If you’re fascinated by those documentaries on DIRECT TV about ancient warriors, you’ve certainly heard about the ancient Celts, who inhabited Europe more than 2,000 years ago.
Although there are some accounts of female warriors, the typical Celtic warrior was male. The basic Celtic warrior carried a set of one to four spears, one of which was about 6 feet long. This long fighting spear, called a “lancea,” was sometimes equipped with very large spearheads of as many as 20 inches in length. The smaller spears, called “gaesum,” were usually no longer than 4 inches. Each warrior also carried a large leather-covered, wooden shield with a metal boss. These shields were typically about 4 feet high and 1.6 feet wide. In addition to this equipment, the average Celtic warrior typically wore his everyday clothing which consisted of pants, a shirt and a mantle.
The richer warriors, or Celtic nobles, usually wore a neck ring (torc), and kept a sword with a 2.5-to-3-foot blade. Celtic nobles also typically wore armor and a helmet made from leather. However, richer warriors may have worn helmets made of metal – iron, bronze, or in rare cases, gold. Additionally, this equipment was often embellished with paintings and metal ornamentation.
The Celtic warriors were a very proud group, fighting many battles over hundreds of years. They were known to be a fearless group, and often lost tens, sometimes even hundreds, of thousands of men, according to some historians.
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