List of ancient Celtic peoples and tribes

This is a list of ancient Celtic peoples and tribes.

Continental Celts Continental Celts were the Celtic peoples that inhabited mainland Europe and Anatolia (also known as Asia Minor). In the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, Celts inhabited large parts of mainland Western Europe and Southern Europe (such as the Iberian Peninsula), parts of southern Central Europe, and some regions of the Balkans and Anatolia. They represented most of the population of Gallia (modern France and Switzerland) possibly Belgica (far Northern France, Belgium and the far Southern Netherlands), and large parts of Hispania (Spain and Portugal, especially in the northern, central and western regions), and also inhabited southern Central Europe, particularly the upper Danube basin and neighbouring regions, large parts of the middle Danube basin, and the inland region of Central Anatolia. Their populations thus inhabited a large geographic area stretching from Iberia in the west to the Balkans and Anatolia in the east.

Many of the populations from these regions were called Celts by ancient authors. They are thought to have spoken Gaulish (P-Celtic type), Lepontic (P-Celtic type), Hispano-Celtic (Celtiberian and Western Hispano-Celtic or Gallaecian) (Q-Celtic type), Eastern Celtic or Noric (unknown type). P-Celtic type languages are more innovative (*kʷ > p) while Q-Celtic type languages are more conservative. However, it is not fully known if this grouping of peoples, such as their languages, is a genealogical one (phylogenetic), based on kinship, or if it is a simple geographically defined group. Many writers of classical antiquity did not describe the peoples and tribes of the British Islands as "Celts" or "Galli" but by the name "Britons", and reserved "Celts" or "Galli" for the peoples and tribes of mainland Europe.Collis, John (2003). The Celts: Origins, Myths and Inventions. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. p. 180.

Eastern Celts Source:Mallory, J.P.; Douglas Q. Adams (1997). Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture. London: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers.

They lived in Southern Central Europe (in the Upper Danube basin and neighbouring regions) which is hypothesized as the original area of the Celts (Proto-Celts), corresponding to the Hallstatt Culture. Later they expanded towards the Middle Danube valley and to parts of the Balkans and towards inland central Asia Minor or Anatolia (Galatians). Hercynian Forest (Hercynia Silva), north of the Danube and east of the Rhine, was within these lands. Celts, especially those from Western and Central Europe, were generally called "Galli" by the Romans (i.e. "Gauls"), which was a synonym of "Celts". This also means that not all of the peoples and tribes referred to as Galli were specifically Gauls in a narrower, more regional sense. Their language is scarcely attested and cannot be classified as either P-Celtic or Q-Celtic.

Some of these peoples closely fit the concept of a tribe. Others were confederations or even unions of tribes:

