Ancient Celtic women

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The position of ancient Celtic women in their society can not be determined with certainty because of the quality of the sources. On the one hand, the famous Celtic females are known from mythology and history, on the other hand, their real status in the male-dominated Celtic tribe socially and legally restricted. However, Celtic women were somewhat better placed in the law of inheritance and marriage than their Greeks and Romans.

The situation of Celtic women in mainland Europe is almost entirely transmitted by contemporary Greek and Roman writers, who see the Celts as barbarians and write about them accordingly. Information about Celtic women from the British Isles comes from ancient journeys and war narratives, and perhaps an orally transmitted myth is then reflected in the Celtic literature of the Christian era. The written accounts and collections of these myths are known only from the early Middle Ages.

Archeology has revealed something about Celtic women through artifacts (especially grave goods), which can provide clues about their position in society and material culture. The reliefs and statues of Celtic women are mainly known from the Gallo-Roman culture. A consistent matriarchy, associated with Celtic women by Romantic writers of the 18th and 19th centuries and by feminist writers of the 20th century, is not proved in reliable sources.

Video Ancient Celtic women

Celtic culture duration and level

The Celts (Ancient Greek ?????? Keltoi ; Latin Celtae , Galli , Galati ) are the tribe and the confederation of ancient European tribes, who lived in western central Europe in the Late Bronze Age and early Iron Age (Hallstatt culture). In the period La TÃÆ'¨ne they thrive, through migration and cultural transmission, to the British Isles, northern Iberia, the Balkan peninsula and Asia Minor. The Greeks and Romans often referred to the area under Celtic rule as ??????? or Celticum . They have a relatively uniform material culture (especially in the period of La TÃÆ'¨ne) and non-material cultures (customs and norms), which differ from neighboring countries such as Italy, Etruscans, Illyria, Greece, Iberia, Germany, Thracia and Scythians.

The Celtic mainland is characterized by this culture from the earliest c.800 BC to about the fifth century AD (End of Roman rule in the Celtic and Christianizens of Ireland). Claims made by some Celtic scholars, that Celtic cultural traces already seen in the second millennium BC, are still controversial. In post-Roman England, Celtic culture and government continued, until it was pressed to the edge of the island to welcome the Anglo-Saxons. In Ireland, Celtic culture remains dominant even longer.

Linguistically, the Celtic tribe is united as a Celtic-speaking speaker, the closest Indo-European language to German and Latin languages, with clear general features.

Maps Ancient Celtic women

Women in Celtic society

References to Celtic women are not only rare but also excluded medieval source material from residents of Brittany, Wales, Ireland and Scotland, derived from the writings of neighboring Greek and Roman Celtic nations. In addition, most of these sources are from the first century BC and first century AD. The main problem, however, is the fact that the term "Celtic" covers a very large area, from Ireland to Anatolia; there is no reason to expect that women's positions are the same across the region. Therefore, the source material must be clarified by archaeological evidence, which, however, can only answer certain types of questions.

Evidence

Archeology

Archaeological findings are almost entirely burial; in the cultural area of ​​Hallstatt, which is an area of ​​dissemination of this cultural material, especially in DÃÆ'¼rrnberg near Hallein, this material can already be identified as Celtic in the late Hallstatt phase (sixth century BC). The graves of women's inhumation show cultural exchanges with southern Europe, especially the culture of Este and Villanovan Northern Italy.

Women's funeral is associated with certain grave goods, such as combs, mirrors, toiletries (nail cutters, tweezers, ear spoon), spinning circles (pindle flywheel, tool for making yarn), pottery vessels, necklaces, earrings, hairpins, pin pins, finger rings, bracelets, and other jewelry. Although most graves do not have gender-specific grave goods, where these items are found, they almost always belong to female graves.

