Artifacts
Mirrors
Celtic mirrors were made of bronze and owned by wealthy ladies. One side was polished so a reflection could be seen. The back of the mirrors and the handles were normally intricately engraved with lines and shapes. |
Coins
The Celts of Europe got the idea of coins from the Greeks. The first Celtic coins were minted in the 300s BC. They were made of gold, silver, and bronze. Gold and silver coins were special gifts, while the bronze coins were used to buy things. Most Celtic coins are called 'staters,' after the Greek coin. |
Paintings and Drawings
Celtic Fairy Tales
Selected and edited by Joseph Jacobs (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 1854–1916 New Rochelle, New York) Artist: John Dickson Batten (British, 1860–1932) Publisher: David Nutt (London) Date: 1895 Medium: Wood engraving Dimensions: Overall: 7 11/16 x 5 11/16 in. (19.5 x 14.5 cm) Classification: Books Credit Line: Gift of Marion P. Bolles, 1962 Accession Number: 62.675 |
Sculptures
Statuette, Hooded Figure
Date: ca. A.D. 1st–3rd century Geography: Made in Romano-British Culture: Celtic Medium: Dark Green Sandstone Dimensions: Overall: 4 7/8 x 1 5/8 x 1 9/16 in. (12.4 x 4.2 x 4 cm) Classification: Sculpture-Stone Credit Line: Gift of Alastair B. Martin, 2001 Accession Number: 2001.719 |
Celtic bronze statue of a French warrior (a Gaul) with shield
The Celts spent much of their early years in Gaul, which is now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, most of Switzerland, and parts of Northern Italy. |
Music
It has surely evolved quite a bit since ancient times, but Celtic music is still around today. Celtic music features a vast range of instruments. Common instruments found in Celtic music: fiddle, flute, tin whistle, bagpipes, uilleann pipes, bombarde, melodeon, button accordion, piano accordion, concertina, banjo, mandolins, citterns, bouzoukis, guitars, harp, hammered dulcimer, bodhrán, and voice. There is quite a bit of conflict over whether what we call Celtic music today has any relation to the ancient Celts. However, certain instruments have been proven to be of Celtic origin. As with the religious traditions, it is challenging to know exactly what the ancient Celts were doing with music since they did not write anything down for themselves.
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