Maeve of Connaught – famous ruler

Clothes

• Celts – very fashionable

• Dyed their long hair blonde with limewater

• Nobles had long moustaches

• Men wore knee-length tunics with belt

• Poor men – trousers

Women’s clothes

• Women – ankle length tunics• Tunics made from linen or wool• Cold weather – wore woolen cloaks• Cloaks pinned at shoulder with Celtic brooch• Clothes dyed in bright colours• Make-up made from berries• Earrings, torcs, bracelets and brooch

Farming

• Farmers as well as warriors

• Reared cows and sheep

• People’s wealth measured by cattle

• Grew barley and wheat

Food

• Similar to Neolithic and Bronze Age

• Bread and porridge from wheat and oats

• Ale made from barley

• Milk from cattle

• Roast pig – important at feasts

Homes

• Lived in a community

• Different types of settlement have been found

Raths

• Forts surrounded by ditch or walls of earth• Fort built of time• Stone forts – cashels• Many families lived inside fort• Animals grazed outside• Brought in at night• Underground passages – souterrains• Storage? Hiding Place?

Crannog

Crannog

• Man-made islands in lakes

• Layers of mud and stones used to make mound above water

• Wooden fence surrounding

• Houses built inside

• Accessed by wooden boats or…

• …stepping stones

Hillforts

Hillforts

• Bigger Raths

• Built on a hill

• Used for special ceremonies or markets

• Sometimes HQ of king

• E.g. Tara in Co. Meath

Promontory Fort

Promontory Forts

• Forts on clifftop

• For better protection

• Stone walls

• E.g. Dun Aengus on Aran Islands

• But most people just lived in Raths

Religion

• Pagans - Worshipped many gods

• Main god – Dagda

• Boann – River goddess – famous name?

• Lugh – God of war

• Didn’t build temples

• Believed gods were everywhere in nature

• Wells and woods – sacred places

Religious Festivals

• Religious festivals – very important

• Druids held special rituals, even sacrifices

• E.g. 1st Aug – Lughnasa – Lugh honoured

• Imbolg – 1st Feb – Goddess Brigid

• Brigid – Goddess of Spring and lambs

• Praying for good growth

Afterlife

• Cremated the dead

• Buried ashes in ground

• Belongings found with the remains

• What does this tell us?

Ogham

• Earliest form of writing in Ireland

• Found on stones marking graves

• Lines carved into the stones

• The names of the dead?

Celts become Christian

• 5th C (400’s) Christianity arrived in Ireland• Celts converted• Druids lost their power• But pagan traditions mixed with Christianity• Samhain – Nov 1st – Celtic festival to the dead• Holy wells?• Feb 1st?

Recap – life of celts

• Fashion and jewelry• Iron weapons• Food and farming• Homes – Raths, hillforts, promontory forts,

crannog• Pagan gods and festivals• Afterlife• Ogham