Celtic Britons Discussion

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Ancient Celts migrated to Britain from mainland Europe starting around 1300 BC. The Ancient Greek historian Pytheas first explored these islands in 330-320 BC and named them the Brittanic Isles and the people living there the Pretani which translated to Britons. The other two major Celtic groups were the Gauls in France and the Gaels in Ireland. They lived within tribes without a central government and brought iron work to the British Isles. Each tribe lived in hill forts surrounded by ditches and banks encircling defensible hilltops. The Britons were excellent warriors who liked to cover themselves in blue paint and tattoos to give a frightening look as they fought naked. They would routinely cut off the heads of their enemies in battle and display them as trophies. Furthermore the Britons were excellent farmers who knew how to cultivate the rich valley and lowland soils. These insular Celts resisted the Romans for decades but eventually were defeated. The Romans controlled Britannia until 410 AD after which the Anglo-Saxons arrived. By the end of the first milennium they had conquered most of Brittonic territory and the language and culture of the native Britons was largely extinguished.