The Celtici, known as Célticos in Portuguese, Spanish, and Galician, were a Celtic group that lived in specific areas of the Iberian Peninsula. They inhabited regions that are now part of the Alentejo and Algarve areas in Portugal. They also lived in the Province of Badajoz and the northern part of the Province of Huelva in Spain, which was once called Baeturia. Additionally, they lived along the coastal areas of Galicia. Classical authors described different relationships between the Celtici and other groups, including the Gallaeci, Celtiberians, and Turdetani.
Classical sources
Several ancient Greek and Roman sources mentioned a group called the Celtici. Strabo, a Roman writer, repeated a statement by Poseidonius, who described the Keltikoi as the main people living between the Tagus and Guadiana rivers, an area that is now the Alentejo region in Portugal.
The Celtici were not seen as uncivilized. Instead, they were considered by the Greeks to be a well-mannered people, similar to the Turdetani. Strabo believed this was because the Celtici lived near the Turdetani, while Polybius suggested they were related. However, Polybius noted that the Celtici were less civilized than the Turdetani because they lived in small villages.
The Celtici had several important cities, including Lacobriga (likely Lagos in the Algarve), Caepiana (in Alentejo), Braetolaeum, Miróbriga (near Santiago do Cacém), Arcobriga, Meribriga, Catraleucus, Turres, Albae, and Arandis (near Castro Verde and Ourique). Other significant cities included Nertobriga, Turobriga, Segida, Ebora, Caetobriga, and Eburobrittium (Óbidos).
One of the most famous cities was Conistorgis, which some sources say belonged to the Cunetes or Conii. Strabo also mentioned that the Celtici built colonies, such as Pax Julia (Beja).
According to Pliny, the Baeturian Celts came from the Celtici of Lusitania and were related to the Gallaeci. He noted similarities in religious practices, language, and city names between the Celtici and other groups in the region.
The Celtici from the Guadiana area had connections to the Galician Celts, as many people moved northwest from the Celtici and Turduli. Pliny believed the Celtici who lived in Baetica originally came from Lusitania, which he considered the homeland of all Celts in the Iberian Peninsula, including the Celtiberians.
These migration patterns continued over time, influencing traditional farming and seasonal movement of livestock along the ancient Roman or Carthaginian Silver Road. This route was used for transporting goods from rich mines and by traders and drivers called the Maragatos.
Pliny also recorded that people in Miróbriga, one of the Celtici cities near Santiago do Cacém, used the name "Celtici" as their family name. A stone inscription found in Miróbriga’s sanctuary shows a resident identified as "Celticus," meaning someone of Celtic origin:
D(IS) M(ANIBUS) S(ACRUM) / C(AIUS) PORCIUS SEVE/RUS MIROBRIGEN(SIS) / CELT(ICUS) ANN(ORUM) LX / H(IC) S(ITUS) E(ST) S(IT) T(IBI) T(ERRA) L(EVIS)
Origins
Traditional theories say that the Celtici were a group that included several groups of people, such as the Saefes and the Cempsii, whose origins are unknown. Modern research suggests they may have been part of one of the earliest settlements of Celtic origin. These groups might also have included the proto-Lusitanians, such as the Ligus, Lusis, or Lycis, which are mentioned in the Ora Maritima ("Sea Coasts") by Avienius. Later groups may have joined them over time.
TheCelticiof Alentejo and Baeturia
The main cities of the Eburones included their believed capital, Ebora (Évora), Segovia (an archaeological site near Campo Maior, Elvas), the coastal town of Mirobriga Celticorum (an archaeological site near Santiago do Cacém), and five other towns in Alentejo. Around the 3rd Century BC, they moved southward toward the western Algarve coast, where they established the port of Laccobriga (Monte Molião, near Lagos) in the territory of the Conii. In Baeturia, the Bituriges built their capital at Nertobriga (Cerro del Coto, Fregenal de la Sierra – Badajoz), while the Turones built theirs at Turobriga (Llanos de La Belleza, near Aroche – Huelva). Both groups controlled six additional cities.
TheCelticiofUltima Celtiberia
In the region of Baetica, the Celtici lived in or were present in several city-states, such as Celti (Peñaflor – Seville), Urso (Osuna – Seville), Obulco/Obulcula (Castillo de la Monclova, Fuentes de Andalucía – Seville; Iberian-type mint: Ipolca), Tribola (Baena – Córdoba), Munda (Montilla ? – Córdoba), Tucci/Itucci (Los Martos, near Jaén – Córdoba), Turobriga (Turón – Granada), Cartima (Cártama – Málaga), Arunda (Ronda – Málaga), and Acinipo (Ronda la Vieja – Málaga).
TheCelticiof Gallaecia
Further north in Gallaecia, another group of Celtici lived in the coastal areas. This group included several smaller groups, such as the Celtici proper, the Praestamarci who lived south of the Tambre River (Tamaris), the Supertamarci who lived north of the river, and the Neri near a Celtic headland (Promunturium Celticum). Strabo believed the Neri were related to the Celtici of Lusitania, who settled in Gallaecia after a joint military campaign with the Turduli Veteres. Pomponius Mela stated that all people living along the coast, from the southern bays of Gallaecia to the lands of the Astures, were also Celtici. He wrote, "All (this coast) is inhabited by the Celtici, except from the Douro River to the bays, where the Grovi lived. On the northern coast, the Artabri lived first, still part of the Celtic people (Celticae gentis), followed by the Astures." He also mentioned the legendary tin islands, the Cassiterides, which were located among these Celtici.
The Celtici Supertamarci left behind many inscriptions, similar to those left by the Celtici Flavienses. Today, several villages and rural parishes in Galicia still have the name Céltigos, which comes from the Latin word "Celticos." This name is also used for a church position called an archpriesthood, part of the archbishopric of Santiago de Compostela. This archpriesthood covers lands that ancient writers attributed to the Celtici Supertamarci.
Culture
Archaeology shows that the artifacts and objects used by the southwestern Celtici were greatly shaped by the Arevaci people of Celtiberia and other nearby regions. This is seen in their metalwork, which has many similarities to items found in south-central Gaul, Liguria, Etruria, and central Italy. Later, the Baetic Celtici were influenced by their neighboring Turdetani people and also adopted some Greek-style items brought by the Carthaginians.
History
The Celtici tribes of Alentejo and Beturia were controlled by Carthage just before the Second Punic War. They regained their independence in 206 BC, while other Celtici in Baetica changed their loyalty from Carthage to the Roman Republic. In 197 BC, the region known as Ultima Celtiberia became part of the new Hispania Ulterior Province. However, it was not until 179 BC that the area was conquered by the Ulterior Praetor Tiberius Gracchus.
Soon after, the Beturian Celtici supported a rebellion led by the Turdetanians. They joined forces with the Lusitani and Vettones and attacked Roman allies in Baetica and the Cyneticum during the 2nd century BC. These tribes were the most dependable allies of the Lusitani, who used western Beturia as a base for military operations in the south. This contrasted with the Celtici city-states in Baetica, which often switched sides depending on the situation.
In 141 BC, when the Lusitani faced difficulties, the Beturian Celtici were targeted in military campaigns by Consul Quintus Fabius Maximus Servilianus. He invaded eastern Beturia and destroyed five towns that supported Viriathus, the Lusitani chieftain. Later, in 93 BC, the Celtici were defeated by Proconsul Publius Licinius Crassus during his campaign against them and their Lusitani neighbors. They were then incorporated into the province of Hispania Ulterior.