Celtic Weapons and Warfare
The Celts were primarially warriors so much of their life revolved around the laws of warfare and there are quite a few Celtic swords and shields in the museums of the UK and Ireland. I do want to repeat some things though. First, warfare and technology changed over the years so there were variations from different times on many of these things. For example, one of the differences that separate the Hallstat and La Tene Celts are the variations in their chariots. Secondly, I'm looking at a lot of this from a Dagorhir standpoint where I mostly deal with weapons that are viable to create for battles. Therefore, at the present time, I'm not dealing with the Celtic chariot although it is an important aspect of Celtic warfare.
I'm not going to tell you exactly how to make the weapons though so for that go to the Dagorhir website. I will put links in the weapons category for the specific weapons.
Also, the ceremony of warfare is probably more important than the weapons they used so I'll be dedicating some time to that as well. Reading the Celtic myths will give you a great idea of idealized codes of warfare in the society.
Weapons
The main weapons of the Celts were the sword and spear. Especially the spear because the sword would often only be used by nobles or the upper class. According to Tacitus, the Celtic sword was long and had no point, which would make their style more thrashing. After Tacitus, though, we have evidence that the La Tene Celts had shorter swords.
If you want to be an authentic Celtic warrior make at least one spear, but to be practical for battle purposes, you probably want a sword anywyay, whatever your class. Javelinswould also be used. The Celts used slings, which, as far as I know, don't exist in Dagorhir, but rocks would also be appropriate. A ball of foam covered in material suffices for a rock, but be sure to mark it with a symbol so you know who it belongs to after the battle. The Celts did not use bows and arrows for warfare although there is evidence of it used in hunting.
Of course, attacking isn't your only option. You'll also need a good shield. Celtic shields were often tall - covering the warrior's entire body. However, Tacitus also gives us an account of long swords and small round shields so these were probably also common. As for helmets, the Celts didn't often wear them. A few have been found, but chances are they were more decorative than anything else.
Decoration
Some of the most elaborate descriptions of the decoration of Celtic weapons and armor come from the Celtic myths. Of course, these are not always reliable because they are myths. Myths often describe people and objects in ideals. The Celts were a materialistic culture though, and therefore it seems likely that at least some of the things they descibe probably existed in reality.
Codes of Warfare
Warfare was very important to the Celts as it was the center of most of their life. They fought with the Romans, they fought within tribes, they fought without tribes, they fought pretty much whoever was convenient at the moment. In the myths, there isn't always a clear reason for battle. It just seems that they liked to show off.
Battles were a community event. Women would sit in chariots at the back while the men fought and if any man turned to desert the women would beat him until he returned to battle. Perhaps this is the reason they were so brave in fighting thei enemies - it was better than the alternative.
Battles would begin with quite a bit of ceremony. Trumpets would sound, women would howl, and men would shout battle cries. They would carry in banners with animal figures on them. One interesting custom was that the leaders would insult each other before the battle begin. John King speaks of an interesting event involving these customs. "Tacitus tells us that the legionaries who confronted the druids and their retinues as Anglesey in AD 61 were so shocked by the insults, battle cries and uluations of the druidic priestesses that they were badly shaken and had to be whipped back into the ranks."
In Celtic society in general, there was a great sense of doing what was best for oneself. Therefore, there was often conflict between individuals in Celtic battles which tended to make their formidable psychological advantage less powerful. The infighting and desire to show oneself as superior to the other warriors resulted in a less cohesive force. Their final goal was honor whereas the Romans were bent on conquest. This difference in goals led to less power within the Celtic ranks.
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