The Celts were a linguistic group which spanned across a wide geographic area and included numerous cultures and ethnicities. Because of this fact, the traditions, practices, and lifestyles of Celtic-speaking peoples varied considerably. The importance of warfare and the traditions surrounding war were one common thread of similarities throughout Celtic societies and cultures, from the earliest emergence of the Hallstatt culture (12th-6th century BCE) to the La Tene culture (5th-1st Century BCE).
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Definition
Timeline
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c. 1400 BCEThe beginning of Celtic culture in the upper Danube region of central Europe.
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c. 600 BCEThe Hirschlanden Warrior, a sandstone representation of a Celtic Warrior from Ludwigsburg, Germany, is made.
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c. 475 BCECelts defeat the Etruscans at the Ticino River.
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450 BCE - 400 BCEThe 'Prince of Glauberg', a sandstone statue of a Celtic warrior, is made.
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396 BCECelts defeat an Etruscan army at the battle of Melpum. Afterwards the Celts heavily settle all over the Po Valley.
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390 BCEGauls sack Rome.
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c. 390 BCE"Gallic Catastrophe:" Brennus of the Senones defeats the Romans at Allia, and subsequently sacks Rome.
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380 BCECeltic groups, possibly from northern Italy and the eastern Alps, begin to raid Illyrian territories.
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367 BCECeltic mercenaries fight with the Spartans against Thebes.
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367 BCELivy mentions Celtic armies in Ancona and one such group moves against Rome once more.
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297 BCECelts and Samnites join forces and defeat the Romans at Camertium.
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c. 295 BCEIn a battle lasting all day, Romans narrowly defeat a force of Celts and Samnites at Sentinum.
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285 BCE - 282 BCERome defeats the Celts in Italy. Rome's dominance in central Italy is secured.
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284 BCEGauls of the Insubres and Boii tribes defeat the Romans at Arretium.
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283 BCERomans defeat the Etruscans and Celts at lake Vadimo.
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280 BCECelts join with Pyrrhus, aiding in his victory over the Romans at Heraclea.
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279 BCEGauls attack the sanctuary of Delphi.
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279 BCECelts stay with Pyrrhus and fight in the Epirote army at Asculum, a victory over the Romans.
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279 BCECelts invade Thrace and Anatolia.
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277 BCE - 276 BCE4,000 Celts are employed in Egypt under Ptolemy II.
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275 BCESeleucids successfully defeat the Galatian Celts in the 'Elephant Battle'.
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c. 263 BCEAntaros and 3000 Celts fight with Carthage in the First Punic War.
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261 BCEAntiochus I Soter of the Seleucid Empire killed in battle against the Galatians at Ephesus in Asia Minor.
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259 BCECelts in Egypt fail to overthrow Ptolemy II and are starved to death on an island.
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c. 237 BCE - 241 BCEAttalus I of Pergamon defeats the Galatians at the headwaters of the Caioc River.
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232 BCEAttalos I defeats the Galatians a second time.
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225 BCETwo Roman armies surround and defeat a Celtic army at Telamon.
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225 BCECelts defeat 6000 Romans at Faesulae and proceed to overrun Etruria.
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223 BCERomans successfully campaign against Celtic tribes of Cisalpine Gaul.
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222 BCERome conquers Cisalpine Gaul (modern-day Provence, France).
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218 BCEThe Aegosages Celts enter Anatolia under Attalos of Pergamon.
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217 BCE14,000 Celts serve under Ptolemy IV in his victory at Raphia over the Seleucid King Antiochus III.
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c. 217 BCE - 218 BCE30,000 Celtic infantry and 4,000 Celtic cavalry join Hannibal. Celts constitute just over 50% of his army in Italy.
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c. 200 BCEIron in the Celtic world experiences a significant boom. Iron manufacturing increase in all facets of life such as weapon construction and agriculture items.
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193 BCEThe Boii are defeated by the Romans, suffering, according to Livy, 14,000 dead.
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137 BCE4,000 Celtiberians trap a force of 20,000 Romans at Numantia forcing their surrender.
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125 BCERome intervenes on behalf of Massalia against the Saluvii Celts.
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106 BCEThe governor of the Roman province of Macedonia, M. Minucius Rufus, celebrates his victory over a raid of the Dacians allied with the Celtic tribe of the Scordiscii in the Balkans.
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64 BCEGalatia becomes a client state of Rome.
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58 BCE - 51 BCEJulius Caesar's conquest of Gaul.
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58 BCECaesar attacks the Helvetii while on migration and defeats them.
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57 BCEA Roman army under Caesar narrowly defeats an army of Nervii, Atrebates, and Viromandui.
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54 BCECaesar successfully invades Britain but withdraws to Gaul.
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54 BCE - 53 BCEAmbiorix of the Eburones tribe destroys around 9,000 Roman soldiers at Atuatuca.
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52 BCEJulius Caesar is defeated at Gergovia by Vercingetorix.
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52 BCEAfter becoming trapped and besieged at Alesia, Vercingetorix surrenders to Caesar.
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52 BCECaesar sacks the city of Avaricum.
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c. 51 BCE - c. 30 BCE300 Celts serve as elite bodyguards for Cleopatra VII during her reign.
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51 BCECaesar's siege and capture of Uxellodunum ends the Gallic War.
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46 BCEThe Bellovaci unsuccessfully rise against Roman rule in Belgica.
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44 BCEThe Allobroges unsuccessfully rise against Roman rule in southern Gaul.
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33 BCEThe Belgic Morini and the Celts of Aquitania unsuccessfully rise against Roman rule.
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43 CE - 47 CERomans conquer South Britain and claim the territory as part of Roman Empire.
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60 CE - 61 CEBoudicca revolts, the Legio II Augusta does not respond to a call to arms.