| The term Celt, refers to a member of any
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| | In Latin Celta came in turn from
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| of a number of peoples in Europe using
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| | Herodotus' word for the Gauls, Keltoi.
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| the Celtic languages, which form a branch
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| | The Romans used Celtae to refer to
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| of Indo-European languages, as well as
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| | continental Gauls, but apparently not to
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| others whose language is unknown but
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| | Insular Celts. The latter were long
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| where associated cultural traits such as
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| | divided linguistically into Goidhels and
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| Celtic art are found in archaeological
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| | Brythons (see Insular Celtic languages),
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| evidence. Historical theories were
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| | although other research provides a more
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| developed that these factors were
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| | complex picture (see below under
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| indicative of a common origin, but later
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| | "Classification").
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| theories of culture spreading to
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| | The term in English
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| differing indigenous peoples have
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| | The English word is modern, attested from
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| recently been supported by some genetic
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| | 1707 in the writings of Edward Lhuyd
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| studies.
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| | whose work, along with that of other late
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| The Celts themselves had an intricate,
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| | 17th century scholars, brought academic
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| indigenous polytheistic religion and
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| | attention to the languages and history of
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| distinctive culture, though the spread of
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| | these early inhabitants of Great
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| the Roman Empire led to continental Celts
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| | Britain.[2] In the 18th century the
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| adopting Roman culture. The eventual
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| | interest in "primitivism" which led to
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| development of Celtic Christianity in
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| | the idea of the "noble savage" brought a
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| Ireland and Britain brought an early
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| | wave of enthusiasm for all things
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| medieval renaissance of Celtic art
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| | "Celtic". The antiquarian William
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| between 400 and 1200, only ended by the
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| | Stukeley pictured a race of "Ancient
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| Norman Conquest of Ireland in the late
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| | Britons" putting up the "Temples of the
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| 12th century. Antiquarian interest from
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| | Ancient Celts" such as Stonehenge before
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| the 17th century led to the term Celt
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| | he decided in 1733 to recast the Celts in
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| being extended, and rising nationalism
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| | his book as Druids. The Ossian fables
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| brought Celtic revivals from the 19th
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| | written by James Macpherson and portrayed
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| century in areas where the use of Celtic
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| | as ancient Scottish Gaelic language poems
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| languages had continued.
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| | added to this romantic enthusiasm. The
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| Today, "Celtic" is often used to describe
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| | "Irish revival" came after the Catholic
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| the languages and respective cultures of
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| | Emancipation Act of 1829 as a conscious
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| Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, the
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| | attempt to demonstrate an Irish national
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| Isle of Man and Brittany (see the Modern
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| | identity, and with its counterpart in
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| Celts article) but, in some opinions,
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| | other countries subsequently became the
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| corresponds more accurately to the Celtic
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| | "Celtic revival".
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| language family - of which four are
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| | Nowadays "Celt" and "Celtic" derived from
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| spoken today as mother tongues plus two
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| | a Greek root keltoi, when referring to
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| recent revivals, Manx and Cornish: Irish,
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| | the ethnic group and its languages. The
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| Scottish Gaelic and Manx (Goidelic
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| | pronunciation derived from the French
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| languages) and Welsh, Breton and Cornish
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| | celtique, is mainly used for the names of
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| (Brythonic languages).
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| | sports teams (for example the NBA team,
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| In the last two decades of the twentieth
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| | Boston Celtics and the SPL side, Celtic
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| century multidisciplinary studies were
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| | F.C. in Glasgow.
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| brought to bear on the history of the
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| | Modern uses
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| Celts. Disciplines such as ancient
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| | In a historical context, the terms "Celt"
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| history, palaeolinguistics, archaeology,
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| | and "Celtic" can be used in several
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| history of art, anthropology, population
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| | senses: they can denote peoples speaking
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| genetics, history of religion, ethnology,
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| | Celtic languages; the peoples of
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| mythology and folklore studies all had an
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| | prehistoric and early historic Europe who
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| influence on celtic studies.
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| | shared common cultural traits which are
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| The first literary reference to the
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| | thought to have originated in the
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| Celtic people, as keltoi is by the Greek
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| | Hallstatt and La Tene cultures; or the
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| historian Hecataeus in 517 BC; he locates
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| | peoples known to the Greeks as Keltoi, to
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| the Keltoi tribe in Rhenania (West
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| | the Romans as Celtae and to either by
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| Southwest Germany). According to Greek
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| | cognate terms such as Gallae or Galatae.
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| mythology, Celtus was the son of Heracles
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| | The extent to which each of these
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| and Keltine, the daughter of Bretannus.
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| | meanings refers to the same group of
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| Celtus became the primogenitor of Celts.
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| | people is a matter of debate.
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