Third Years, Lesson Two

Gabrielle, as was typical with lecture lessons, wasted very little time as the students came in and took their seats. By third year, they should have known what to expect. "So we're going to have a brief overview of the Celts today. Stupidly large amount of information to condense in to a short span of time but we'll see what we can manage to get ourselves started. Now the word 'Celt' comes from the Ancient Greek 'Keltoi', which was their word for the people of central Europe. Which is what it was - a broad group of peoples with varied cultures and languages." She paused to take a short sip of water. "Indeed, it's more of a broad grouping rather than a specific society."

"The ancestors of the Celts were the people of the Urnfield culture, so called because they buried their dead in cremation urns in flat ground. Between 1200 and 700 BC, they spread westward from their eastern European homeland into the area of modern Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and France. Here, their culture developed into a recognizably 'Celtic' form." Gabrielle paused, quirking an eyebrow. "Rather broad, but I digress. The earliest stage of what we would call Celtic culture is called the Hallstatt, after a village in the Austrian Salzkammergut, southeast of Salzburg, where archaeologists discovered important artifacts. Does anyone with a passing knowledge of German know what else this area might be famous for, given the names?" Gabrielle asked, looking around at the students to see if anyone knew the answer of 'salt'. Nodding, she continued. "Yes, the initial wealth of the Celts came from salt, eventually iron as well. This led to a surge in trade, especially between the Celts and the Greeks, in both their lands as well as what we now know as southern France."

"This trade was important as by 650 BC, prospering off their sources of salt and iron, the Celts were in good stead with the Greeks and the Etruscans, taking in elements of those cultures into their own. By taking elements of these cultures, the Celts were able to develop their own style of art from that base." Gabrielle paused again, taking another sip of water. "See, as artists you shouldn't be afraid to draw on existing art to enhance your own style. It's like rewording your sources into your own words when you hand in essays," she quipped, giving the students a moment to rest their hands.

"The development of the arts, especially in France, moves us from the Hallstatt period in to the La Tène period, where it was not only art that was developed, but weaponry, technology. This was in line with the classical era of Greece and Rome. This may be more in line with what you probably think of when you hear the term 'Celtic'. Irish warriors, brave and fierce. The Celts at this time were able to develop new types of sword, chain mail, and chariots, all superior to the Greek and Roman versions. At this stage, the Celtic culture was predominant north of the Alps. Celts became highly demanded as mercenaries, and warriors were highly revered as the sagas tell."

Gabrielle paused again, rather wishing to go into Celtic mythology and day to day life, however they unfortunately would not have time for that right now. "Alright, that's about all we have time for today - just as we were getting to the magic part. So, I'd like you all to take the time to go look up the druids, the high ranking religious figures of Celtic history. If you could write a short essay on them for your homework, that would be great. If you write me an essay on druids from fantasy games I will certainly be impressed but you won't pass the assignment, unfortunately." Although even for a history lover, Gabrielle thought the latter might be more interesting to discuss. "Have a good rest of your day and please, do behave yourselves at the Valentine's Feast, alright?" She gave them a smirk as she dismissed them.

Homework
RP the lesson. First poster to answer the question gets house points!
Short essay (no more than 1 or 2 paragraphs) on the druids - can be anything as long as you relate it back to them - for extra credit. As always, please list your sources!

 

[Teddy Pirrip]

All the rose deliveries had been fun, but one particular red rose with no note had left Teddy feeling conflicted. He wondered if it was Audrey messing with him, Amodeus forgetting to attach a note, or Enoch's way of secretly confessing his love. Or maybe it was someone else entirely. Whoever it was, they hadn’t given him anything to go on, and the mystery was driving him crazy. Teddy hated not knowing stuff, and all he wanted was to find out who had sent it and why.

Putting the rose out of his mind, he walked into the History of Magic class, Teddy chose his usual seat and took out his supplies. Today's lesson was on the Celts and Professor Moncrieffe promised it would be brief. Teddy listened and took notes during the lecture. He raised his hand to answer the question. "I think I know, Professor," he began. "In German, 'Salz' means salt. So this area must be famous for its salt mines?" Teddy grinned, happy with his answer. He glanced sideways at Audrey, giving her a look that said, 'told you I was smart.'

Teddy continued to listen and make notes throughout the rest of the lesson. He jotted the homework down, planning to work on it that evening. Teddy had learned that doing his homework soon after the lesson was key to staying on top of all his classes.

Spoiler: Homework

The Druids name may have come from a Celtic word meaning “knower of the oak tree.” They held significant sociopolitical roles in Celtic society as the the learned class among the ancient Celts, serving as priests, teachers, mediators, and judges. They held influence over religious and legal matters. The Druids were deeply connected to the gods and nature, often conducting their rituals in sacred locations and believing in the spiritual power of the natural world. Very little is known of the Druids as their knowledge was passed down orally and they did not keep written records. Much of what is known about the Druids came from Julius Caesar following the Rowan invasion.
Source

 

[Callie Cardoso]

Callie walked into the history of magic classroom and took her usual spot in the room. She glanced at the professor as the woman got started and it appeared that they would be doing a lecture within this class, which she was quite content to do. She took her notes and her quill and began writing down what the professor was saying about the celts, making sure that she got the information that was necessary, though it was all very interesting to her. She could understand why people enjoyed history when it was as interesting as this. Callie continued to take notes until the professor was wrapping the lecture up. She made sure to get the homework down before leaving the room.

 

[Enoch Goldewyn]

Enoch walked into the history of magic classroom and took his usual spot in the room. He glanced up at the professor as the woman said they would be having a lecture. He wasn’t all that interested in being lectured, but knew that this was history and that was what history was. He took out some parchment and was vaguely listening along taking the odd note. He zoned out a little in the middle of the lecture and was pretty lost when he zoned back in. But it didn’t matter. He took notes from the point he zoned back in at, but they were still pretty light notes, not bothering to write things out fully. Eventually the lecture was wrapped up and Enoch gladly packed up his things and left the room.

 

[Marley Owens-Lee]

The Valentine's season was here and a lot of students were receiving roses which Marley had found exciting. The Hufflepuff quickly made her way to her History of Magic classroom. Once she reached her class, she took a seat in her usual spot. She then took out the things she needed for the lesson, before moving her attention towards the professor as the professor got started with the lesson.

It seemed like this lesson was going to be a lecture lesson, which Marley didn't mind. The Hufflepuff listened to the professor carefully, making sure to take note of everything that the professor was saying as she didn't want to miss out on anything. She smiled happily at Teddy when he had gotten the answer for the question.

It wasn't long before the lesson had come to an end and they were dismissed. The Hufflepuff made sure to make a note of the homework. Marley tided up her area, as well as packing up her things and putting her things back into her bag. She says a quick thanks and goodbye to her professor before heading out of the classroom with her friends and the rest of her classmates.

 

[Millie Walden-Cade]

History of magic was a subject Millie was quite comfortable in so she was always happy to return to it. Professor Moncrieffe stood waiting at the top of the classroom when Millie arrived and took her seat at her usual desk. Professor Moncrieffe informed them they would be learning about the Celts, an ancient group of European peoples. Millie took out a sheet of parchment so she could follow along with the lecture and take notes.

The information they were given was quite interesting and Millie was fascinated to learn more about ancient cultures, how they viewed magic and how that had impacted modern day magical society. When the lesson was coming to an end Millie folded up the notes she had made and shoved them into her bag. Once Professor Moncrieffe dismissed them Millie picked up her bag and made her way out of the classroom.