Were the Celts Strong or Weak?
The Celts - strong or weak?
There are lots and lots of stories and opinions about whether the Celts were strong or weak. I am going to tell you both the sides of the argument and try to explain why they were defeated by the Roman invasions of 55BC and 43AD. The Celts did not write books so a lot of things we know come from things written by the Romans and archaeology.
About 1,000 BC a group of tribes formed in central Europe. They are now known as the Celts but they did not call themselves that. The word Celt comes from the Greek word Keltoi which means barbarians. The Celts gradually entered Britain between about 500 and 100 BC. They were a group of people who spoke the same language and had the same religion. There was not a central leader and they were happy to fight each other as well as any non-Celt. Different tribes moved to different parts of Britain and later these tribes formed their own groups and eventually their own tribes. The Brythonic tribes came to South England and Wales. A group called the Regni settled in West Sussex and built the fort at Cissbury Ring. Another group of Celts called the Belgic tribes also came to this area and were close by. They were warriors living for the glories of battle. The Celts also brought iron working to Britain and they knew how to farm well.
Settlement
The Celts came from Europe to Britain and settled in many places. West Sussex was an area that had a large number of Celts settle there. Cissbury Ring was one of the main areas. They probably came to Britain to find more land to live in and find more resources but nobody is really sure. Britain did not have many people compared to the rest of Europe and the Celts were slowly going all over Europe. Sussex is a good place to settle for many reasons.
Below is a picture of Cissbury Ring.
The strengths of this settlement are:
There was probably a settlement in the area already and this would mean that some of the area would already have been prepared for
There are lots and lots of stories and opinions about whether the Celts were strong or weak. I am going to tell you both the sides of the argument and try to explain why they were defeated by the Roman invasions of 55BC and 43AD. The Celts did not write books so a lot of things we know come from things written by the Romans and archaeology.
About 1,000 BC a group of tribes formed in central Europe. They are now known as the Celts but they did not call themselves that. The word Celt comes from the Greek word Keltoi which means barbarians. The Celts gradually entered Britain between about 500 and 100 BC. They were a group of people who spoke the same language and had the same religion. There was not a central leader and they were happy to fight each other as well as any non-Celt. Different tribes moved to different parts of Britain and later these tribes formed their own groups and eventually their own tribes. The Brythonic tribes came to South England and Wales. A group called the Regni settled in West Sussex and built the fort at Cissbury Ring. Another group of Celts called the Belgic tribes also came to this area and were close by. They were warriors living for the glories of battle. The Celts also brought iron working to Britain and they knew how to farm well.
Settlement
The Celts came from Europe to Britain and settled in many places. West Sussex was an area that had a large number of Celts settle there. Cissbury Ring was one of the main areas. They probably came to Britain to find more land to live in and find more resources but nobody is really sure. Britain did not have many people compared to the rest of Europe and the Celts were slowly going all over Europe. Sussex is a good place to settle for many reasons.
Below is a picture of Cissbury Ring.
The strengths of this settlement are:
There was probably a settlement in the area already and this would mean that some of the area would already have been prepared for