Intelligence in Ancient Celts - Essay Example

Intelligence in Ancient Celts The ancient Celts, also know as the ‘Iron Age Celts,’ are a civilization that influenced many areas in Europe and Asia where they first settled, before migrating to Scotland, Wales and Ireland around 500 BC. The culture was not very formal. The Celts had no standard system for education and learning. They also did not have a highly developed hierarchy or leadership structure. They were fierce warriors who fought for everything they wanted, including land. After concentrating in Britain, the Celts began to rely on Priests for at least some of their education and social order. They appointed members of their villages into leadership position based on popularity and ability. With no formal systems in place, measurement of intelligence within the Celts must require more creativity. It also must use very different types of processes than the current tests used in the U.S. today. The measurements of intelligence that I have devised for this ancient culture are based on many factors that greatly influenced the Celts. I will use measurements of ability to order groups of tasks that are commonly performed in the daily lives of the ancient Celts. I will develop basic mathematical problems using examples of routine household and agricultural tasks. Identification of common religious or cultural symbols will be included. To assess memory, coordination and spatial ability, I will design a portion of the test to require reproducing simple pictures, by drawing on surfaces that are commonly used for art. Keeping in mind that the Celts did not make much use of written word, measurement of such knowledge will not be included. To keep measurements of intelligence fair and unbiased, only the most common aspects of folklore, art and agriculture will be used. The most well-known characteristic of this culture is the development of Celtic languages, many of which are still spoken today. Celtic languages are said to have been developed initially, as a branch of Indo-European languages. Among the Celtic languages still spoken today are “Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Breton, Manx, and Cornish “ Intelligence in Ancient Celts 2 (Parle, 1999). Gaelic is also spoken on the northeastern coast of Canada. The ancient Celts did develop a written language, though it was used very little. Known for their storytelling and mythology, the Celts preferred to pass on knowledge through oral tradition. Ancient Celts are known for their distinctive art style, with use of curves and twists, often intertwining. The Celtic cross is an example of this art style. It is believed that the lack of straight lines and preference for curves or open ended forms indicates the Celts preferred freedom of their societies over strict governance. They did not build empires, or even cities, but rather, lived in small, informal farming communities called Clans. They lived in such a manner as to support each other in wealth and goods, as well as in sharing tasks or responsibilities. They would not have wanted to support or work for a central leader, as they allegiance lied within the clan and fine. The lack of formal social structure and order does not necessarily imply that the Celts were sloppy or lacking in cleanliness, as they are given credit for making soap. The Celts organized themselves into informal basic groups. The extended family is termed a Fine. Many fines made up a Clan. The fine worked together as one unit, so there were no individual successes or failures. If a member of a fine broke a law, the entire fine was punished. Each clan selected a leader from within, based on what the Celts considered desirable traits. “Leaders had to be strong warriors. They had to be able to work out disagreements with other clans and conduct trade and raids on neighboring clans. Most importantly, they had to be rich enough to throw spectacular festivals” (Mr.Donn.org). Festivals were an important part of ancient Celt culture. They celebrated often, for many occasions, such as formation of clan relationships, to honor their gods, weddings, births and many other occasions. Festivals included song and dance, contests of strength among the men, and quite a bit of storytelling. Men and women sometimes held their own segregated festivals, depending on the type of celebration or occasion. The Celts made Intelligence in Ancient Celts 3 their own special honey-based brew called Mead. Consumption of alcoholic beverages such as mead was common among the Celts. Evenings were spent by various clans sitting around their respective camp fires, enjoying song, dance and stories, while consuming alcoholic beverages of their time. By the time a child reached age 14, he or she was expected to learn to make some type of musical instrument. Ancient Celts made harps, lyres, bagpipes, flutes, whistles and fiddles. The ancient Celts lived richly by the standards of their time. They had plenty of food, brightly colored clothing and many jewels fashioned mostly