Meet some Celts

In the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin you can see the remains of two actual Celts.They are called bog bodies as they were found in bogs. Forensic scientists and archaeologists say that they were murdered as part of human sacrifice which was a normal part of the Celtic rituals. The bog bodies have been preserved for over 2000 years due to the highly acidic water, low temperature and lack of oxygen in the bog. The skin was preserved although the bog helped to tan the skin.

This is an image of Clonycavan Man and has been dated to over 2,300 years ago.His hair is piled on top of his head with the help of a hair gel made from vegetable oil mixed with resin from pine trees found in Spain and the south-west of France. This may indicate that there was trade between the Celts of Spain and Ireland over 2000 years ago.

This is a close up of Old Croughan Man’s hand. His skin is well preserved and his well-manicured nails may indicate that he didn’t do any hard work during his lifetime.

Other items from the Celtic Era found in Ireland.

Torcs were decorative neck-rings. They were often made of beaten gold and showed that the people wearing them were of high status. Chieftains were often buried wearing them. Celtic gods were often shown wearing one torc and holding a second. This was a symbol of abundance.

These are examples of gold armbands from Celtic times found in Ireland

The Celts used horses for transport and this is an example of a horse bit found in a bog.