Anartes/Anartoi – Areas of modern Slovakia and modern Northern Hungary, north of the river Tysia / Tibiscus (Tisza). They lived in the eastern part of the Hercynia Silva (Hercynian Forest). Areas of modern central Slovakia and modern Northern Hungary, north of the river Tysia/Tibiscus (Tisza), north of the Teuriscii. They were later assimilated by Dacians. ArabiatesAndrea Faber, Körpergräber des 1.-3. Jahrhunderts in der römischen Welt: internationales Kolloquium, Frankfurt am Main, 19.-20. November 2004, , p. 144. - areas of modern Western Hungary and eastern Austria, west of the river Danubius (Danube). BelgitesGéza Alföldy, Noricum, Tome 3 of History of the Provinces of the Roman Empire, 1974, p. 69. - areas of modern Western Hungary, west of the river Danubius (Danube). Boii– a tribal confederation, originally from today's Bohemia (Western Czech Republic) that dwelt in the Hercynia Silva and dispersed through migrations to other regions of Europe, to areas of modern Slovakia, Germany, Austria, Hungary and Northern Italy.A. Mocsy and S. Frere, Pannonia and Upper Moesia. A History of the Middle Danube Provinces of the Roman Empire. p. 14. Another hypothesis is that they were a tribal confederation, originally from today's Southern France who migrated to Hercynia Silva under Segovesus, and dispersed through migrations to other regions of Europe, to areas of modern Slovakia, Germany, Austria, Poland and Hungary. Boii tribes of unknown names in the Hercynia Silva - roughly in today's Bohemia Boii (in Cisalpine Gaul)  – Central Emilia-Romagna (Bologna) and Lodi, Lombardy. Boii (in Transalpine Gaul)  – Boui near Entrain - They were related to or a branch of the Boii. Boii Boiates / Boviates / Boiates  – La Tête de Buch, probably around Arcachon Bay and northwest of Landes (departement), in the Pays de Buch and Pays de Born. Although they dwelt in Aquitania Proper, they seem to have been a Celtic tribe and not a tribe of the Aquitani (a people that may have been ancestor of the Basques). Boii (in Pannonia) - Pannonia, today's Western Hungary (west of the Danube) and part of eastern Austria Tulingi (Tylangii?)  – localization unclear, possibly Southern Germany, Switzerland, or Austria; an originally Boii Celtic tribe that migrated along the upper Danube and later allied with the Helvetii?; also, may have been a Germanic tribe. BreuciPannonia. A History of the Middle Danube Provinces of the Roman Empire. p. 14. Carni  – Carnic Alps, South Austria (Carinthia/Kärnten), Western Slovenia (Carniola/Kranjska) and Northern Friuli/Friûl (Carnia/Cjargna). A tribe related to the Carnutes? Also, may have been a Venetic tribe (the Veneti were a transitional people between Celts and Italics or a Celticized Italic people). Catubrini  - In the Alps Southeastern slopes, close to Plavis (Piave) and near Bellunum (Belluno), to the Southwest of the Carni. They came from Central Europe and not from Gaul (Gallia). (They were not Cisalpine Gaulish Celts). They probably were a ver sacrum of Carni. Celts of Tylis / Tylisian CeltsFrank W. Walbank, Polybius, Rome and the Hellenistic World: Essays and Reflections, , 2002, p. 116: "... in A7P 60 (1939) 452 8, is not Antigonus Doson but barbarians from the mainland (either Thracians or Gauls from Tylis) (cf. Rostovizef and Welles (1940) 207-8, Rostovizef (1941) 111, 1645), nor has that inscription anything to do with the Cavan expedition. On ..." CornacatesVelika Dautova-Ruševljan and Miroslav Vujović, Rimska vojska u Sremu, 2006, p. 131: "extended as far as Ruma whence continued the territory of another community named after the Celtic tribe of Cornacates"- areas of modern Western Hungary, west of river Danubius (Danube). Cotini  – areas of modern Slovakia, west of the Anartes, and areas of Western Hungary, west of the river Danubius (Danube), south of Lacus Pelsodis / Pelso (today's Lake Balaton). Eravisci / AravisciIon Grumeza, Dacia: Land of Transylvania, Cornerstone of Ancient Eastern Europe, , 2009, p. 51: "In a short time the Dacians imposed their conditions on the Anerati, Boii, Eravisci, Pannoni, Scordisci,"– areas of modern Western Hungary, west of the river Danubius (Danube), Aquincum (modern Budapest) was in their territory. Helvetii-Rauraci / Raurici Helvetii  – original dwellers of Agri Decumates region, in the western part of Hercynia Silva, to the east and north of the Rhine; later, possibly at the end of the 3rd century BC they expanded to the South and Southwest to land later called Helvetia (modern day Switzerland). They were possibly more related to the Celtic populations of the upper Danube basin than to the Celts of Gaul. Decumates may have meant "Ten Cantons". La Tène, (tribal confederation of four tribes). Tigurini  – Yverdon Tougeni Verbigeni Tribe of unknown name (Helvetii Proper?) Rauraci / Raurici   – Kaiseraugst (Augusta Raurica), a tribe closely related to the Helvetii. Hercuniates / HercuniataeJohn T. Koch, Celtic culture: a historical encyclopedia, , 2006, p. 907. - areas of modern Western Hungary, west of the river Danubius (Danube). Latobici / LatoviciJ. J. Wilkes, The Illyrians, 1992, , p. 81: "In Roman Pannonia the Latobici and Varciani who dwelt east of the Venetic Catari in the upper Sava valley were Celtic but the Colapiani of ..." - not the same tribe as the Latobrigi but they could have been related, they dwelt in areas of modern Slovenia and Western Hungary, west of the river Danubius (Danube). Latobrigi - uncertain location, maybe to the north or northeast of the Helvetii in the upper Danube (Danubius) and upper Rhine river basins, original dwellers of Agri Decumates region, in the western part of Hercynia Silva. ScordisciJ. J. Wilkes, The Illyrians, 1992, , p. 140: "... Autariatae at the expense of the Triballi until, as Strabo remarks, they in their turn were overcome by the Celtic Scordisci in the early third century" - areas of modern Serbia, Croatia, Austria, Romania, west of the river Danubius (Danube). According to Livy, they were related to the Bastarnae. Celegeri / CelengeriJ. J. Wilkes, The Illyrians, 1992, , p. 217. Dindari or Dindarii (Greek Δινδάριοι), a tribe that was a branch of the Scordisci.Population and economy of the eastern part of the Roman province of Dalmatia, 2002, , p. 24: "the Dindari were a branch of the Scordisci"