The Vix tomb of modern France is the most famous female cemetery, but there are some other important ones. In Vix Grave, a large bronze crater or bowl was found that showed the high status of the woman buried there. It comes from a Greek workshop and is 1.6 m tall, weighs over 200 kg and has a volume of 1100 L, making it the largest metal ship to survive in the ancient world. In the eight graves of the cremation of Frankfurt Rhine-Main from the middle and late period of La TÃÆ'¨ne, which contained young girls, a dog statue was found, measuring 2.1 to 6.7 â € <â €

Another example of a well-equipped female grave is the grave room of the GÃÆ'¶blingen-Nospelt (Luxembourg) necropolis grave, containing fish sauce amphora ( garum fish sauce from Gades is a very popular food spice), bronze pans with a lid , bronze cauldron, two bronze basins with bronze bucket, Terra sigillata plate, several cups and clay jugs, mirrors and eight fibulae.

Archaeological findings in the nineteenth century are often interpreted in light of contemporary ideas about gender without considering the differences between modern and ancient cultures. The role of gender is assumed to be irreversible and, as such, grave goods are identified as "male" or "female" without ambiguity. It is only when it becomes possible to determine the sex of human remains through osteological analysis, whether this approach is revealed as too simple.

Source literature

Written evidence was first sent by Greeks, historian and geographer Hecataeus of Miletus ( Periegene ), sailor and explorer Pytheas of Massilia ( In Ocean ) - both works survive only in the fragments - the geographer and ethnologist Herodotus ( Histories ) and Poseidonius polymath ( In the Ocean and the Problems) . No surviving Poseidonius work; it is only transmitted as a quote in other authors, such as Julius Caesar ( Commentarii de bello Gallico ). Other Greek writers include Didodorus Siculus ( Bibliotheke ), who uses an older source, Plutarch ( Moralia ), who takes a position on the female role, and Strabo ( Geography ), extending the work of Polybius ( Histories ) through personal travel and research.

Among the works of Roman historians is the universal history of Pompeius Trogus ( Scientific History ) which survives only in the symbol of Marcus Iunianus Iustinus. As a Gaul himself (he belongs to the Vocontii tribe), Trogus will send many of his information directly. Tacitus ( Annals ) describes Britannia and its conquest by the Romans, Ammianus Marcellinus ( Res Gestae ) has served as a soldier in Gaul, Livy ( Ab Urbe Condita ) reports on Celtic culture, Suetonius (Caesars Life ) also a Roman official and describes Caesar's Gallic Wars, and senator and consul Cassius Dio ( Roman History ) retells campaign against Celtic Boudicca queen. Julius Caesar mentioned earlier has described a Celtic drawing in his book Bellum Gallicum, specially designed for his own domestic political interests.

Among the historians there was also Gerald of Wales who was born to the Cambro-Norman family in the 12th century, and compiled an important report on the history and geography of the British Isles.

Social position

Women as secular and religious leaders

Women's social position differs by region and time period. The Celtic "Lady" tombs of Bad DÃÆ'¼rkheim, Reinheim, Waldalgesheim, and Vix show that women can have a high social position; whether their position is the result of their marital status is unclear - so that modern writers refer to them as "Women" and "Daughter". Trains found in the tomb of an elite woman in Mitterkirchen im Machland accompanied by the valuable items listed above. Plutarch named the women Cisalpine Gaul an important judge of disagreement with Hannibal, Diodorus mentioning their active participation in the campaign. Caesar emphasized the "life and death forces" held by husbands for their wives and children. Strabo mentions the Celtic tribe, where "Men and women dance together, holding hands with one another," which is unusual among Mediterranean people. He states that the position of the sexes relative to each other is "contrary... to how we are together." Ammianus Marcellinus describes furor heroicus (heroic fury) of the Gaul woman in battle, as "as big as a man, with blinking eyes and burning teeth."

Recent research has questioned this ancient author's statement. The position of Celtic women may have changed, especially under the influence of Roman culture and law, which saw the man as the head of his household.

British female rulers, such as Boudicca and Cartimandua, are seen as extraordinary phenomena; the position of the king (Proto-Celtic ) - in Gaul mostly replaced by two elected tribal leaders even before the time of the Emperor - usually a men's office. Female rulers do not always accept general approval. Thus, according to Tacitus, Brigantes was "carried away by the embarrassment of being put under a woman" rebelling against Cartimandua; his marital disputes with her husband, Venutius, and the support he received from the Romans were likely to play an important role in the preservation of his power. On the other hand, he said of Boudicca, before his decisive defeat, "[the Englishman] does not distinguish gender in their leaders."

