The ancients were astounded by many perceived stereotypical characteristics of the Celts: they were extremely large and tall in stature; they lacked manners and morals; their skin was pale and flushed in anger; their hair was red-gold and often bleached; they were often poorly groomed. The Greeks and Romans also viewed their Celtic counterparts with suspicion. The men were seen as unrefined, the women as flamboyantly uninhibited. The were said to be pre-occupied with vanity, but were given credit for their war-like nature of their men. The Roman Ammianus Marcellinus writes:
"A whole troop of foreigners [i.e. Romans] would not be able to withstand a single Gaul if he called his wife to his assistance. [...] Swelling her neck, gnashing her teeth and brandishing her sallow arms of enormous size, she begins to strike blows mingled with kicks as if they were so many missiles sent from the string of a catapult."
Greeks and Romans alike, to whom the Celts were contemporaries, also viewed the Celtic people as prodigious eaters and drinkers. Large feasts that lasted several days were a common occurrence in Celtic life. Celtic social life was viewed by Romans and Greeks with suspicion. They saw themselves as the epitome of civilized man, whereas the Celts were simply "barbaric, uncivilized and savage". Then again, there are just as many accounts of ancient writers to refute the former and credit the Celts with a sense of being civilized. -- The Celts washed with soap and water long before their Roman and Greek counterparts did. The Celts varied greatly from their Mediterranean contemporaries. Whereas obesity was rather common and acceptable in Rome and Greece, it was so repugnant to the Celts that actual punishments in the form of fines were imposed on those who exceeded the weight limit set by the community. Strabo writes:
"They try not to become stout and fat-bellied, and any young man who exceeds the standard length of the girdle is fined."
Celtic social behaviour and interaction between the sexes was often misunderstood and misrepresented by contemporary writers and observers. Many accused the Celtic people of seriously lacking sexual restraint. In reality the Celts were not nearly as rampantly licentious as depicted. Differences is social conduct and moral code were all too often misread as simple promiscuity. There is a surviving account by the Roman writer Dio Cassius who quotes the rebuttal of a Celtic woman accused of promiscuity by a Roman matron:
[...] "We fulfill the demands of nature in a much better way than do you Roman women, for we consort openly with the best men, whereas you let yourselves be debauched in secret by the vilest."
The practice of polygamy in Celtic society was carefully controlled and strictly regulated. Although Celtic men -- and on occasion women -- were permitted to have more than one mate, the laws surrounding these relationships were infinitely and meticulously detailed.
Celtic tribes consisted of a number families or clan-like formations. The families often exceed the immediate circle and included some four generations. Celtic society recognized approximately 4 predominant family groupings which will now each be discussed. These groupings are known as the 'GELFINE', the 'DERBFINE', the 'IARFINE' and the 'INDFINE'. I will use the following symbols:
= Man & wife = male = female
GELFINE
[Original Man and his wife]
[their children]
[and their grandchildren]
The basic family unit for all practical purposes consisted of the man and his wives, along with their children , with their wives and their children and (sometimes even grandchildren), thus encompassing four generations.
DERBFINE
[Original Man's parents]
[Original Man& wife, his brothers]
+ [the children of these 4 brothers, and their children]
The second family unit consisted of the members of the GELFINE, but included the siblings of the Original Man and his parents.
IARFINE
[grandparents of Original Man]
[parents of Original Man and his uncles]
[Original Man& wife, his brothers]
+ [the children of these 4 brothers, and their children]
The third family unit consisted of the members of the GELFINE and DERBFINE, but included the siblings of the parents of the Original Man and his grandparents.
INDFINE
[great-grandparents of Original Man]
[grandparents of Original Man and their siblings]
[parents of Original Man and his uncles]
[Original Man& wife, his brothers]
+ [the children of these 4 brothers, and their children]
The fourth family unit consisted of the members of the GELFINE, DERBFINE, and IARFINE but included the siblings of the grandparents of the Original Man and his great-grandparents.
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