According to some modern scholars the word “Celts” does not really have the etymology usually associated with these people who share a language and ideology, but is instead derived from a topographical definition coined by ancient Greek writers in order to refer to the peoples that had settled in northwestern Europe. The various names with which the Celts were known – Kelt?i, Galatai, Celtae, Gauls – were synonyms used by Greek and Latin writers to identify the same ethnic group: the barbarians of Transalpine Europe, who lived by the Danube and in Massalia. They were the people who had invaded Italy during the 4th century BC and the Balkans and Delphi in 280-279 BC, and who had served as mercenaries for many tyrants and ruling families, from Dionysius of Syracuse to the Attalids of Pergamum, who had settled in the heart of Anatolia. They were defeated many times by Rome, were listed among the defeats in the Fasti Triumphales and commemorated in the inscriptions of many memorials. The discoveries and studies of recent decades have led scholars to revise many aspects of their knowledge, including that of the origin of the Celts. This authoritative volume explores the development of the ancient civilization of the Celts through a meticulous and well-researched text accompanied by spectacular photographs. The book adopts a chronological approach, describing the origins of the Celts and revealing their identity through their customs, culture and social organization.