Whether a daughter of Celtic Onomaris (????????), mentioned in an anonymous Tractatus de Mulieribus Claris di bello (Account of women circulating in war), is real, uncertain. He is meant to take the lead when no man can be found due to hunger and has led his tribe from his old homeland on the Danube and into Southeastern Europe.

Later on, female cult functionaries are known, such as the Celtic/Germanic seeress Veleda which has been interpreted by some Celtologists as a druidess.). Celtic druidesses, who prophesied to the Roman emperor Alexander Severus, Aurelian und Diocletian, enjoyed a high reputation among the Romans.

On the lead Curse tablet from Larzac (c 100 AD), which with more than 1000 letters is the longest known text in Gaulish, the female magic user community is named, containing "mother" ( mat? R ) and "daughters" ( duxt? r ), perhaps teachers and initiates respectively.

Slave girl

Most slave girls are war booty, female goods provided by disadvantaged debtors, or foreign prisoners and can be employed in households or sold for profit. As a slave, women have an important economic role because of their craftwork, as in Ireland, the word "cumal" ("slave girl", Old Welsh: aghell and caethverched ) is also a term for the general size of wealth (a cumal , worth ten sà © t ["cow"]).

According to Caesar, the favorite boys were thrown to their master's burial ground and burned with their corpses.

Raising children

Caring for the children is the role of women expressed by ancient writers. In addition, in families with higher social standing, there is an institution of adoptive parents (Old Irish: adoptive aite and adoptive mummy) with the Gothic atta Dear Dad, Germany Mama and English mummy ), where the children of the household given. The fees parents pay to foster parents are higher for girls than boys, because their care is considered more expensive. But there is also a form of foster care in which no fees are charged, designed to strengthen the relationship between two families.

Matriarchy

Ancient evidence

The mythical rulers of British Celtic legend and the historical queen of Boudicca, Cartimandua and (perhaps) Onomarix can only be seen as individual examples in unusual situations, not as evidence of matriarchy among the Celts. The texts transmitted from pre-Christian stories and ancient writers strongly oppose its existence.

Modern speculation

The idea of ​​Celtic matriarchy was first developed in the 18th and 19th centuries in connection with the romantic idea of ​​"Noble Savage". According to nineteenth-century Unilineal evolutionism, societies evolved from the general association (sexual interaction with a changing partner or multiple couples) to matriarchy and then to patriarchy. Heinrich Zimmer's 1894 Das Mutterrecht bei den Pikten und Scotland (The Matriarchy of the Picts and Scots) argues for the existence of matriarchy in Northern Ireland and Scotland. The proofs are the English Celtic tales of the great queens and the warrior girls. The content of these stories is misrepresented relating to the reality of the relationship between the two sexes.

In 1938, in his work The position of women among the Celts and the problem of Celtic matriarch Josef Weisweiler points out a misinterpretation:

About the social structure of Pre-Indo-European residents in England and Ireland, we do not know more about the pre-Celtic population situation than what would later become Gaul. [...] It is therefore inaccurate and misleading, to speak of the Celtic matriarchy, since most of this race is, we know for sure, always and constantly organized as patriarchy

The feminist writer Heide GÃÆ'¶ttner-Abendroth assumes the Celtic matriarchy at Die GÃÆ'¶ttin undihih Heros (1980), but his whereabouts remain unfounded. Marion Zimmer Bradley describes the matriarchal interpretation of the stories of King Arthur, Lancelot and the Holy Grail in The Mists of Avalon (1987), which is dominated by female characters. He uses the contrast between Celtic matriarchal culture and Christian patriarchy as the theme of his work. Ingeborg Clarus tried in his book Keltische Mythen (1991) to reduce British Celtic tales for combat between the two sexes, as part of his theory of the replacement of a matriarch by patriarchy. He then continued the theory of evolution of the 19th century. He calls the matriarchy "the Irish Pre-Celtic heritage", and he claims that the transition to patriarchy occurred in the 1st century at the time of King Conchobar mac Nessa of Ulster.