from natural substances such as bone, feathers and wooden beads. Both genders wore tunics dyed in bright colors, often with hoods. Men’s tunics were worn knee length, while women’s were worn ankle length. All tunics were drawn at the waist with loose cord or fabric. Women often wore colored beads in their hair. The Celts became skilled farmers, builders, artists and musicians. Other skills that were in demand were fabric weaving and dying, hand carving of musical instruments, singing and reciting poetry. Music was an integral part of every day life for the Celts, not reserved for festivals and celebrations. As clans enjoyed music and dance on a daily basis, those who became especially skilled in song, dance and instrumental music were highly regarded. Those who were skilled in entertaining with music, poetry and storytelling formed groups called Bards, who traveled to share their talents. Bards eventually became as highly regarded as priests, as the stories, poems and songs they told were believed to be true. Unfortunately, the stories they told about clan or fine members were not always factual. Such stories could ruin the reputation of an innocent person as they spread from on clan to another and throughout a region. Gender roles were not as clearly defined as more modern European cultures. Women did become members of their husband’s clan upon marrying, though they were free to Intelligence in Ancient Celts 4 choose their husbands. Any woman could become a warrior if she chose to do so. Instead of a formal education system, the Celts commonly sent their children to live with other clans at a young age, to learn other trades, tasks and oral history. In times of dispute or unrest between clans, children could be held for ransom, until the parents’ clan gave in to their demands. Religion for the ancient Celts was far different from the Judaeo-Christian beliefs that came with later cultures. They believed that all who died went to another world, regardless of behavior. The Celts considered waterfalls to be gateways to the other world. The Celts left gifts at waterfalls as an offering to the gods. Many living structures such as trees and plants were also believed to have special powers, so the Celts left offerings in many places. The priests called Druids were relied upon to keep evil spirits away, provide medicinal care and make decisions about honor price. “Your honor price was your worth. If you accidentally injured or killed someone, your fine was the honor price of the person you wronged ” (Mr.Donn.org). Unusual as they may seem, customs and behaviors of the ancient Celts are based on the same needs as we have today. A strong bond to family and need for belonging is evident. A sense of self worth and accomplishment are also identified. Though not a formal system, education must have also been important to the Celts, as they sent their children to live with other clans, sometimes risking the wealth and security of the clan. Ancient Celts did not use written language in their every day lives, though they did develop one. It would not serve well for this culture to measure intelligence with written words. More recent opinions of standard intelligence tests that we use find fault with the failure to measure the many types of intelligence, such as language intelligence, business intelligence, spatial intelligence and other forms. According to Dr. Alan Kaufman, “I think now it makes more sense to think that we should be measuring a wider array of abilities.” Intelligence in Ancient Celts 5 Though Dr. David Weschler’s WISC-III has been revised to include more facets of intelligence, my approach will be based on the principles of Kaufman’s Adult and Adolescent Intelligence Test (KAIT) for adults and the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (K-BIT) for children, though it will not resemble those tests in any way. I will also base a portion of the test on the Stanford-Benet, which involves viewing pictures drawn with dashes and dots, then reproducing them on paper. I will use curved lines rather than the straight lines and angles in the Stanford-Benet, as the Celts do not care for such lines and angles. Before official tests are put into place, a representative sample will be tested to determine the effectiveness of the test and to make any necessary changes. Random samples will be taken from ten clans, with one representative from each clan in the 2-6 age range, the 10-15 range, 16-35 range and the 36-60 range. The Celts were capable of at least some multiplication and division abilities in the area of mathematics. Test results will make use of such functions to determine the overall score. Standard deviations are not calculated, as the ancient Celts did not have need for such advanced functions. Each test will be scored using a percentage of correct answers given. The percentage of each portion will then be combined for an overall average percent score. Scores will look nothing like our current IQ scores, but will be based on a range of 1% to 100%. Scores will