It is very important to look at the Celts a little harder then we normally would. They lived in huts, living off the land. They also had livestock and grew crops. The Celts had longer hair just like the Greeks, and we do not call them barbarians. They were very large men ripped in muscles, and isn't that the way that a lot of people today look. We so quickly accept everything the Romans say, and never look deeper into what the Celts truly were like. The Celts were a people that set a high value on honor and courage. They took pride in what their ancestors had accomplished, and would strive to benefit their tribe the best they could. Many thing that they value are things that we also look for, and admire. They also had a very structured religion in which they had many different gods for everything important in their lives. They also had very beautiful art that reflected their surroundings. They also had a very defined government, that ran their tribes very well. A culture with art, structured government, religion, morals, and principles is not by any means a barbaric culture.
The Romans on the other hand were a very different society. They built huge monolithic structures that leave most of us in aw. They had a very rich culture but there were some thing in it which would be considered horrible in the world we live in today. The Romans came up with something that is one of the most cruel and gory thing that anyone one in this day and age would hope never happens again, the gladiator fights. The gladiators were professional killers that fought for the entertainment of the Romans. Many times they would put criminals in there for their punishment, if they won they earned their freedom. Gladiators would fight to the death unless they were instructed other wise with the iconic thumb up or down. The Romans also cared more about their material possessions, and power than they did anything else. The Romans loved their watching people die, and seeing their blood on the ground in the arenas that the Gladiators fought. They had low morals, and were power greedy. When you look at all of those things i is way to see that these people were truly barbaric.
Then you look at their armies and how they functioned. The Celts fought face to face brutal hand to hand combat. They wanted their enemy to be ready. They fought according to honor and thought very little of those with cowardice. In Caesars Gallic wars wars when the Romans attacked on quarter of the Helvetii when three quarters had already crossed the river, Caesar was seen as a coward. The romans attacked while they were off guard ready to cross, and they were wearing their sacks that they used to carry their supplies. The Romans also have a horrifying way to deal with those in the army that commit a serious crime, it's called decimation. This is happens when a soldier is caught routing or commits a serious crime they would divide the unite up into section of ten. Then they would draw straw, whomever drew the shortest straw was killed by the other nine. This is by far one of the most barbaric things that an army could do. This was meant to inspire fear into those who were left.
The Celts were called by the Romans Barbarians. That name has stayed with them all throughout history. Not many people take the time and think if the Celts were the real barbarians, or if the Romans were. It is something that could be debated on each side. Sure there are things that might make the Celts look like barbarians, and the Romans have things that make them look like barbarians. It is up to whomever think about it to decide which one deserves the title barbarian. Even though the Celts are very stereotypically called the Barbarians, if everyone would stop and look, they would see that the Romans are the true Barbarians
Siculus, Diodorus . "Who Were the Ancient Celts."CelticLife. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar 2011.
"The Roman Gladiator ." Classics Technology Center. AbleMedia, 2004. Web. 25 Mar 2011.
