Celtic warfare

This article discusses the warfare of the Ancient Celts throughout the European Iron Age and the Roman era, both of the Insular Celts and the Continental Celts (Gaul, Iberia, and Anatolia)

The scope of this article does not extend to the Britons and Gaels of the Sub-Roman to Medieval period (for which see Welsh warfare, Gaelic warfare).

The Irish heroic cycles were committed to writing in the Mediaeval period, some time after the pre-Christian era they are supposed to depict. The Welsh Mabinogion dates from roughly the same era. The Táin Bó Cúailnge, chiefly the story of the Ulster hero Cú Chulainn describes individual combats centred on the use of the spear (gae) and javelin (gá-ín) with no mention of helmets or metal armour, in keeping with archaeological evidence. Chariots also play an important role, but without chariot inhumations resembling those of the Britons, no remains of these vehicles from the period have yet been discovered.

Celtic tribes fought amongst each other and sometimes they allied themselves with the Romans, the Greeks and other peoples against other Celtic tribes. Tribal warfare appears to have been a regular feature of Celtic societies. While epic literature depicts this as more of a sport focused on raids and hunting rather than organised territorial conquest, the historical record is more of tribes using warfare to exert political control and harass rivals, for economic advantage, and in some instances to conquer territory.

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