SerdiJohn Boardman, I. E. S. Edwards, E. Sollberger, and N. G. L. Hammond, The Cambridge Ancient History, Vol. 3, Part 2: The Assyrian and Babylonian Empires and Other States of the Near East, from the Eighth to the Sixth Centuries BC, , 1992, p. 600: "In the place of the vanished Treres and Tilataei we find the Serdi for whom there is no evidence before the first century BC. It has for long been supposed on convincing linguistic and archeological grounds that this tribe was of Celtic origin"Dio Cassius, Earnest Cary, and Herbert B. Foster, Dio Cassius: Roman History, Vol. IX, Books 71–80 (Loeb Classical Library, No. 177), 1927, Index: "... 9, 337, 353 Seras, philosopher, condemned to death, 8. 361 Serdi, Thracian tribe defeated by M. Crassus, 6. 73 Seretium,"" - in Serdica region (today's Sofiya, Bulgaria's Capital) Serrapilli / Serapilli - areas of modern Western Hungary, west of the river Danubius (Danube). SerretesDubravka Balen-Letunič, 40 godina arheoloških istraživanja u sjeverozapadnoj Hrvatskoj, 1986, p. 52: "and the Celtic Serretes" - areas of modern Western Hungary, west of the river Danubius (Danube). TricornensesAlan Bowman, Edward Champlin, and Andrew Lintott, The Cambridge Ancient History, Vol. 10: The Augustan Empire, 43 BC-AD 69, 1996, p. 580: "... 580 I3h. DANUBIAN AND BALKAN PROVINCES Tricornenses of Tricornium (Ritopek) replaced the Celegeri, the Picensii of Pincum ..." (a later formation tribe) Norici / Taurisci / Varisci - a tribal confederation Alauni - in the middle Aenus river basin (Inn), east of the Aenus in the Eastern Alps, Chiemsee and Attersee lakes region. Ambidravi / Ambidrani - in the upper and middle Dravus (Drau/Drava) river basin in the Eastern Alps and also in the Mur/Mura river basin, today's Carinthia and Styria, Austria. Ambilici - in the Dravus (Drau/Drava) river basin, east of the Ambidravi/Ambidrani (today's Southeast Austria and Northeast Slovenia). Ambisontes / Ambisontii - in the Alpes Noricae (East Central Alps), in the upper Salzach river basin. Norici (Narisci) / Nori - may have been a tribe of the larger Taurisci tribal federation; in the Eastern Alps and in the Mur/Mura and Schwarza rivers basins and other areas, today's Styria and Lower Austria (Austria) south of the Danubius (Danube), also may have been a Germanic tribe. Sevaces - in the low Aenus river basin (Inn), east of the Aenus and south of the Danubius (Danube), roughly in today's Upper Austria.