'Celt' or 'Celtic'-did this race exist or is it simply a self perpetuating mythology?

Answer 1

According to Julius Caesar in De Bello Gallico, one part of Gallia was inhabited by people who called themselves Celtae and whom the Romans called Galli. This area covers a large portion of modern France and Belgium. I wouldn't use the word "race" and ethnic group might be too much, as well. They were a group of tribes who shared common cultural practices and a language (or dialect). == == It simply means the native speakers of the Celtic languages. Being a native speaker of a language is not a matter of ethnicity. Just think of all the native speakers of English who have never been anywhere near England and the native speakers of Spanish who aren't Spaniards. :) The Celts were not of one single "race". The Atlantic Celts of Ireland and Britain are most closely related to the Basques of NE Spain not the Continental Celts of Central Europe. A good discussion about the use of the term is covered in The Origins of the Britishby Oppenheimer.