List of ancient Celtic peoples and tribes


This is a list of ancient Celtic peoples and tribes.

Continental Celts

were the Celtic peoples that inhabited mainland Europe and Anatolia. In the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, Celts inhabited a large part of mainland Western Europe and large parts of Western Southern Europe, southern Central Europe and some regions of the Balkans and Anatolia. They were most of the population in Gallia, today's France, Switzerland, possibly Belgica – far Northern France, Belgium and far Southern Netherlands, large parts of Hispania, i.e. Iberian Peninsula – Spain and Portugal, in the northern, central and western regions; southern Central Europe – upper Danube basin and neighbouring regions, large parts of the middle Danube basin and the inland region of Central Asia Minor or Anatolia. They lived in these many regions forming a large arc stretching across from Iberia in the west to the Balkans and Anatolia in the east.
Many of the populations from these regions were called Celts by ancient authors. They are thought to have spoken Gaulish, Lepontic, Hispano-Celtic , Eastern Celtic or Noric. P-Celtic type languages are more innovative while Q-Celtic type languages are more conservative. However, it is not fully known if this grouping of peoples, such as their languages, is a genealogical one, based on kinship, or if it is a simple geographically based group. Classical Antiquity authors did not describe the peoples and tribes of the British Islands as "Celts" or "Galli" but by the name "Britons". They only used the name "Celts" or "Galli" for the peoples and tribes of mainland Europe.