Matrilineality

Matrilineality (transmission of property through the female line) was not proved for Celtic either. In matrilineal societies, children are only related to the mother's family not with the father's family. Such a situation is between the Picts, where, according to some accounts, the kingdom is inherited through the mother line, but not inherited by the woman herself, the Irish Clan ( is fine , compared to Old High German < i> wini , "friends") are patrilineal and mother's relatives have few rights and obligations associated with children. So they only accept the seventh of the weregild if a child is killed and a male relative has an obligation to take revenge for the act.

Describing Celtic's expansion to southern and southeastern Europe around 600 BC, Livy claims that two warlords of Bellovesus and Segovesus who were elected by the army were the sons of Ambicatus, king of Bituriges. Here perhaps matrilineality could be the reason for the selection of these leaders, rather than the king's own sons, but other reasons can not be ruled out, even if the story is not fictitious.

Among the Iberians, Gallaeci, women have an important role in families and clans, regardless of the importance of men as fighters, which is indicated by the frequent matrilineal succession among them.

Legal position

Almost all of the following legal issues seem to be similar, with some regional variations, both on land and in the British Isles.

General legal position

Common law equality - not just equality between men and women - is unusual among the Celts; it is only possible in social classes that are also determined by gender. Celtic women were initially not allowed to serve as legal witnesses and were unable to conclude the contract with a man's help. In the collection of the laws and the proverbs of CrÃÆ'th Gablach and the Bretha CrÃÆ'³lige (Decision on Blood), wergeld is prescribed exactly for men and women of different social classes and compensation for women (or their heirs in the event of their death) is significantly smaller, often half the cost to a man of the same class.

marriage law

In British Celtic law, women in many ways (eg marriage law) have a better position than Greek and Roman women. According to Irish and Welsh laws, as evidenced from the Early Middle Ages, a woman is always under the authority of a man, her father first, then her husband, and, if she becomes a widow, her son. He usually can not give or continue his possessions without their consent. Her marriage is governed by her male relatives, divorce and polygyny (marriage between one man and several women) controlled by special rules. Polyandry (the marriage of a woman with some men) is unusual, although some Celtologists conclude that it sometimes occurs from the Irish saga Longas mac nUislenn (Uislius Children's Exile).

Caesar gave examples of women's subordinate positions: according to him, men have the power of life and death over their wives, just as they did for their children, in a manner similar to the Roman family. If the head of a high-ranking family dies, his relatives will collect and interrogate his wives and slaves, when death seems suspicious. If they think their suspicions are right, they will burn the wives, after torturing them by all means. However, he also explained the financial role of the wife as being very independent.

Caesar also said that among the English, up to a dozen men (fathers, sons and brothers) can get together with their women. The resulting children will be assigned wherever the man is willing to marry the woman. Today is seen as a common cliché of ancient barbarian ethnography and political propaganda intended by the Emperor to provide moral justification for his campaign.

In general, monogamy is common. Have some legal wives confined to a higher social class. Since marriage is seen as a normal agreement between two people ( Cain Lanamna , "Covenant Two"), it can be dissolved by both partners. "Temporary marriage" is also common. The position of the wife (Irish: cÃÆ' Â © t-muinter , "First from the household", or prÃÆ'm-ben , "Head Woman") is determined by the size of the dowry it carries. There are three types of marriages: that the woman carries more than the man, who both produce the same amount and ultimately that the woman brings in less. If the husband wants to make a transaction that is clearly unwise, the wife has some sort of veto right. In divorce, the wife usually has full control over her dowry. The concubine (Ireland: , cautious Latin adultera ) has much less power and is lower than the main wife. He has a legal obligation (LÃÆ'³g n-enech) to assist his first wife in sickness and may be harassed and wounded by him without punishment for the first three days after his marriage, with only a very limited right to defend himself (pulling hair, scratching and punching his back ). After these three days, ordinary penalties will apply to both in the event of injury or murder.

