Lecture: Celts

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LectureCelts Romans

• Thursday 23 January 2003

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Key Terms

• Celts
• Gauls
• Druids
• hexagon (modern term geometrical shape of what
  is now France)

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Timeline (review)

• 40, 000 BCE Homo sapiens sapiens
• 40,000-6000 BCE OLD STONE AGE.
• Humans shaped by environment.
• 16,000-14,000 BCE Lascaux cave art
• 10,000-9,000 BCE Warming period
• Receding glaciers, rising water levels.
• 8,000 BCE Bow appears. Dogs domesticated.
• 6,000-1,800 BCE NEW STONE AGE (NEOLITHIC PERIOD).
  
• Gradual shift from hunting-gathering to settled
  farming. Edible plants, cultivation, herding.
  Tool-making, pottery. Humans shape environment.
• 1,800-700 BCE BRONZE AGE
• 700-100 BCE IRON AGE

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Timeline (continuation)

• 6,000-1,800 BCE NEW STONE AGE (NEOLITHIC PERIOD).
  Shift hunting-gathering to farming.
• 3,500-1,800 Megalithic monuments (northwest
  coast). SOM culture (north).
• Bell Beaker culture (Alps).
• 2,000 Indo-European languages established
  (outside the hexagon).
• 1,800-700 BCE BRONZE AGE.
• 1,400 Metal spreads throughout hexagon.
• 1,250-200s Metalworking spread by urn-field
  burial peoples.
• 700-100 BCE IRON AGE.
• 700s 400 CELTS arrive (migration /
  invasion). Bring Indo-European languages.
• 600 MASSALIA (Greek trading colony now
  Marseille) established.
• 100 BCE-476 CE ROMANS arrive in hexagon.
• 125-121 Rome called to protect Massalia. Result
  Roman control of south coast.
• 58-51 Caesars conquest of Gaul.
• 52 Battle at Alésia. Caesar defeats
  Vercingetorix.

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Celtic contributions to hexagon life (700 BCE
through Roman era)

• NEW TECHNOLOGIES Iron plows, sickles, reapers,
  swords. Horsemanship.
• PRIMARY OCCUPATIONS Farmers and warriors.
• SOCIO-ECONOMIC ORGANIZATION Landed aristocracy
  (estates, large open fields, tenant farmers).
• SOCIO-POLITICAL ORGANIZATION Tribes subtribes,
  characterized by shaky alliances, discord.
• RELIGION Polytheistic (many gods). Druids
  (priests).
• LANGUAGES Indo-European.

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Celts Gauls A group of peoples. Not a nation,
not a unified culture.

• Their agricultural achievements contributed to
  population growth.
• Their tribes politics and customs shaped the
  subsequent history of local regional life.
• Romans called them Gauls.
• Caesar observed that the Gauls were divided by
  language, customs and laws.
• There was NO nation of Celts. Gaul was NOT a
  country.

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Massalia (established 600 BCE)

• Site of present-day Marseille.
• Founded by the Greeks.
• Hub of trading network throughout hexagon.
• Trade broadened from tin to include copper, iron,
  glassware, leather goods, cereals, salt, slaves,
  cured meats.
• This trade contributed to an urban network
  covering most of the hexagon.
• Allied with Rome.

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Celts Romans
characters from Asterix comic books
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some Roman contributions to life in Gaul (58
BCE 476 CE)

• taxes
• military conscription
• coinage
• markets
• administrative officials
• soldiers
• language
• writing

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Vestiges of Roman architecture

• in present-day Nîmes
• (formerly Nemausus)

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Maison Carrée (1st century BCE)
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Amphitheatre
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Temple of Diana
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water distribution
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porte de France
porte dArles
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Pont du Gard (19 BCE)
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to be continued

• Stay tuned for the
• Rise and Fall of Roman Gaul.