Theory that \'Celts\' are a myth

[authun]

If there is not a better convenient name, then, how shall we talk about these "X Culture" folks?

This is not a question that anyone has yet successfully answered. Archaeologists do use the term culture, as caiusbeerquitius has indicated. So in the East Riding of Yorkshire, from about 450 BC, they talk of the Arras Culture, which is quite different from the West Riding of Yorkshire, which shows much more continuity with the bronze age. The tribe in the East Riding of Yorkshire in the Roman Period were the Parisii. Those in the West Riding of Yorkshire were the Brigantes. So we have two supposedly celtic speaking groups who are neighbours, one showing continuity whilst the other shows a sudden change in the mid 5th cent. BC. This method of naming however is not very satisfactory because we don't have a name for a culture which preceded the Arras Culture when the Pre Arras Culture, Culture is pretty much the same as the Culture of the Brigantes, though they weren't probably called Brigantes around 1000 BC.

It's not a situation where one can easily apply labels without being long winded or getting confused so I tend to call them celtic speakers of britain or just brythonic speakers, as opposed to goildelic speakers in Ireland and gaulish speakers in Gaul. We still have the problem of the language of the Picts and the Belgae so they have to be termed by their global name even though each has several tribes. Calling them celtic speakers would be misleading because we don't know if they actually were.

NB. Arras culture is named after Arras Farm in East Yorks, not the region in France. It is made even more confusing as the continental Parisi lived near Arras and have very similar archaeology. One archaeologist suggested that the two be distinguished by the Yorkshire Parisii being written with a double 'i'. The trouble is, lots of people write about the continental Parisi now using to 'i's. As a result I tend to use the terms Yorkshire Parisii and Continental Parisi.

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authun