Where Did the Celts Come From?

The Celtic culture originated in Europe during the Iron Age. The people were known to have inhabited land from the British Isles to Galatia, today known as Turkey. Most of what historians know about this culture, people, and language come from the writings of other cultures. Historians have had to piece together this information like a puzzle.

The exact origins of the Celts are unknown because the early history of the Celtic people is only known through the accounts of other cultures.

The Celts (pronounced using either a K sound or an S sound) is a term used to represent a group of people who speak one of the Celtic languages. They inhabited most of Europe but only entered history books around 400 B.C. By then, several Celtic languages existed, splitting from its common ancestor language Indo-European:

• Hispano-Celtic
• Galic
• Lepontic
• Goidelic
• Brythonic

The spread of the Celtic people happened through migration, warfare and integration with indigenous tribes and civilizations in areas where they settled. By 900 B.C., historians place a group known as true Celts in the areas now known as Germany, France, England, and Turkey. Another group, known as lowland Celts, migrated to Switzerland, Ireland and the Danube valley.

One early encounter with the Celts happened in 400 B.C. when they conquered Etruscans in the area known today as Italy. The Etruscans called to the Romans for aid. The Romans, in turn, sent an envoy to negotiate with the Celts. However, the Romans did not want to give in to the demands of the Celts and helped fight for the Etruscans instead. This altercation eventually led to the Celts attacking and defeating Rome.

The Celts inhabited central, western and northwestern Europe. The Celtic culture survives until this day, over 2700 years, and anyone with ancestors from those areas are said to have some Celtic blood in them.