The starting point

Introduction to the word ‘Celt’

The word ‘Celt’ comes from the Greek word Keltoi and seems to have been a convenient label used by the Victorians to describe Bronze and Iron Age people.

These ancient people would not have heard of the word so would certainly not have referred to themselves as being Celtic.

A brief history

The Belgae were an ancient tribe situated in Somerset in the south of England.  I chose to use this location in my novel, The Belgae Torc, as the place where Sir Geoffrey Knowles discovered the torc in the 1920’s.

The Belgae were also established in Europe in the area that is now known as Belgium.

Early development of the book

I wanted to use this period in history as a starting point in The Belgae Torc.  The moment I came up with the idea of a golden torc, I realised that I would have to do some research and include a chapter or two from this period at the introduction stage of the book.  Little did I realise that it would develop into something more than simply a couple of chapters in fact, it remained a focus throughout all three novels.

Life in the Iron Age

These people were very highly developed, their farming methods were becoming established, they lived in communities feeding off each other’s strengths and skills, but they still had to protect themselves from attack.  The Romans had not yet arrived in my book, but fighting and raiding amongst tribes was frequent.

I had my village surrounded by a simple ditch and palisade made of timber which had to be maintained and re-enforced when an attack was expected.

Roundhouses made from wattle and daub panels fixed to wooden frames made for a weatherproof structure which was roofed by thatch made from grasses gathered locally.  A hole to allow smoke to escape from central fireplaces was incorporated into the design.  When researching I discovered that in very dry conditions, fire was always a hazard from unattended cooking fires.  I used this in the book; a roundhouse suffered damage during a ‘boozy’ celebration.

One of the larger houses that was probably too old and dilapidated to be used as a dwelling was turned into a forge where basic metalwork was carried out.  It was here that the Belgae Torc was made. 

Clothing

My characters painted their bodies and decorated their hair as described in the book, but also the rough woollen clothes were highlighted.  A kind of tartan was woven on frames and made into trousers for the men and dresses for the women.  This coarse wool was hard wearing and kept out the chill of the winter months.

The men preferred to go into battle bare-chested or naked, displaying the swirling and colourful tattoos that were popular at the time.  The Roman’s would eventually find this practice of skin decorating and naked combat barbaric and heathen.

I enjoyed writing about this period in history.  Although it was very brief, about 10% of book one, it provides a sound foundation from which the rest of the story was developed.