What Did the Celts Wear?

Robert Couse-Baker/CC-BY 2.0

The Celts generally wore long-sleeved shirts or tunics and long trousers. The clothes were made of wool or linen, while silk was used for the clothing of rich folks. In the winter, they wore cloaks with broaches and armlets worn as adornments.

Celtic gods and goddesses are depicted wearing torcs, which were pieces of twisted metal worn around the neck or arm. The torc was an ornament for women until about the fourth century B.C., after which it became a decoration for warriors. The accessory was regarded as a sign of nobility and status.

The word “Celtic” is used to describe the languages and cultures of six Celtic nations, including Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man and Brittany. The Celts were a group of tribal societies in Europe during the Iron Age. The tribes were diverse, but all of them spoke the Celtic language. The Celts living in France and northern Italy were called Gauls by the Romans. According to The Book of Leinster, the Celts who arrived in Ireland were from Iberia. Celtic societies were divided into three groups, the warrior aristocracy: the intellectuals, consisting of poets, druids and jurists: and everyone else. Women participated in war and the kingship.

ADVERTISEMENT