The Celts are Indo-Europeans whose precise origin is mysterious; one finds them for the first time with precision in current Austria: the civilisation of Hallstatt lasts from 800 to 500 B.C., then, until the Christian era, it is the site of Tene (Switzerland) which is used as reference ... During the first millennium before Christ they migrate in small groups, which dominate without eliminating the conquered populations, and are constituted in a kind of "royal tribe of the heads", contributing to the creation of mixed peoples. Present in the Alpine and Danube areas (the Bohemians of Bohemia, the Gauls of the Cisalpine regions), they went to the north of Gaul ... from where they pass to Britain; towards the south, they become Iberian Celts in Spain and on the west of the Rhone (Ensérune), Celto-Ligurians on the east of the river (Entremont); the most daring settled in Anatolia in 275/274 (Galatians)"

CHRONOLOGY:

1000-750BC - Proto-Celtic people of the Urnfield culture dominate much of Continental Europe. Also start to spread out over northern Asia as far as the frontiers of China. Development of the deliberate smelting of iron in the Middle East and China around the same time. Prompting the title 'The Iron Age' for this period.

700-500 - Hallstatt culture developes in Austria.

700BC - Early Celts in Austria bury iron swords with their dead.

600BC - Greeks found the colony of Massilia, opening up trade between the Celts of inland Europe and the Mediterranean. First evidence of Britain having a name - Albion - (albino, white - called after the chalk-cliffs of Dover). A major rebuild of old Bronze Age defences, and construction of new hillforts takes place in Britain.

550-500 -A princess in Vix (Burgundy) is buried with a 280 gallon bronze Greek vase, the largest ever made. 60 miles away a prince is buried layed out on bronze chais-lounge in a hugh chamber tomb.

500 - Trade between the Etruscans and the Celts begins. La Tene phase of Celtic culture speads through Europe and into mainland Britain. The Greeks record the name of a major tribe - The KELTOI - and this becomes the common name for all of the tribes.

500 - Celts (the Gaels - from Galicia) arrive in Ireland from Spain.

400-100BC - La Tene culture spreads over Europe and into the British Isles.

400 - Celts invade Italy and Cisalpine Gaul.

400 - Celts atack the Etruscan city of Clusium.

390 - Raiding Celtic tribes under the leadership of Brennus ravage Rome and occupy the city for three months. Offended by the dirty conditions of the city (they were country boys at heart) they demand a ransome to leave the Romans alone. Brennus demands his weight in gold and when the Romans complain he throws his sword on the scales to be weighed as well with the cry "VAE VICTUS" - (Woe to the Vanquished).

335 - Alexander recieves envoys from the Celts, and exchange pledges of alliance. Large numbers of Celtic Warriors join the Greeks in a war against the Etruscans.

323 - Alexander dies and the Celts push into Macedonia.

279 - Celtic tribes invade Greece.

Celtic art
is the highly stylized curvilinear art that originated during the second half of the 1st millennium BC among the Celtic peoples of Iron Age Europe. The term refers to two separate traditions: La Tene art, which was named for a major Celtic site in Switzerland and was produced by the pre-Christian Celts from the 5th century BC until the 2d century AD; and Christian Celtic art, which was produced in Britain and Ireland from AD 400 to 1200. The term also sometimes refers to Scottish and Irish works of the 16th century to the present that borrow freely from Celtic Christian art.

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