Eastern Celts

Source:
File:Römische Provinzen im Alpenraum ca 14 n Chr.png|thumb|right|400px|Map 3: Roman district of Raetia et Vindelicia, as it stood in AD 14. Celts dwelt in most areas of the shown land on the map except for the Rhaetians.
They lived in Southern Central Europe which is hypothesized as the original area of the Celts, corresponding to the Hallstatt Culture. Later they expanded towards the Middle Danube valley and to parts of the Balkans and towards inland central Asia Minor or Anatolia. Hercynian Forest, north of the Danube and east of the Rhine was in their lands. Celts, especially those from Western and Central Europe, were generally called by the Romans "Galli" i.e. "Gauls", this name was synonym of "Celts", this also means that not all of the peoples and tribes called by the name "Gauls" were specifically Gauls in a narrower more regional sense. Their language is scarcely attested and can not be classified as a P-Celtic or Q-Celtic.
Some closely fit the concept of a tribe. Others are confederations or even unions of tribes.
  • Anartes/Anartoi – Areas of modern Slovakia and modern Northern Hungary, north of the river Tysia / Tibiscus. They lived in the eastern part of the Hercynia Silva. Areas of modern central Slovakia and modern Northern Hungary, north of the river Tysia/Tibiscus, north of the Teuriscii. They were later assimilated by Dacians.
  • Arabiates - areas of modern Western Hungary and eastern Austria, west of the river Danubius.
  • Belgites - areas of modern Western Hungary, west of the river Danubius.
  • Boii– a tribal confederation, originally from today's Bohemia that dwelt in the Hercynia Silva and dispersed through migrations to other regions of Europe, to areas of modern Slovakia, Germany, Austria, Hungary and Northern Italy. Another hypothesis is that they were a tribal confederation, originally from today's Southern France who migrated to Hercynia Silva under Segovesus, and dispersed through migrations to other regions of Europe, to areas of modern Slovakia, Germany, Austria, Poland and Hungary.
  • *Boii tribes of unknown names in the Hercynia Silva - roughly in today's Bohemia
  • *Boii – Central Emilia-Romagna and Lodi, Lombardy.
  • *Boii – Boui near Entrain - They were related to or a branch of the Boii.
  • * Boii Boiates / Boviates / Boiates – La Tête de Buch, probably around Arcachon Bay and northwest of Landes, in the Pays de Buch and Pays de Born. Although they dwelt in Aquitania Proper, they seem to have been a Celtic tribe and not a tribe of the Aquitani.
  • *Boii - Pannonia, today's Western Hungary and part of eastern Austria
  • *Tulingi – localization unclear, possibly Southern Germany, Switzerland, or Austria; an originally Boii Celtic tribe that migrated along the upper Danube and later allied with the Helvetii?; also, may have been a Germanic tribe.
  • Breuci
  • Carni – Carnic Alps, South Austria, Western Slovenia and Northern Friuli/Friûl. A tribe related to the Carnutes? Also, may have been a Venetic tribe.
  • Catubrini - In the Alps Southeastern slopes, close to Plavis and near Bellunum, to the Southwest of the Carni. They came from Central Europe and not from Gaul.. They probably were a ver sacrum of Carni.
  • Celts of Tylis / Tylisian Celts
  • Cornacates- areas of modern Western Hungary, west of river Danubius.
  • Cotini – areas of modern Slovakia, west of the Anartes, and areas of Western Hungary, west of the river Danubius, south of Lacus Pelsodis / Pelso.
  • Eravisci / Aravisci– areas of modern Western Hungary, west of the river Danubius, Aquincum was in their territory.
  • Helvetii-Rauraci / Raurici
  • *Helvetii – original dwellers of Agri Decumates region, in the western part of Hercynia Silva, to the east and north of the Rhine; later, possibly at the end of the 3rd century BC they expanded to the South and Southwest to land later called Helvetia. They were possibly more related to the Celtic populations of the upper Danube basin than to the Celts of Gaul.
  • **Decumates may have meant "Ten Cantons". La Tène,.
  • **Tigurini – Yverdon
  • **Tougeni
  • **Verbigeni
  • **Tribe of unknown name
  • *Rauraci / Raurici – Kaiseraugst, a tribe closely related to the Helvetii.
  • Hercuniates / Hercuniatae - areas of modern Western Hungary, west of the river Danubius.
  • Latobici / Latovici - not the same tribe as the Latobrigi but they could have been related, they dwelt in areas of modern Slovenia and Western Hungary, west of the river Danubius.
  • Latobrigi - uncertain location, maybe to the north or northeast of the Helvetii in the upper Danube and upper Rhine river basins, original dwellers of Agri Decumates region, in the western part of Hercynia Silva.
  • Scordisci - areas of modern Serbia, Croatia, Austria, Romania, west of the river Danubius. According to Livy, they were related to the Bastarnae.
  • *Celegeri / Celengeri
  • *Dindari or Dindarii, a tribe that was a branch of the Scordisci.
Image:ThracianTribes.jpg|thumb|300px|Map 6: Tribes in Thrace before the Roman period. Some of the tribes shown, such as the Serdi were Celts.
  • Serdi - in Serdica region
  • Serrapilli / Serapilli - areas of modern Western Hungary, west of the river Danubius.
  • Serretes - areas of modern Western Hungary, west of the river Danubius.
  • Tricornenses
  • Norici / Taurisci / Varisci - a tribal confederation
  • *Alauni - in the middle Aenus river basin, east of the Aenus in the Eastern Alps, Chiemsee and Attersee lakes region.
  • *Ambidravi / Ambidrani - in the upper and middle Dravus river basin in the Eastern Alps and also in the Mur/Mura river basin, today's Carinthia and Styria, Austria.
  • *Ambilici - in the Dravus river basin, east of the Ambidravi/Ambidrani.
  • *Ambisontes / Ambisontii - in the Alpes Noricae, in the upper Salzach river basin.
  • *Norici / Nori - may have been a tribe of the larger Taurisci tribal federation; in the Eastern Alps and in the Mur/Mura and Schwarza rivers basins and other areas, today's Styria and Lower Austria south of the Danubius, also may have been a Germanic tribe.
  • *Sevaces - in the low Aenus river basin, east of the Aenus and south of the Danubius, roughly in today's Upper Austria.
  • *Teuriscii - A branch of the Celtic Taurisci in the Tysia/Tibiscus river basin south of the Anartes/Anartii/Anartoi. Celts assimilated by Dacians
  • Varciani– areas of modern Slovenia, Croatia.
  • Vindelici – a tribal confederation, areas of modern Southern Germany, in the upper Danube basin. May have been a confederation of mixed Celtic and Germanic tribes.
  • *Brigantii – in the Lacus Brigantinus area, Brigantia was the main centre, in the border areas of modern Germany, Austria and Switzerland, north of the Vennonetes/Vennones/Vennonienses.
  • *Catenates - South of the Danubius, in the low Licus river area, Augusta Vindelicorum region, north of the Licates.
  • *Consuanetae / Cosuanetes / Cotuantii - Upper and middle valley of fl. Isarus in today's Upper Bavaria, Germany.
  • *Estiones - South of the Danubius, in the Ilargus and Riss rivers area, including today's Ulm area, Cambodunum was one of their towns.
  • *Leuni - in the Isarus and Ammer river areas, Munich area, Bavaria.
  • *Licates -in the Licus river valley, south of the Catenates.
  • * Rucinates / Rucantii - Between rivers Isarus and Danuvius, Low Bavaria.
  • * Vennones / Vennonienses / Vennonetes - Upper valley of fl. Rhenus in today's canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland, south of the Brigantii.
  • *Vindelici Proper – a tribe to the north of the Upper Danube.
  • Volcae - a tribal confederation, originally from today's Moravia, Central and Upper Danube basin, also in Main river basin, to the west of the Boii. They dwelt in Hercynia Silva, north of the Danuvius but dispersed through migrations to other regions of Europe and Asia Minor/Anatolia.
  • *Volcae tribes of unknown names in Hercynia Silva - roughly in today's Moravia and Main river basin.
  • *Volcae Arecomici / Volcae Arecomisci – in southern Gaul, in the Mediterranean coast of today's Languedoc.
  • *Volcae Tectosages
  • Possible Volcae tribes
  • *Volciani – may have been a tribe related to the Volcae and not to the Hispano-Celts / Iberian Celts. Located north of the river Iberus, but not very precisely.