Religion and Religious Practices of the Ancient Celts of the Iberian Peninsula

Francisco Marco Simón, University of Zaragoza

Abstract

The aim of this article is to provide an account of the main features of the religious systems documented in Celtic Hispania, focusing on the following: 1) the effects of Romanization on the indigenous religions, with an evaluation of the continuities, ruptures and transformations of traditional religious practices; 2) a geography of the cults of the diverse deities, with particular attention paid to the different sources available, regional variations and relations with the rest of the Romano-Celtic world and the areas of Mediterranean Iberia; 3) a review of the typology of sanctuaries, rituals (particularly sacrifice) and the priesthood; 4) an analysis of the system of values of Hispano-Celtic peoples with respect to hospitality, the war-and-banquet ethos and funeral ideology, including the cosmological elements implied by the available sources of information.

Keywords

Religion, Celts, Romanization, Hispania, Gods, Rituals