To: maceng2 who wrote (1510925 ) 1/5/2025 9:51:18 PM From: Maple MAGA 3 RecommendationsRecommended By
Read Replies (4) | Respond to "We are going to build a great wall, and the Celts will pay for it." - Emperor Hadrian 117 A.D The Romans must have been really afraid to build a second wall. The Antonine Wall Size matters: Average height for the Gauls was between 5'9 and 5'11 which put the Romans in the shade with their average height of 5'6. The height factor coupled with muscled physiques made the Celts intimidating opponents.Headcases: Headhunting was long believed to be a part of Celtic warfare although it was not universal. Renowned warriors would take the heads of enemies and tie them together and sling them round their horses necks. There is a degree of plausibility to the practice as the head was the seat of knowledge and wisdom as well as making a nice trophy collection. The heads of enemies that were particularly brave and strong were preserved in cedar oil and kept as prized possessions, often brought out on festive occasions by the victorious warrior who felt like bragging a bit.Sacrificial Offerings: Julius Caesar made sure to include this in his commentaries, particularly about the famous “Wicker Men”-basket like statues that successive Roman authors claimed held sacrificial victims that were ritually burned. This is only partly true as in most cases the statues were empty, but the Celts did practise human sacrifice in times of peril and also as a way of getting rid of criminals. The Gauls tended to sacrifice victims to Esus, a grim forest deity who was associated with the curious ritual of triple death:hanging, skewering and drowning. The Iceni sacrificed to Andrasta, the War Goddess. This and the penchant for headhunting led Roman soldiers to form death pacts in the event of defeat to avoid falling victim to the Celts.A Cut Above The Rest: Celtic swordsmen were among the most feared of warriors and for good reason. The Gallic longsword provided reach and could be used as a cut and thrust weapon. Contrary to popular belief, Gallic swordsmen did not “slash wildly” but used their swords with skill and a professionalism that startled the Romans, so naturally, Roman writers had to downplay their foes’ swordplay skills to make their own troops look good.Come and Have a Go, if You Think You’re Hard Enough! Celtic pre-battle rituals were designed to psych out their enemies. Warriors would lime their hair, paint their bodies with swirling patterns and bashed spears, swords and even fists into shields, shouted war cries and battle chants/songs and some would even be stripped completely naked (again, this was not universal). From time to time a champion would step forward and viciously taunt the enemy, daring them to send a champion of their own for single combat. The Celtic war cries were truly unnerving and underlined their intentions. Another great tool was the carnyx, a war horn that not only was loud, but also served to coordinate warriors in battle.The Gods Are On Our Side: The Celts revered c.400 gods of whom nearly half were associated with war. If Strabo is to be believed, then the Gauls, as he wrote it, “Were madly in love with warfare in all its forms”.Gauls! What is OUR Profession?! The Celts were warriors without peer. Theirs was a martial* culture built around the ancient principle of victory and spoils go to the strongest. Most of Celtic warfare was between rival clans and from time to time other “barbarians”. Years spent beating one another to a bloody pulp bred a truly professional class of warriors, battle hardened veterans who knew how to fight. It is not for nothing that some, like the Belgae (Those who swell with anger) were viewed with cautious eyes by their foes.Tactical Force: While Roman writers did their best to downplay the Celts as “disorganised barbarians” Caesar made several shocking discoveries:the Helvetii, he noted, used phalanx tactics and the Nervii knew how to deploy a good skirmish line with javelinmen while the Britons knew how to use troop rotation in battle. The Celts were capable of using similar tactics to their “civilised”counterparts and possessed basic battlefield discipline. After the charge, warriors would form small units of two or more fighting together.