Adultery by wives, unlike adultery by the husband, can not be redeemed with fines. Divorce in adultery cases can only happen with the consent of both parties and the wife is not allowed to search for someone as long as her husband maintains an intimate relationship with her. If she is pregnant with her husband's child, she can not have sex with another man before the child's birth, even if thrown away by her. These rules are binding on Celtic nobles, but they may be less binding on the lower classes. In Wales, the wife is allowed to leave her husband if he commits adultery three times, if he is impotent and if he does a bad halitosis by bringing the treasure he brings into the marriage or earned it during that time. Rape should be redeemed by the culprit by submitting the type of gift usually given at the wedding and paying a fine, since it is considered a form of "temporary" marriage bond.

Inheritance Law

The inheritance law of the British Empire Celts harms women, especially girls, in a manner similar to marriage law. Only if the inheritance comes from the mother or if the daughter comes from the last marriage of a man and a boy from a previous marriage, the two genders are treated equally.

A princess does not inherit the land of her father unless she does not have a brother, if she is a daughter who inherits ( ban-chomarba ), and even then she inherits only for the rest of her life.

After that, the inheritance is returned to the family of his father ( Baik ). This "daughter inheritance" institution has a parallel in ancient Indian law, where a father without a son can appoint his daughter as a daughter?

In the law of Gauls, widows (old Irish: fedb , Welsh: gweddwn , Cornish gwedeu , Breton: intaÃÆ' Â ± vez ) inherits all properties left by their husbands. They can throw this property freely, unlike in the Old Irish law, where the widow is under the control of her sons. Only the right to make a gift and limited sales force is given to him, which is referred to as bantrebthach ("householder"). The right to make a gift is limited to family transfers.

Welsh women received only the right to inherit under King Henry II of England (1133-1189).

CÃÆ'¡in AdomnÃÆ'¡in

Abbas and saint Adomnan of Iona produced the legal work of CÃÆ'¡in AdomnÃÆ'¡in (The Canon of Adomnan) or Lex Innocentium (The law of innocents) on the property of women (especially mothers ) and children. He described the condition of women up to that point, with excessive self-consciousness, such as cumalacht (slavery), to highlight the importance of his own work. Adomnan reports that a woman who:

... must stay in a very deep hole so that his genitals are covered and have to hold his spit on fire for so long for it to be roasted, further he must function as a candle holder until it is time to sleep. In battle, he brings his rations on one shoulder and his little boy on the other. On his back he was carrying a 30-foot pole with an iron hook, with which he would hold the opponent among his enemies with their braids. Behind her came her husband, who escorted her to the battlefield with a fence post. As a trophy, a person takes the head or breast of the women.

According to legend, Adomnan's experience and his mother have become impetus for this legal text. The sight of a murdered Celtic woman and her child - "mother's blood and milk flowing" - on the battlefield, shocked her mother so that she forced her son, by fasting, to compile this law book and pass it on to the princes.

Sexuality

In the Trencheng Breth FÃ © ne (The Triad of Irish verdicts, a collection of writings dating from the XIV century to XVIIe) the three virtues of women listed as virginity before marriage, willingness to suffer, diligent in caring for husband and child the children.

Ancient writers describe the Celtic woman regularly as big, cunning, brave and beautiful. Diodorus and Suetonius specifically describe the sexual permissiveness of Celtic women. According to Suetonius, spend a lot of money for sexual experience in Gaul. Her Legionnaire sang in triumph that she had seduced a group of Gallic women, calling her a "balding snatcher".

Celtic women are described as fertile, fertile and breastfeeding is good. It's all the cliches of the Greeks and Romans about the barbarians. Gerald of Wales describes how the Irish are "the most jealous in the world," while Welsh does not have this jealousy and among them is guest-friendship-prostitution is commonplace. In the Irish story of Conchobar mac Nessa, the king is said to have the right to the first night with a married woman and the right to sleep with the wife of whoever hosts him. This is called Geis king. Whether this right really exists and is exercised by the Celts is not proved beyond the saga. In his story Immram Curaig MaÃÆ'le DÃÆ'ºin (Sea Cruises MaÃÆ'le DÃÆ'ºin), the main character's conception occurs when a traveler randomly sleeps with a nun. He said before this "our actions are useless if it's finally when I'm pregnant!" The suggestion that Irish women use this knowledge for birth control, is sometimes taken from this questionable. A large number of children are mentioned among the Celts by ancient writers.

