Celts

Celts (pronounced with a hard “c” or “k” sound) is a term used to refer to the ancient people, the speakers of Celtic languages rather than a single ethnic group. The West of Europe was in prehistoric times subjected to two invasions of Aryan tribes, all of whom are now referred to as Celts.

The earlier invaders were Goidels or Gaels, inhabitants of Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. They conquered the Ivernian and Iberian peoples of ancient Gaul, Britain, and Ireland.

Their successors, the Brythons or Britons, pouring from the East, drove them to the westernmost borders of these countries, and there compelled them to make common cause with the surviving Iberians in resistance.

In the eastern parts of the conquered territories they formed the bulk of the population, in the West they were in a dominant minority. By the 3rd century BC, the Celts controlled much of the European continent north of the Alps mountain range, including present-day Ireland and Great Britain.

Study of languages in the British Isles leads to the conclusion that the Irish, Manx, and Scottish Celts belonged chiefly to the earlier immigration, while the Welsh and Cornish represent the latter.

The true Celtic type is tall, red or fair, and blue-eyed. The short, swarthy type, so long considered Celtic, is now held to represent the original Iberian races.

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Cemal Sureya, CeMOC, Censors, Centaurs, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention