celtic

Celtic refers to a broad grouping of ancient and modern peoples linked by linguistic and cultural traits. In archaeology and history, Celts describe communities in Iron Age and medieval Europe who spoke early Celtic languages and shared material culture, including La Tène art. The geographic heartland appears in central Europe, with later expansion to western Europe, including Gaul, the British Isles, and parts of Iberia and the Alpine region.

Celtic languages form a branch of the Indo-European family. They are divided into two living groups: Goidelic (Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Manx) and Brittonic (Welsh, Breton, Cornish). Extinct Celtic languages include Gaulish and Celtiberian. Modern speakers are concentrated in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall, and the Isle of Man, with ongoing revival efforts in several regions.

Celtic culture has been associated with distinctive art, metalwork, and iconography, as well as social structures and religious practices. Traditional belief systems were polytheistic and local, later influenced by Christianity during the early medieval period.

Historically, Celts occupied a wide swath of Europe before Roman expansion and later migrations reshaped populations. The term "Celtic" today is used to describe linguistic and cultural connections rather than a single ethnicity. It underpins the idea of Celtic nations or regions, including Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall, and the Isle of Man. In contemporary contexts, Celtic identity is kept alive in literature, music, festivals, and sports, and is studied within Celtic studies as an academic field.