Get the Look: Celtic Warrior

In Indo-European cultures it was a common practice for a group of young men in their teenage years to participate in a warrior band (kóryos). The men had not yet built wealth or influence and needed to prove themselves. These small groups often formed a cult centered around a god and associated themselves with the wolf, the boar, or the bear. Examples of this can be found in Indo-European cultures, such as the Germanic Berserker, the Celtic Fianna, the Roman Velites, and the Spartan Crypteia. The animals represented their cunning, strength, and aggression.

After undergoing painful trials to join the group, they were sent away to live as landless warriors in the wild for several years. They lived in groups ranging from two to twelve members. Within a group, lawless actions such as night raids and cattle rustling were common. The young men possessed nothing but their weapons. They lived on the fringes of society and off what nature provided them. Their lives revolved around fighting, hunting game, and raiding settlements on one hand, and reciting heroic stories on the other. These stories recounted the deeds of heroes from the past and described legends of cattle theft. The initiation within the kóryos was seen as a transitional phase preceding the status of an adult warrior and was usually crowned with participation in the tribe or city-state. The kóryos were symbolically associated with death and liminality, but also with fertility and sexual promiscuity.

Celtic warfare had a strongly mythological character. In the tribal structure of Celtic society, small armed conflicts were presumably commonplace. The war-focused culture likely continuously tested relationships between tribes. This led to a form of competition where tribes were compelled to bring out the best in themselves militarily. The Celtic tribes seemed to view warfare more as a sport than as a means of conquest. Cattle raiding created economic damage to some extent among other tribes, but war bands primarily used it to prove themselves.

Celtic mythology suffered under the influence of Roman conquests, resulting in fragmentation. Most continental Celtic peoples, such as the Gauls, Galatians, and Celtiberians, saw their mythologies disappear. What remains are only fragments, found in Greco-Roman sources and archaeological findings. The most intact Celtic mythologies are found among the Insular Celtic peoples who passed down their stories and traditions orally. It was not until the Middle Ages that these were written down by Christian scholars, long after the pre-Christian era in which they originated had passed. Irish mythology contains the largest collection of written myths, followed by Welsh mythology. Other remnants can be found in Cornish mythology, Breton mythology, and Scottish mythology.

Celtic tribes were not only involved in conflicts within their own communities but sometimes also formed alliances with external powers such as the Romans, Greeks, Carthaginians, Etruscans, and Germanic tribes. These alliances were directed both against each other and against other Celtic groups. The organizational structures of Celtic tribes and societies varied greatly. While some groups had strict hierarchical systems with a monarchy at the top, others exhibited a more representative organizational structure typical of a republic, especially during the Gallic Wars.

The historical Celtic groups were diverse and included the Belgae, Bituriges, Boii, Britons, Celtiberians, Gaels, Galatians, Gallaeci, Gauls, Helvetii, Lepontii, Norici, and the Volcae. These groups were often the source of cultural dissemination and change through descent, migration, and the spread of Celtic influences. This resulted in a patchwork of thousands of different Celtic tribes that ruled over large parts of Europe. Each tribe viewed the area they governed as their territory and linked their structure to that area. In some cases, tribes could conquer each other, but the habitat remained with the respective tribe. This resulted in a structure of kings and high kings.

Archaeology has provided much insight into the material culture of the Celts, especially that of the La Tène culture and the Hallstatt culture. Nevertheless, the interpretation of these findings remains the subject of much speculation and discussion. For a long time, it was thought that the Celts were headhunters, but recent research in France suggests that the collected heads may have belonged to slain allies, which were displayed in colonnades, while the defeated were buried in mass graves and their weapons were ritually broken.

Champion Fights formed a significant part of Celtic mythology, as seen in stories such as the Ulster Cycle, the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi, and the Arthurian Cycle. In the Táin Bó Cúailnge, particularly the epic tale of the Ulaid hero Cú Chulainn, he defeats an entire army from Connacht in heroic single combat, one by one.
These legends paint vivid images of battle, in which the spear (gae) and the gá-ín (Old Irish has dozens of words for ‘spear’) play a central role, without mentioning helmets or metal armors, which is consistent with archaeological findings. Chariots were also of great importance in the warfare and culture of various Celtic groups. The burial of these chariots served as an essential and unifying element in Celtic cultures such as the Hallstatt culture, La Tène culture, Gallic and Brittonic cultures. Notably, no remnants of such vehicles from that period have been discovered in Ireland.

The weapons and armor of the Celts were actually very advanced. They were known as master blacksmiths in cultures such as Hallstatt, La Tène, and the province of Noricum. Despite descriptions by classical writers like Livy and Florus depicting the Celts as "fighting like wild beasts," Julius Caesar contradicts this portrayal. In his accounts of battles against Gallic tribes in the Commentarii de Bello Gallico, Caesar describes continental Celts fighting in an organized manner and even adopting formations, such as a Phalanx or Testudo, as defense against advancing cavalry. This sharply contrasts with the stereotype of the disorganized, naked Celtic barbarian described in other Greco-Roman sources.

Tacitus wrote that the strength of the Celts lay in their infantry, an observation often confirmed during early encounters and battles between the Celts and their Greco-Roman contemporaries. Although the tactics and equipment of the Celtic infantry varied significantly from group to group, there were some common elements. The average Celtic warrior carried spears, with the wealthy possessing a spear or sword and a shield. Although some classical sources, such as Polybius, initially suggest that the equipment of the Celts was generally simple and inferior, the adoption of Celtic weapons and technology by many classical contemporaries tells a different story.

