The history of the Celts is an interesting one. This group of people seemed to almost spring up out of nowhere during the late era of the Bronze Age. As a result, the arrival of the Celts is typically linked with the start of a new era – the Iron Age. Historically, the Celtic people became known for their iron work. In later years, they would continue to be known for this work but would also become famous for their other metal work (such as their unique Celtic jewelry pieces).
The Celts may have originally developed out of a culture called the Urnfield culture which was located in the Netherlands and northern Germany. This would have been late in the Bronze Age. From there, the Celts rapidly began to spread throughout the area. As they did, they eventually ended up in Ireland and Scotland as well as throughout other parts of this region.
The arrival of the Celts coincides nicely with the development of the Iron Age. The Celtic people had been introduced to iron around 1000 BC and had been developing ways of working with it ever since. By the time they arrived in the different regions of Europe towards 500 BC or later, the Celts were excellent iron workers. A majority of this iron work was for making weapons and tools of warfare. They were used by the Celts as they sought to spread their reach across multiple regions. Though it’s debatable just how violent they were in their domination of new areas, it is certainly true that they had to fight to take over new lands. The iron work in their weaponry surely aided with this takeover.
Later, however, the Celtic skills with ironwork would eventually be put to more decorative purposes. The same skills that were developed in working with iron were also used to create decorative pieces made out of other metals. Celtic jewelry eventually became quite popular. Celtic wedding rings and Celtic engagement rings were particularly popular pieces made by decorative jewelers after the era of total warfare had come to an end. Today, the Celtic people celebrate their history with art that still has its roots in the designs from the Iron Age.
Tags: celtic engagement rings, celtic jewelry, celtic wedding rings
