> The Celts

Who are the Celts?: The Celts are part of the family of the Indo-European peoples just like the Greeks, the Germanic peoples or the Romans.

Therefore, all these peoples show linguistic, social and cultural similarities.

The Celtic world in itself was never politically united. However, its various nations had in common a language, a lifestyle, an art and religious practices that were very similar.

Celts or Gauls?: The name "Celts" is used for the first time by Greek authors, who later also use the name "Galatians".

As for the Romans, they call these populations "Gauls". This gave its name to a specific territory, limited by the Atlantic Ocean, the Cevennes mountains and the Rhine: Gaul.

Celts, Galatians and Gauls are part of the same civilization.

Where did they live?: The geographical origin of the Celts is unknown. Archaeological remains show us that, in the 1st millennium BC, they already occupied a great part of Europe.

However, this occupation took place gradually, at different periods according to the regions.

When did they live?: The precise time of their appearance on the scene of History is still controversial among specialists:
- in the 3rd millennium BC, during the Neolithic;
- in the 2nd millennium BC, at the end of the Bronze Age;
- in the 8th century BC, at the beginning of the Iron Age. This last hypothesis is the most commonly accepted one.