Gerald of Wales's statement that incest has a pervasive presence in the British Isles is wrong according to modern scholars, as he only complains that a man can marry his cousin in fifth, fourth and third degrees. Incest plays a key role in British Celtic myth, such as Tochmarc ÃÆ'â € ° taÃÆ'n (as the Courting of ÃÆ'â € taÃÆ'n) as in other ancient cultures (such as Ancient Egypt or a pair of Zeus and Hera in classical Greece.In actual social life, however, the importance can not be found.

Health

Paleoological research based on bone samples and, in the best case scenario, on mummified corpses shows the disease found among the ancient Celts. Diseases such as sinusitis, Meningitis, and cavities leave distinctive traces. Impaired growth and vitamin deficiency can be detected from long bones. Coprolith (fossil feces) shows severe worm infections. In total, the data show people who, as a result of poor hygiene and diet suffer from weakened immune systems and high disease rates. This is even more visible in women than in men. This is perfectly normal for people in this time and region. Among the degenerative degeneration of Celtic women in the joints and spine is very important because of the heavy removal they do. Trauma from violence is naturally more prevalent among humans. The difference as a result of social position is not seen. The "Lady of Vix" is a very young Celtic standing woman, who suffers from pituitary adenoma and otitis media.

The skeletal findings at the cemetery provide the following age statistics for ancient Celtic: The average age at dying is 35 years, the average age for men is 38 years and for 31 year old women.

The average lifespan of men is 35 to 40 years, the number of women is only 30 to 35. The frequent battles between people among each other are thus less dangerous than labor!

Celtic female appearance

Clothing

Due to the low level of survival of materials (cloth, leather) used for clothing, there is little archaeological evidence; Contemporary images are rare. The ancient author's description is somewhat general; only Diodorus transmits something more detailed. According to his report, the normal clothing of Celtic men and women is made of highly colored fabrics, often with gold-embroidered outer layers and joined with gold fibula.

The female tunic is longer than the male; leather or metal belts (sometimes chains) tied at the waist. Regional variations in fashion (as well as differences by age and class) are more complex than simple tunics. The thick-patterned dress seen in a vase from Sopron in Pannonia was cut like a knee-length maternity dress from a rigid material with bells and brims attached. A tight-waisted skirt with a crinoline-shaped bell is also illustrated. Overdress with V-shaped pieces placed on the shoulders with fibula found in Noricum. The chain around the waist has a hook for length adjustment, the remaining chains are hung on the chains in a loop. This belt-chain link can be round, 8-digit, with links between cross and flat, doubled, tripled, or more with enamel inelets (see Enamel blood). The so-called Norican-Pannonia Roman-era belt adorned with completeness that works well. A pouch is often hung from the belt on the right side.

In the British Isles during the Iron Age, the ring-headed pins are often used in place of the fibulae in the dress and to fix the hairdo in place. This is indicated by the various position of the needle found in the cemetery.

In the first century AD Celtic AD of WÃÆ'¶lfnitz, a girl was depicted wearing a Norican outfit. It consists of a straight under-dress (Peplos) that reaches to the ankle, a loose overdress that reaches to the knee, which is tied around the shoulder with a large fibulae. A belt with two ribbons hanging in front holding the dress in place. In his right hand he held the basket, in his left hand he held the mirror in front of his face. At his feet was a sharp-pointed shoe. Her hair is mostly straight, but arranged in the back.

In everyday life, Celtic women wear wooden sandals or leather with small ropes (Latin: gallica , "Gaia shoes"). Tied shoes made of a piece of tanned skin tied around the ankle are often only detected in graves from metal fish eyes and fasteners that hold around the feet.

Three manniquins in Helvetic/Celtic ladies' outfits reconstructed in the exhibition, Gold der Helvetier - Keltische Kostbarkeiten aus der Schweiz "(Gold from Helvetii: Celtic Treasures of Switzerland) at Landesmuseum ZÃÆ'¼rich in 1991.

