History The Celts are commonly thought of as the ancient Irish and Scottish peoples.  They first appeared in history during the early bronze age. By the 6th century BCE they had spread through out Europe. It is believed by historians that they first appeared in Southwest Germany, the Gauls Region of France.  At their peak in history the Celts were spread from Ireland to Russia in the east, To Turkey in the Southeast, Northern Italy, Greece, and the Scandinavian countries in the North. Although they were not of the same ethnic stock, they did speak dialects of the same language. They were among the most advanced societies in technology: highly skilled  metal workers, builders of roads and chariots, experts in animal husbandry and agriculture. They were also known as great warriors of unparalled courage and ferocity, feared even by the toughest Roman legions. They laid the foundation of western European civilazation.   The Celts were a brilliant, flamboyant, fearless, and dynamic people.  Although poorly organized as tribes, they were first and foremost warriors, often hiring themselves out to those who could afford their price as mercenaries.   The women were held in high regard, and equally as well trained as warriors as any of the men.  Any Celtic woman with her temper roused was a very dangerous force to be reckoned with. Through out Celtic history, the women were treated as equals, ususally fighting along side the men in battle. By the first century BCE, the Romans had started to encroach on Celtic territory, finally conquering most of their lands.  The exceptions being Scotland and Ireland.  The Celts did not go without a fight.  Many great battles were fought, a fine example is Attilla the Hun, a Hungerian Celt. The Celts were divided into many differant tribes.  Each tribe was then divided into one of 4 groups. 1) The Nobles 2) The Warriors 3) The Farmers 4) The Learned People (this group included the artists, poets, Bards, Druids, metal workers as well as the other craftsmen.) From about 600 BCE, the Celtic peoples had a written alphabet called the Ogham(pronounced Owan).  The Ogham was sacred and used probably only for special recordings.  The Druids knew and used the Greek alphabet for ordinary messages although later Bards of Wales used the Ogham to record what they remembered about the Druidic tradition.  Later on the Christian Church forced the use of the Latin alphabet, replacing the Ogham. Although the Celts kept little or no written history themselves, St. Patrick personally burned almost 180 Irish books written by the Druids, in the Celtic language.  This set an example for Christian zealots who later destroyed every piece of Druidic literature they could find.  For some unknown reason the Christian Monk-Scribes felt compelled to record Celtic Myths and legends, even while the missionaries went about attempting to stamp out the ancient Gods and Goddesses. It was not until Christainity started to spread through out Europe that the Celtic religon started to fade away, with the exception of those Celtic nations in the British Isles; Scotland Ireland and Wales. It is also said by historians that the Celts were among the first seafaring peoples.