The Celts (also referred to as Galli or "Barbarians" by the Romans) were a group that spread throughout much of Europe starting at around 1200 BC and somewhat to this day. This is a fairly generalized term which included people from Ireland, Scotland, Britain, France, Northern Italy, and Spain. Pretty much a good part of Europe, north of the Alps.
The Celts are a people that have developed from a Bronze Age up until modern times. They, like the other Northern Europeans, carved into and crafted metal. They started with simplistic, abstract representations of things around them and through the centuries evolved into making amazingly intricate patterns. Earlier Celtic art would be likely to show a bull or an earth based deity, while much of the later art would adapt Christian elements. The Book of Kells is a widely referenced item of the latter.
More modern usage of the Celtic style typically reincorporates the earlier religious ideas back into it. Much like the knot-work found in the style, it has come full circle.
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