A brief history of The Early Iron Age and The Celts
There is little known about the early Iron -Age periods in Britain, as the Celts left no written records. The earliest reference to Britain was made by Herodotus (484-407 BC) who spoke of the tin Islands lying to the North- West of the known world. In the 4th Century BC, Pytheas from Marseille visited Britain and recorded that the people were agricultural and pastoral farmers who grew wheat and kept large herds of cattle and sheep.
Inland, Iron, tin and bronze were produced, principally in Cornwall. The inhabitants were spinners and weavers of wool, and also made fine pottery. However, the natives refused to accept coin: instead bartering was the normal form of exchange.
The first Celtic migration to Britain was around 600 BC. The population of Britain consisted of many different tribes each occupying a territory that belongs to it as a community. There were six social classes. The lowest was the non-freeman, who had lost their rights within the tribe because they had broken the law. Then came the tribesmen who either worked their own land or who were employed on other peoples. Then came the nobility, or civil servants, who carried out public duties within the tribe. Further up the social ladder came the druids, bards, and the healers. The highest order comprised of the Chieftains: these were elected and could easily have been a woman.The Druids were philosophers and teachers and played a political as well as a religious role. They were well established in Celtic life by 200BC.
Their opinion was regarded as more important than that of the Chieftains. It took 20 years of training to become a Druid priest, and everything that was learnt was committed to memory; nothing was written down. They believe that souls do not die after death but pass on to another body.
The Antiques Centre York has a small selection of ancient Celtic and Iron Age antiquities and artifacts for sale in York, including Celtic spear heads, Celtic tools, Celtic daggers, Celtic jewellery and Celtic metalwork. See Celtic antiquities for sale below. |
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