A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CELTS  

For 800 years the Celts were the most powerful people in central and northern Europe. There were many tribes of Celts who spoke related languages,shared similar customs and beliefs, and created works of art in closely connected styles. Invaders, such as the Romans, eventually drove them from their lands, although they never managed to conquer all the Celts, with parts of Scotland, Wales, Cornwall and Ireland continuing under Celtic rule until about AD1100. It is in these lands that Celtic art and designs survived, carved into stone crosses and discovered on jewellery and ornaments. Religious scholars and monks adopted the traditions of Celtic art, creating illuminated texts such as the Book of Kells. The Celtic Cross evolved, with the circle that surrounds the cross symbolising the "great wheel of life" and knotwork denoting the binding of the soul to the world.