Evidence that the Celts travelled by boat, Foot and Chariot. - page 2
Keywords: History Celts Iron Age Travel
By Jenny on 02/07/2009
Level: GCSE Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11)
Page Number: 2 of 2 pages: 1 2
and C.A.’s deductions from them and because of his position they are likely to be correct. The tone is formal and factual and the account is backed up by a report in the ‘Cornish Guardian’ that members of the Royal Institute of Cornwall who were probably knowledgeable on the subject were ‘highly fascinated’ by C.A.’s ‘descriptive reconstruction’ of the Iron Age fortified village and cliff castle on Trevelgue Head’.
The only problem is that the Interim Account was published in 1949 – 10 years after the excavation and the report in the Guardian’ was published in 1959 so their reliability may be less accurate than if they were published at the time. However, all in all, it is probably accurate.
There is also evidence that they travelled by foot. At a basic level they must have walked to get wood and water and to their fields, and they must have walked to the beach to get shellfish which C.A.’s account mentions they ate. Presumably, they walked elsewhere as well.
A report from the ‘Royal Cornwall Gazette’ tells how members of the Royal Institute of Cornwall were conducted around the excavations by C.A. and says ‘they appear to have been great eaters of animal food’ and ‘the excavations have unearthed the bones of cows and oxen, goats or sheep, deer and pigs’.
They must have travelled by foot to hunt the deer and to reach their livestock’s fields.
The R.C.G. article is aimed at giving the general public information on the excavation; it’s written formally and consists of the facts of what was found and C.A.’s interpretations. It was written by a journalist but in 1939 the same year as the excavation. This probably makes it quite accurate but possibly not as accurate as C.A.’s report.
Near Trevelgue Head there is a steep narrow path known locally as the ‘Goat Track’ dating at least from medieval times and possibly following another older path. If it was there when the Celts occupied Trevelgue Head it would have been too steep for chariots/carts so it must have been travelled by foot.
However, there is no evidence in the sources backing this idea up and it is just based on my observations.
In conclusion I think that the Celts, in particular the ones living on Trevelgue Head travelled by boat, foot and chariot/cart and that there is strong evidence backing this up.
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