|
|
|
|
Recommended sites related to celtic art
|
Talaria Enterprises and its employees are pleased to present a Celtic Art & Cultural Reference List for internet websites. However, we do not endorse anything that may be written or provided on other websites. Our references are just suggestions for your further investigation into a very complex subject that continues to change as more cultural and archeological information is acquired and interpreted.
|
- The University of North Carolina has an excellent & very comprehensive Celtic website assembled by 9 graduates & 22 undergraduates. WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS ONE!
- Michael Wangbickler’s Celtic Corner website contains well organized & concise articles. Included are: Origins of the Celts, Hallstatt Culture, LaTène Culture, Celtic Languages, Physical Appearances, and more.
- Susie McKinnon's World Art and Culture by Dr. Kathleen Cohen & her research team. The articles are excellent, short, concise & contain Celtic Sacrifices & information acquired from European Archeological Dig Sites. Images, too.
- The Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities at the University of Virginia presents Constanze Witt's extensive collection of Celtic articles including: An Overview, Ethnic Identity, Drinking, Burial Analysis, Rituals of Transportation of the Celtic Dead, Celtic & Mediterranean Interaction, & pictures from specific European Celtic Archeological Dig Sites. These articles are difficult reading, but very informative.
- Encyclopedia of the Celts compiled & edited by Knud Mariboe is a comprehensive & interesting website.
- Wizard Realm has an all encompassing history-site that emphasizes most Ancient & Early European Barbarian Groups, including generalized Celt information.
- University of Texas’ Library has several Historical Maps of Ancient & Early Europe.
- Technovate has images & descriptions of an Ancient Celtic Sun/Moon Calendar.
- M. E. Riley's Ancient Celts Textiles & Clothing presents an authoritative approach from the Hallstatt & LaTène time periods through Ireland - 10th century AD. Also, has Medieval Ireland & Scotland, Patterns, Dyes, and much more.
INTERNET REFERENCES - IRELAND/SCOTLAND:
- Dalraida invites the general public to view some of their archives. Their specialties are Celtic Ireland & Celtic Scotland.
- General Celtic/Gaelic information.
ST. PATRICK:
- Encyclopedia.com has an all-purpose St. Patrick biography.
IRISH HIGH CROSSES:
- Jim Dempsey’s Irish High Crosses website has excellent photos of the crosses.
- Mary Ann Sullivan of Bluffton College has photos & descriptions of Irish High Crosses.
BOOK OF KELLS:
- Alternate Realities in Art and Thought has 6 beautiful images from the 9th Century Illuminated Manuscript, Book of Kells.
TRAVEL:
- Martin Byrne's Guided Tours of Ireland’s Sacred Sites has enticing photographs & descriptive text of The Sacred Island.
FAVORITE IRISH RECIPES:
- Want something special this year for St. Patrick’s Day or Easter? Hutman Productions & Conrad Bladey have assembled favorite Irish Main Dishes, Tay (Tea), Drinks (such as Irish Coffee), Scones & Desserts Recipes.
Purchase Celtic and
Greco-Roman Art
from our Galleries:
The History of Shoes is a fascinating subject to investigate. Shoeinfonet has an illustrated, concise article, with emphasis on ancient & very early international shoes.
Thinkquest has a comprehensive Giant Sequoias Article that was researched by a group of junior researchers. Very interesting.
The Getty Museum presents - Italy on the Grand Tour (18th Century). Excellent!!
The Smithsonian is establishing an interesting website, The USA Civil War. Some information is on the site & more will be added later.
-
-
-
-
|
|
|
CELTIC ART
|
Charioteer TAL1004
The Celts are credited with improving the iron wheels of the chariot and using horses in farming and warfare
|
|
|
The Celts’ place of origin was most likely Eastern Russia. Taking their culture & language - Old Celtic - with them, they migrated throughout most of the Ukraine, the Baltic areas including Turkey, Northern & Central Europe, Spain, Brittany, Wales, Scotland & Ireland. As to when the Celtic Culture originated, this issue is still an uncertainty...but archeological research has established Celtic Cultures at Halstatt, Austria in Central Europe by the Late Bronze Age — 1200-800 BC, and the Early Iron Age — 800-500 BC at LaTène, Switzerland.
Because Celts remained primarily as tribal units and did not have a political system in place, they lost most of their territories. By the 4th century BC, they had lost Northern Europe & Eastern Germany, primarily to Germanic tribes; and by the 1st Century AD, the Romans had conquered most of Europe. The Celts only managed to preserve their culture in the outlining areas of Europe including Ireland, Scotland, Wales & Cornwall in England, and Brittany, on the French coastline.
|
Besides archeological remains, Greek & Roman records describe the Celts and their culture. The Greeks called them ‘Keltoi’ or ‘Celtae’ and referred to them as a people living north and to the west of Greece. Later, the Romans called these same people the ‘Gauls.’ Their cultural and personal traits included being boisterous, proud, extremely independent, electing/removing leaders, valuing craftsmanship & adorning themselves with functional & decorative jewelry. And, they also believed in an Afterlife.
|
 |
|
| The superior craftsmanship and design of their products was desired by communities wherever they invaded or settled. They remained as small communities, but banded together for social festivals or for defense whenever threatened by war. Their means of transportation was either riding horseback or using a horse-drawn chariot or wagon, which they had greatly improved during the Early Iron Age and which enabled them to move troops & supplies swiftly across large areas. Always in search of fertile land & gold, Greek & Roman cities were sacked often, including Delphi & Rome.
