Indo-European war bands kóryos
In Indo-European cultures it was a common custom for a group of young men to participate in a war band (kóryos) in their teenage years. The men had not yet built up any wealth or influence and still had to prove themselves. These small groups often formed a cult that centered on a god and associated itself with the wolf, the boar or the bear. Examples of this are found throughout Indo-European cultures, such as the Germanic Berserker, the Celtic Fianna, the Roman Velites, and the Spartan Crypteia. The animals represented their cunning, strength and aggression.
After undergoing painful trials to join the group, they were sent away to live as landless warriors in the wild for several years. They lived in groups that ranged from two to twelve members. Within a group, lawless actions such as nighttime plundering and cattle robbery were common. The young men had no possessions other than their weapons. They lived on the edge of society and what nature brought them. Their lives revolved around fighting, hunting game and plundering settlements on the one hand, and reciting heroic stories on the other. These stories told the deeds of past heroes and described legends of cattle theft. Initiation within the kóryos was seen as a transitional phase prior to adult warrior status and was usually awarded an entry into the tribe or city-state. The kóryos were symbolically associated with death and liminality, but also with fertility and sexual promiscuity.
Celtic mythology
Celtic warfare had a strong mythological character. In the tribal structure of Celtic society, small armed conflicts were probably the order of the day. The war-focused culture likely continually tested intertribal relationships. This led to a form of competition in which tribes were forced to get the best out of themselves militarily. The Celtic tribes appear to have viewed warfare more as a sport than as a means of conquest. Cattle raiding created economic damage to other tribes to some extent, but warbands mainly used it to prove themselves.
Celtic mythology suffered under the influence of Roman conquests, which resulted in fragmentation. Most continental Celtic peoples, such as the Gauls, Galatians and Celtiberians, saw their mythologies disappear. What remains are only fragments, found in Greco-Roman sources and archaeological finds. Most intact Celtic mythologies are found among the Insular Celtic peoples who passed on their stories and traditions orally. They were not written down by Christian scholars until the Middle Ages, long after the pre-Christian era in which they originated had passed. Irish mythology has the largest collection of written myths, followed by Welsh mythology. Other remains can be found in the Cornish mythology, Breton mythology and Scottish mythology.
Celtic political structure
Celtic tribes not only engaged in conflict within their own communities, but sometimes also formed alliances with external powers such as the Romans, Greeks, Carthaginians, Etruscans, and Germanic tribes. These alliances were directed against each other as well as against other Celtic groups. The organizational structures of Celtic tribes and societies varied widely. While some groups had strict hierarchical systems, with a monarchy at the top, others showed a more representative organizational structure typical of a republic, especially during the Gallic Wars.
The historical Celtic groups were diverse and included the Belgae, Bituriges, Boii, Britons, Celtiberians, Gaels, Galatians, Gallaeci, Gauls, Helvetii, Lepontii, Norici and the Volcae. These groups were often the source of cultural diffusion and change through descent, migration, and the spread of Celtic influences. This created a patchwork of thousands of different Celtic tribes that ruled over large parts of Europe. Each tribe saw the area it ruled as their territory and linked their structure to that area. In some cases, tribes were able to conquer each other, but the habitat still remained that of the tribe in question. This created a structure of kings and high kings.
Archeology
Archeology has provided much insight into the material culture of the Celts, especially that of the La Tène culture and the Hallstatt culture. Nevertheless, the interpretation of these finds remains the subject of much speculation and debate. For example, the Celts were long thought to have been headhunters, but recent research in France suggests that the collected heads may have come from slain allies, which were lined up in colonnades, while the slain were buried in mass graves and their weapons ritually broken.
Champion battles
Champion Battles formed a significant part of Celtic mythology, as seen in stories such as the Ulster Cycle, the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi and the Arthurian Cycle. In the Táin Bó Cúailnge, specifically the epic story of the Ulaid hero Cú Chulainn, he defeats an entire Connacht army one by one in heroic single combat.
These legends paint vivid pictures of battle, in which the spear (gae) and the gá-ín (Old Irish has dozens of words for 'spear') play a central role, with no mention of helmets or metal armor, which is consistent with archaeological findings. Chariots were also of great importance in the warfare and culture of various Celtic groups. The burial of these chariots served as an important and unifying element in Celtic cultures such as the Hallstatt culture, La Tène culture, Gaulish and Brittonic cultures. Remarkably, no remains of such vehicles from that period have yet been discovered in Ireland.
Celtic weapons
The weapons and armor of the Celts were actually very advanced. They were known as master ironsmiths in cultures such as Hallstatt, La Tène and the province of Noricum. Despite descriptions by classical writers such as Livius and Florus who portray the Celts as “fighting like wild beasts”, Julius Caesar contradicts this depiction. In his accounts of battles against Gallic tribes, in the Commentarii de Bello Gallico, Caesar describes continental Celts living on a fighting in an organized manner and even adopting formations, such as a Phalanx or Testudo, as defense against advancing cavalry. This is in stark contrast to the stereotype of the disorganized, naked Celtic barbarian described in other Greco-Roman sources.
Celtic infantry
Tacitus wrote that the strength of the Celts lay in their infantry, an observation often confirmed during early encounters and battles between the Celts and their Greco-Roman contemporaries. Although the tactics and equipment of the Celtic infantry varied considerably from group to group, there were some common elements. The average Celtic warrior carried spears, with the wealthy carrying a spear or sword and a shield. Although some classical sources, such as Polybius, initially suggest that the equipment of the Celts was generally simple and inferior, the adoption of Celtic weapons and technology by many classical contemporaries tells a different story.