Celtic peoples were also known for their skill on horseback, both on and off the battlefield. Horses played an important role in overall Celtic culture, with ownership linked to both social and financial status. Strabo even wrote that, although all Gauls were naturally excellent warriors, they fought better on horseback than on foot and that the best Roman cavalry was recruited from among them. Gallic cavalry auxiliary troops were often employed by the late Roman Republic and the early Roman Empire. These Celtic mercenaries, led by Publius Licinius Crassus, held their ground against a Parthian force during this crucial conflict.

In earlier confrontations with the Romans, such as the Battle of Sentinum, some Celts used chariots. Although chariots fell out of use on the European mainland by the end of the 3rd century BC, Caesar discovered they still played an important role in British warfare. According to his descriptions, he found himself in Great Britain facing an army in transition, with cavalry present, but an elite still fighting from chariots. He describes how these warriors threw spears from their vehicles before engaging in combat on foot, and then returned to their chariots to retreat or attack again. The cavalry was used for skirmishes. Gauls noted that they themselves had previously used chariots but had since abandoned them.
Their method of chariot warfare was as follows: initially, they rode around in different directions, threw their weapons, and thus disrupted the enemy ranks, merely through the fear of their horses and the sound of their wheels. However, when they had worked their way among the enemy's horses, they leapt from their chariots and continued the fight on foot. Meanwhile, the charioteers withdrew slightly from the battle, strategically placed by the chariots, so they could easily retreat to their own troops if their masters were overwhelmed by the enemy's superior numbers. Thus, they demonstrated in battle the speed of a horse combined with the steadfastness of the infantry.

At the Battle of Telamon (225 BC), Gallic warriors reportedly wore only trousers and capes. In the Norse tradition, Berserkers despised the use of armor and preferred to wear only an animal skin. Ancient Italic tribes also had 'mad' warriors in their ranks who fought naked, barefoot, with flowing hair, and often in duels. Young Vedic boys during their initiation within the kóryos wore only a belt and an animal skin. The belt symbolized the bond to the kóryos. The Greek historian Herodotus mentions that Gauls sometimes fought naked. Tacitus reports about the Germanic tribes the Cimbri and Teutons that they fought naked in a kind of frenzy of rage. Many depictions of Gallic warriors also show the warrior naked. Both the Romans and the Celts themselves sometimes depicted their warriors naked, as on the statue of the Clauberg warrior. However, many images do not show the warriors naked, which again points to a ritual form of warfare rather than usual combat practices.

A terracotta statue of a naked Galatian/Celtic warrior, found in Egypt and dating from the 3rd-2nd century BC. The Galatians were hired in large numbers by the Ptolemaic government to serve as mercenaries, with various communities of them residing in the nomes of Egypt. The Celtic warrior is depicted naked and wears a cloak and a belt.

The Celtic warrior of Hirschlanden is part of a burial mound from the Hallstatt D period, 6th-5th century BC. The statue possibly represents the owner of the burial mound. This indicates that warriors did not fight naked due to financial reasons.

In this composition, we have created a Celtic warrior who is part of a warband. Often they fought naked or with only a cloak or trousers on. The character in this composition is named Ambiorix and is 21 years old. He is likely at the end of his period as a member of the warband. Soon his warband will return to the tribe to celebrate their heroic victories and to marry and have children. He will then receive a position within the warrior class of the tribe.
During the Gallic wars, these warbands were a disaster for the Roman legions. For what is more heroic than attacking the enemy out of nowhere with only a spear and depriving them of sleep.

The trousers that Ambiorix wears in this composition is a Thorsberg trousers. This type of trousers was universally worn since prehistoric times. 

Ambiorix wears in this configuration fairly basic prehistoric shoes. The shoes are easy to make and adjust and provide sufficient protection for the feet. 

The most important garment of Ambiorix is his belt. It represents the connection to his war band, his god, and/or animal cult (Bear, boar, wolf). During battle, Ambiorix ritually metamorphosed (Therianthropy) into his deity or animal. This granted him supernatural powers, and he fought like the respective animal or deity. His actions were not attributed to him, but to the wolf within him. 

Ambiorix wears this belt in this composition.

Celts likely wore body paint in battle. There are various sources that suggest this was done.

In the "Historia Naturalis" (Natural History) by Pliny the Elder, Pliny describes various aspects of Celtic culture, possibly including the practice of painted warriors. In the works of the Greek historian Herodotus, the Celts are described as peoples who painted themselves in battle, but he does not explicitly mention whether it was warriors. Additionally, Britannia (Britanni) means something like painted people.   

We have painted Ambiorix with blue makeup, the motifs are derived from the La Tène art style. 

Ambiorix wears a brass Montefortino helmet. We were inspired by a golden Celtiberian brooch from the La Tène period depicting a naked Celtic warrior fighting a dragon. 

The Celts made extensive use of spears. Spears are faster than swords and they have more reach. Additionally, they can also be used as throwing weapons. For Ambiorix, spears were his primary weapon. He possibly always carried multiple spears with him. 

In this setup, we have given Ambiorix a shortsword. In some depictions of naked Celtic warriors, the warrior is depicted with sword. In reality, it is questionable whether a warrior at this stage of his life had the means to purchase a sword.