Jewelry

Gold jewelry (necklaces, bracelets, rings) is used as a symbol of social class and often has high artistic and artistic qualities. Girls of the Hallstatt and La TÃÆ'¨ne early culture wearing yellow chains and amulets as individual chains or some string colliers; colliers have up to nine strings and over a hundred yellow beads. Amulets are an apotropaic ornament and charm. They may be added to the grave of the greatly killed woman, to protect the living. Torcs (neck rings) are found in important male and female graves until about 350 BC, after which they are usually confined to male graves. The "Lady" of the tomb in Vix has a torc, placed in his lap, as a good grave; the woman at the tomb in Reinheim wore one around her neck. Boudicca, Queen Iceni in England around 60 BC is depicted wearing a torc, which may reflect the extraordinary circumstances of a war leader or be a jeweler of Roman authors.

On top of the colorful shirt he wore an upturned gold torque and a thick robe covered with fibula.

The Hallstatt-period limestone statue of a Celtic woman was found at the entrance to the tomb "Lady of Vix" wearing a torch and sitting on a throne.

Headgear and hairstyles

Since there is hardly any portrayal of women surviving the La TÃÆ'¨ne period, archaeologists must be content with images of Roman provinces. In this case, women are rarely portrayed naked, so more is known about head coverage than about hairstyles. Celtic women are currently wearing winged caps, felt inverted conical hats with hoods, cylindrical feather caps, bronze or circular tiara. The modius hat is a rigid cap shaped like an inverted cone that was so common in the first century around Virunum. It's worn with rich veils and decorations and shows the ladies of the upper class. The hijab worn over the hat is often so long that it can cover the whole body. In northern Pannonia at the same time, the women wore fur hats, with full brims, a hijab cap similar to a Norican hat and later on a turban-like head covered with a veil. Among the Celtiberian women, a structure, consisting of chokers with stems extending overhead and hoods stretched over for shady, fashionable.

Her hair is often shaved on an oiled forehead. In the Hallstatt period, hairnets have been found; In some accounts, individually stressed braids (up to three) are mentioned, but most women tie their hair with braids. Her hair is often dyed red or blond. The Fedelm forecaster in Irish sagas is depicted with three braids, two tied in his head and one dangling from the back of his head to his calf. Unlike married women, unmarried women usually wear unbound and unclosed hair.

Hair needles to fix hats and hairdo in place are the common graves found from the late Hallstatt period. They have a ring-shaped head that can be decorated with luxury in some areas. From the La TÃÆ'¨ne period, such needles were rare.

src: www.renegadetribune.com

Women in Celtic mythology

In the mainland of Celtic, a large number of goddesses are known; because of the lack of Celtic political unity, they seem to be the god of the region. Unlike the Greeks and Romans, the Celts never had a single pantheon, although the Romans sought to connect them on the basis of their function, through Interpretatio Romana. The very important mother goddesses of Celtic religion are also united in this way under the names Matres and Matronae.

In British Celtic mythology almost no goddess is present. The female figures mentioned in local Irish stories are largely derived from female figures from historically unfilled periods of migration described in Lebor GabÃÆ'¡la ÃÆ'â € renn (Book Intake of Ireland). They were originally described as mythical people, transformed into gods and then became demons after each expulsion by the next wave of invaders - most of these were in Celtic Otherworld. The enumeration of the most important female historical figures (not exclusively Irish) is found in the story of the poet Gilla Mo-Dutu ÃÆ' â € Å"Caiside known as Bansenchas (containing 1147 entries). Similar developments took place in England, particularly in Wales.

Very often these mythical female figures manifest their sovereignty over the land or the land itself (see hieros gamos). Examples from Ireland include Macha and Medb, from Wales, Rhiannon. The dispute between Medb and her husband Ailill mac MÃÆ'¡ta for the wealth brought into marriage by each of them is an indirect trigger for the Cü¡in BÃÆ'³ Cuailnge (The Cattle Raid of Cooley).

All kinds of legal matters in marriage are described in Celtic myth: The marriage of a sister by her sister (Branwen ferch Ll? R , "Branwen, daughter of Ll? R"), the marriage of a widowed mother by her son (< i) Manawydan fab Ll r , "Manawydan, son of Ll? r"), rape and divorce ( Math fab Mathonwy , "Mathematics, Mathonwy's son"), marriage of a girl against his father's will ( Culhwch and Olwen ). If the girl objected to the marriage, the only way out would be to help herself: the impossibly impossible task of the groom ( Tochmarc Emire , "The Wooing of Emer"); fleeing with a self-chosen husband (The Pursuit of Diarmuid and GrÃÆ'¡inne), or suicide ( Longas mac nUislenn , "The Exile of the Son of Uislius").