Celtic cavalry
Celtic peoples were also known for their prowess on horseback, both on and off the battlefield. Horses played an important role in overall Celtic culture, with ownership linked to both social and financial status. Strabo even wrote that although all Gauls were naturally excellent warriors, they fought better on horseback than on foot and that the best Roman cavalry was recruited from among them. Gallic mounted auxiliaries were often deployed throughout the late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire. These Celtic mercenaries, led by Publius Licinius Crassus, held out against a Parthian force during this crucial conflict.
Chariots
In previous confrontations with the Romans, such as the Battle of Sentinum, some Celts used chariots. Although chariots fell out of use on the European continent in the late 3rd century BC, Caesar found that they still played an important role in British warfare. According to his descriptions, he found himself in Britain facing an army in transition, with cavalry present but an elite still fighting from chariots. He describes how these warriors threw spears from their vehicles before entering battle on foot, then returned to their chariots to retreat or attack again. The cavalry was used for skirmishes. Gauls noted that they had previously used war chariots themselves, but had since discarded them.
Their method of fighting with the chariots proceeded as follows: at first they rode about in different directions, throwing their weapons, and thus disturbing the ranks of the enemy, merely by the fear of their horses and the noise of their wheels. However, when they had worked their way through the enemy's horses, they jumped from their chariots and continued the battle on foot. Meanwhile, the charioteers withdrew slightly from the battle, strategically placed near the chariots so that they could easily retreat to their own forces if their masters were overwhelmed by enemy superior numbers. In battle they showed the speed of a horse, combined with the steadfastness of the infantry.
Naked warriors
At the battle of Telamon (225 BC), Gallic warriors reportedly wore only trousers and capes. In Norse tradition, Berserkers despised the use of armor, preferring to wear only an animal skin. Ancient Italian tribes also had "frenzied" warriors in their ranks who fought naked, barefoot, with flowing hair and often in single combat. Young Vedic boys also wore only a belt and an animal skin during their initiation within the kóryos. The belt stood as a symbol of the bondage to the kóryos. The Greek historian Herodotus mentions that Gauls sometimes fought naked. Tacitus reports of the Germanic tribes the Cimbri and Teutones that they fought naked in a kind of ecstasy of frenzy. Many effigies of Gallic warriors also show the warrior naked. Both the Romans and the Celts themselves sometimes depicted their warriors naked, such as in the image of the Clauberg warrior. But many images do not show the warriors naked. Which again points to a ritual form of warfare instead of usual martial actions.
Terracotta statue Egypt
A terracotta statue of a naked Galatian/Celtic warrior, found in Egypt and dating from the 3rd-2nd century BC. The Galatians were hired in large numbers by the Ptolemaic government to serve as mercenaries, with several communities of them staying in the nomes of Egypt. The Celtic warrior is depicted naked and wearing a cloak and a belt.
Hirschlanden warrior
The Celtic warrior of Hirschland is part of a burial mound from the Hallstatt D period, 6th-5th century BC. The statue may represent the owner of the burial mound. This indicates that warriors did not fight naked for financial reasons.
Composition
In this composition we have created a Celtic warrior who is part of a war band. They often fought naked or wearing only a cloak or trousers. The character in this composition is called Ambiorix and is 21 years old. So he is probably at the end of his time as a member of the war band. Soon his warband returns to the tribe to celebrate their heroic victories and to marry and have children. He will then be given a position within the warrior class of the tribe.
During the Gallic Wars, these war bands were a disaster for the Roman legions. Because what could be more heroic than attacking the enemy out of nowhere armed with a spear and not allowing them a night's sleep?
Trousers
The trousers that Ambiorix wears in this composition are Thorsberg trousers. This type of trousers was worn universally from prehistoric times.
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/thorsberg-hose-fenris-brown.html
Footwear
Ambiorix wears fairly basic prehistoric shoes in this composition. The shoes are easy to make and adjust and provide sufficient protection for the feet.
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/medieval-sandals-with-rubber-sole.html
Belt
Ambiorix's most important piece of clothing is his belt. This represents the bond with his war band, his god and/or animal cult (bear, boar, wolf). During battle (Therianthropy) Ambiorix ritually metamorphosed into his deity or animal. This gave him supernatural powers and he fought as the animal or deity in question. His actions were not attributable to him, but to the wolf within him.
Ambiorix wears this belt in this composition.
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/celtic-la-tene-belt-with-belt-hook-brown.html
Body painting
Celts probably wore body painting in battle. There are several sources that suggest this was done.
In Pliny the Elder's "Historia Naturalis" (Natural History), Pliny describes various aspects of Celtic culture, including possibly the practice of painted warriors. In the works of the Greek historian Herodotus, the Celts are described as peoples who painted themselves in battle, but he does not explicitly state whether they were warriors. In addition, Britain (Britanni) means something like painted people.
We painted Ambiorix with blue make-up, the motifs come from the La Tène art style.
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/epic-armoury-epic-effect-larp-make-up-royal-blue-w.html
Helmet
Ambiorix wears a brass Montefortino helmet. We were inspired by a gold Celtiberian brooch from the La Tène period depicting a naked Celtic warrior fighting a dragon.
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/deepeeka-republican-montefortino-a-brass.html
Spear
The Celts made extensive use of spears. Spears are faster than swords and they have more range. They can also be used as throwing weapons. For Ambiorix, spears are his primary weapon. He may have always had several spears with him.
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/leaf-shaped-celtic-spearhead.html
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/celtic-la-tene-spearhead.html
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/ulfberth-hand-forged-germanic-javelin-spearhead.html
Sword
In this setup we gave Ambiorix a shortsword. Some images of naked Celtic warriors depict the warrior with a sword. In reality, it is questionable whether a warrior at this stage of his life had sufficient wealth to purchase a sword.
https://www.celticwebmerchant.com/en/deepeeka-celtic-short-sword.html