As warriors the Celts/Gauls were extraordinary! Fierce & frightening during battle, they greased & bleached their hair and sometimes painted their bodies. Upper ranking officers would shave their heads & body hair, except for their mustaches which were left very long. They occasionally wore chain-metal on their chests with their helmets, but usually the Celts went into battle nude. Since they believed in an Afterlife, surviving the battle was not important. This attitude made them formidable adversaries.
|
Dying Gaul 12" TAL489-12 $149, 9" TAL489-9 $75
|
|
The ‘Dying Gaul’ is a stoic, proud warrior who has represented his family, tribe & culture well. Now as an individual, he is dying, but with incredible grace and without fear since according to his belief, he is assured an Afterlife that will be the continuation of his existence on Earth. He wore his hair matted & greased for the conflict of battle, and the torque around his neck conveyed his rank. This is a dignified tribute to the Celtic Warrior as a universal hero.
|
|
|
Julius Caesar had great respect for Celts and their culture. He admired their fearlessness in battle, had Celtic intellectuals as his friends, and was impressed with their farming abilities. He also observed their ease at resolving disputes during the Roman invasion of Northern England in 55 BC. As Roman Legions advanced across Europe, Celtic towns & communities were continuously defeated; so, when Julius Caesar defeated the Gauls in the 1st Century AD, essentially the Celts, their culture & languages, ceased to exist, except for the farthest areas in Western Europe, primarily Wales, Cornwall, Scotland & Ireland.
Julius Caesar Bust 3504-19
|
 |
|
Christianity spread throughout Europe & Eastern England, especially after 313 AD when the Roman leader, Constantine, declared that all of Rome & its Empire would be Christian. Soon thereafter, and the exact whereabouts are uncertain, St. Patrick was born c. 385 AD to Roman Christian parents living in England. At age 15 or 16, he was abducted during an Irish raiding party & taken to Ireland where he spent approximately six years as a slave tending sheep. Before escaping from his captors, Patrick became very familiar with Irish/Celtic customs and practices, which helped him later to communicate and convert the Irish after he returned as a bishop on March 25, 433 AD.
ST. PATRICK used the shamrock to explain the Trinity — Father, Son & Holy Ghost. Since an Afterlife was an integral part of the pagan Celtic beliefs, he was able to explain Christianity to them, as being similar to their own. Celts created piles of rocks called ‘cairns’ and carved crosses which commemorated pilgrimages, delineated property boundaries & marked the locations of special events. The crosses were easily converted into Christian symbols. St. Patrick converted the Irish, tribe by tribe, left the social structures in place, and introduced the Roman alphabet, which enabled the Celts to record their myths & legends that hitherto had only been passed from generation to generation. By the time St. Patrick died in 461 AD, most of Ireland had been converted to Catholicism.
|
Celtic Cross TAL321
|
Gallen Priory Cross TAL602
|
Celtic Crucifix TAL603
|
|
|
Celtic motifs on Late Bronze & Early Iron Age artifacts display similarities with 5th Century & later Celtic Irish/Scottish/Wales Crosses: abstract, woven & intricate knots; elliptical curves, spirals & chevrons; and semi-abstracted human, animal & plant motifs. These decorative details were used by Celtic artisans throughout the centuries. The ‘Celtic Cross’ has stylized interwoven knots. At the center of the ‘Gallen Priory Cross’ is a spiral. Is it a snake or bird? Does it represent a transition from Heaven/Earth? Dying/giving birth? The Celts loved to fool the eye with hidden images. They did this often with coins, too. The ‘Celtic Crucifix’ is a Christian Cross with an abstracted Christ nailed to the cross. The abstract face is similar to other abstract faces from centuries earlier. These crosses are good examples of how Christian symbols were incorporated into Celtic motifs.
Besides sculpted stone crosses, there are different classifications of items that have survived from the Celtic Medieval Period. One such example is the Celtic illuminated manuscript, ‘Book of Kells’ c. 800 AD. It was created by monks in an Iona Island monastery in lower Scotland and consists of 4 chapters of the Bible’s New Testament which are elaborately illustrated with Celtic designs of humans, animals, vegetation, knots, and more. During the Middle Ages, the monks sent the book to Dublin for safe-keeping. Currently it is at the Trinity College Library, Dublin.
|
Celtic Brooch & Birds 3557
|
Since the era of the ancient Celts, Artists have been and continue to be inspired by the beauty of Celtic design--the elements & motifs. This ‘Celtic Brooch with Birds’ is a contemporary adaptation from the ‘Book of Kells.’ Brooches were an important piece of jewelry for the Celts because with the pin, a person could drape and fasten a cloth, typically only one piece, into different shapes, befitting the occasion. The best examples today would be as a fastener for the cape or a Scottish kilt.
|
|
Today, archeologists are still discovering remnants of Celtic culture in the hopes of answering more questions about the history of these illustrious people. If they do indeed descend from the Hellenic era of Greece, their legacy lives on over an incredible time-span. However, meanwhile, we can still appreciate Celtic accomplishments, such as the chariot, sword & their art-forms & motifs that directly or indirectly influenced other ancient civilizations, such as Greece & Rome, as well as our own civilizations of today.
|
|
|
