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