Connel's already mentioned queen, Medb, breaks all conventions and chooses her own husband, whom he then rejects when he is bored with them. For every soldier he supports, he promises "Favor of her legs" and even marries his daughter Findabair - when Findabair discovers this, he takes her own life in shame.

Other female figures of Celtic mythology include the Cailleach weather witch (Irish for "nuns," "witches," "covert" or "old ladies") from Scotland and Ireland, Corrigan of Brittany who is a beautiful seducer, Irish Banshee Other) that emerged before the crucial death, Scottish Scout women, Uathach and Aoife. The Sheela-na-Gig is a bizarre statue commonly presented by excessive vulva. Significance - eventually as a symbol of fertility - is debated and his girlfriend is uncertain. Perhaps the appearance of the vulva is meant to have apotropaic powers, as in Irish legends where the women of Ulster led by Mugain wife King Conchobar mac Nessa uncovered their breasts and vulva to prevent the destruction of Emain Macha by the CÃÆ'º Chulainn rampage.

src: www.ancient-origins.net

References

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Bibliography

• Josef Weisweiler: "Die Stellung der Frau bei den Kelten und das Problem des" keltischen Mutterrechts "." Zeitschrift fÃÆ'¼r celtische Philologie , Vol. 21, 1938.

General working in Celtic

• Helmut Birkhan: Celtic. Trying to represent the whole of their culture. Publisher Academy of Sciences Austria, Vienna 1997, ISBN 3-7001-2609-3.
• Helmut Birkhan: Celtic. Picture their Culture. Austrian Academy of Sciences Publisher, Vienna 1999, ISBN 3-7001-2814-2.
• Alexander Demandt: The Celtic Nation. C. Beckesche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Munich 1998, ISBN 3-406-43301-4.
• Arnulf Krause: Celtic World , Issue 2 2007, Publishing Campus, Frankfurt/New York, ISBN 978-3-593-38279-1.
• Bernhard Maier: History and Culture of Celtic. C. H. Beck, Munich 2012, ISBN 978-3-40-664140-4.
• Wolfgang Meid: The Celtic Nation. Reclam, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-15-017053-3.

Aspek tertentu dari budaya Celtic

• Helmut Birkhan: Nachantike Keltenrezeption. Praesens Verlag, Wien 2009, ISBN 978-3-7069-0541-1.
• David Rankin: Celtic and the Classic World. Croom Helm Ltd. 1987, Paperback 1996 oleh Routledge, London/New York, ISBNÂ 0-415-15090-6.
• Ingeborg Clarus: Keltische Mythen. Der Mensch und seine Anderswelt. Walter Verlag, Freiburg im Breisgau 1991 (Patmos Verlag, DÃÆ'¼sseldorf, 2000, edisi ke-2) ISBN 3-491-69109-5.

References work on Celtic

• Sylvia and Paul F. Botheroyd: Lexicon of Celtic Mythology. Tosa Verlag, Vienna 2004.
• Bernhard Maier: The Celtic Religious and Cultural Lexicon. KrÃÆ'¶ner, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-520-46601-5.
• Susanne Sievers/Otto Helmut Urban/Peter C. Ramsl: Celtic Archeology Lexicon. A-K and L-Z . Communications of the Prehistoric Commission at the Austrian Academy of Sciences Publishing Building , Vienna 2012, ISBN 978-3-7001-6765-5.

Matriarchal religion

• Heath Goths-Abendroth: The Goddess and hero. Matriarchal religion in myths, fairy tales, poems , Munich 1980, last edition Verlag Frauenoffensive, 1993, ISBN 978-3-88-104234-5.

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External links

• Lisa Bitel: Female Country: Sex and Gender Stories from Early Ireland. Cornell University Press, Ithaca N.Y. 1998, ISBN 0-8014-8544-4.

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