The rise and fall of the Celtic warriors - Philip Freeman
-
0:08 - 0:13One summer evening in 335 BCE,
Alexander the Great -
0:13 - 0:18was resting by the Danube River after
a day of fighting the Scythian tribes -
0:18 - 0:21when a band of strangers
approached his camp. -
0:21 - 0:25Alexander had never seen anything
like these tall, -
0:25 - 0:30fierce-looking warriors with huge
golden neck rings and colorful cloaks— -
0:30 - 0:34so he invited them to feast with him.
-
0:34 - 0:41They proudly said they were Keltoi
or Celts who came from the far-away Alps. -
0:41 - 0:44Alexander asked what they feared
the most in the world, -
0:44 - 0:46hoping they would say him.
-
0:46 - 0:51They laughed and said they feared
nothing at all. -
0:51 - 0:55This is one of the earliest stories
about the ancient Celts. -
0:55 - 0:58While we don’t know
where the first Celts came from, -
0:58 - 1:02by Alexander’s time
they had spread across Europe -
1:02 - 1:05from Asia Minor in the east to Spain
-
1:05 - 1:10and the Atlantic islands of Britain
and Ireland in the west. -
1:10 - 1:16The Celts were never one unified empire,
and they didn’t build cities or monuments. -
1:16 - 1:22Instead, they were hundreds of independent
tribes who spoke the same language. -
1:22 - 1:26Each had its own warrior-king
and religious center. -
1:26 - 1:28The tribes fought each other
-
1:28 - 1:31as enthusiastically as they fought
their enemies. -
1:31 - 1:34Few armies could stand up to them.
-
1:34 - 1:38Somewhat unusually for the time,
the Celts believed in reincarnation— -
1:38 - 1:44that they would be reborn on Earth
to live and feast and fight again, -
1:44 - 1:48which may have contributed
to their fearlessness in battle. -
1:48 - 1:52Some of them fought naked,
scoffing at their enemies’ armor. -
1:52 - 1:55The greatest trophy a Celtic warrior
could possess -
1:55 - 1:58was the severed head of a foe.
-
1:58 - 2:02They preserved these heads
in jars of cedar oil -
2:02 - 2:05and showed them to guests
who visited their homes. -
2:05 - 2:09Celtic warriors were so valued
in the ancient world -
2:09 - 2:13that foreign kings often hired
them as mercenary soldiers -
2:13 - 2:15to serve in their armies.
-
2:15 - 2:18But the Celts were much more
than just warriors. -
2:18 - 2:24Among them were many skilled craftsmen,
artists, and great poets called bards. -
2:24 - 2:28The bards sang of the brave deeds
of their ancestors -
2:28 - 2:31and praised the accomplishments
of warrior kings— -
2:31 - 2:36and composed biting satires
about cowardly or selfish leaders. -
2:36 - 2:39The Celts worshipped many gods,
-
2:39 - 2:43and priests known as druids
oversaw this worship. -
2:43 - 2:45Anyone could become a druid,
-
2:45 - 2:50but the training required many years
of study and memorization— -
2:50 - 2:55the druids were not allowed to record
any of their teachings in writing. -
2:55 - 2:59Druids supervised religious practices
and sacrifices to the gods, -
2:59 - 3:05but they were also teachers, healers,
judges, and scientists. -
3:05 - 3:09They were so respected that they could
step between warring tribes -
3:09 - 3:14in the middle of a battle
and call an end to the fighting. -
3:14 - 3:19No Celt would dare to harm a druid,
or question their decisions. -
3:19 - 3:25In the 2nd century BCE, the Romans
began to encroach on Celtic territory, -
3:25 - 3:28conquering the tribes of northern Italy.
-
3:28 - 3:32Rather than unite against the Roman
legions in response to this defeat, -
3:32 - 3:36the Celts maintained
their tribal divisions. -
3:36 - 3:39The tribes of Spain fell soon after.
-
3:39 - 3:44In the 1st century BCE, Julius Caesar
marched his armies across France, -
3:44 - 3:50using bribery, threats, and lies
to turn tribes against each other. -
3:50 - 3:53Only in the closing days of this great war
-
3:53 - 3:56did the Celts unite
against their common enemy -
3:56 - 3:59under the leadership
of king Vercingetorix, -
3:59 - 4:01but it was too late.
-
4:01 - 4:05Countless warriors and their families
died or were enslaved -
4:05 - 4:08as the Romans conquered France.
-
4:08 - 4:10Protected by the surrounding waters,
-
4:10 - 4:15the Celtic tribes of Britain and Ireland
were the last holdouts. -
4:15 - 4:18When the Romans finally invaded Britain,
-
4:18 - 4:23the queen Boudicca united her tribe
in a revolt after her husband was killed. -
4:23 - 4:28She almost succeeded in driving
the Roman legions out of Britain -
4:28 - 4:33before dying as she led a final battle
against the enemy. -
4:33 - 4:38By the end of the 1st century CE,
Ireland alone, far out at sea, -
4:38 - 4:41remained unconquered by Rome.
-
4:41 - 4:46There, the ways of the ancient Celts
survived untouched by the outside world -
4:46 - 4:49long after Rome itself lay in ruins.
- Title:
- The rise and fall of the Celtic warriors - Philip Freeman
- Speaker:
- Philip Freeman
- Description:
-
View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-celtic-warriors-philip-freeman
One summer evening in 335 BCE, Alexander the Great was resting by the Danube River when a band of strangers approached his camp. Alexander had never seen anything like these tall, fierce-looking warriors with huge golden neck rings and colorful cloaks. They were Keltoi or Celts— a collection of independent tribes spread across Europe. Philip Freeman details the rise and fall of the ancient Celts.
Lesson by Philip Freeman, directed by Paper Panther.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 04:51
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