not be categorized by terms such as genius or learning disabled. Instead, they will determine future roles or abilities assigned within the clans. Those with the highest scores, in the 90-100 % range will likely be chosen as leaders, given all other Celt requirements are met. Those at 70-90 % may be involved in farming, woodcrafts, and other manufacturing type tasks. The lower percentile scores will only be for children and young adults, to determine if different types of education or relocation to another clan is recommended. Intelligence in Ancient Celts 6 The Test is divided into four sections: 1. Shape reproduction to determine mechanical, spatial, memory and coordination (5 tasks), 2. Common knowledge in identification of common symbols (10 questions asked verbally, requiring participants to point to the correct symbol), 3. mathematical abilities using beads or other available items (10 problems), 4. Reasoning abilities using steps involved in common tasks, by ordering pictorial representations of each step (5 ordering tasks). Section 1 will include the following figures: 1. A human face with eyes, nose, mouth, ears and hair. Eyelashes will be omitted, while all features will be more rounded in nature. Ears will be depicted with a half circle inside a full circle. Hair will be depicted with five wavy lines running from the top of the head to each side of the facial circle. 2. A field of corn using two wavy lines that come together at the top, and are spaced at the bottom with a small rounded(concave) line. Two rows of two corn stalks will complete this figure. 3. A waterfall will be depicted with fifteen side by side wavy lines flowing vertically, all lines exactly like the previous and/or subsequent. 4. A flute that includes mouthpiece and three holes. 5. A house crudely drawn with slanted roof, rounded corners, and a basic arch in the middle to represent a door. The pictures vary in complexity, but none are too basic or too complicated. Fine details are not included as this creates a slight distraction when using curved dashes or lines and dots. It also causes interference in the memory or recall process. For Section 2, the symbol recognition section the following will be used: druid, horse, serpent, triple spiral, triquetra/triangular knot, taranis wheel, salmon of wisdom, shield knot and ogham. All symbols are considered the most commonly used by the ancient Celts, though there is enough similarity in some symbols to cause the participant to use some though in selecting the proper symbol. For instance, the triquetra could mistakenly be selected as the druid/priest symbol, which shows three rather thick lines or marks slanted in a triangular shape, closer together at the top and farther apart Intelligence in Ancient Celts 7 at the bottom edge of the symbol. Section 3, mathematical abilities will include standard addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems, two of each type of problem, using wooden beads or vegetables for all problems. All questions will be stated orally, with the administrator of the test counting out the numbers of items for each part of the equation. For subtraction and addition the administrator will count four vegetable, then count out three vegetables, without separating them into groups. That portion of the equation is for the participant to figure out. The administrator of this portion of the test will not provide sets or grouped items for multiplication and division problems. This portion of the test will work as follows: For a problem 4 + 5, the participant will pick up four items, count them, put them down, pick up five items, count them and put them down in the same pile or group, so as to not differentiate the two groups of numbers. The same will apply for the other mathematical equations. The items are used as tools for participants to work the problems, rather than using paper and writing devices. Participants will be allowed to write out or draw numbers of items on various surfaces that may be available, such as slate, rock, wood and others. The equations cannot be the same for each participant, as they may be memorized. Administrators of the test will carry five different versions of this test, so that members of the same clan or Fine will not be able to share test questions with others. An example of this portion of the test is as follows: Add 4+5 and 12 + 139, Subtract 180 – 65 and 12 – 9, Multiply 3 x 7 and 10 x 8, Divide 120/10 and 2 /8. The last section of the test will involve logical ordering of steps for common tasks or activities known to the Celt culture. Pictures of the steps taken for each of the five tasks will be stacked upside down, then flipped over by the participant after the administrator gives the ok, having explained “order the steps of growing a crop” or similar instructions. Intelligence in Ancient Celts 8 Each task will contain five steps. An example using the growing crop task will contain the following pictures: Plowing the field, forming the rows, spreading the seed, covering the seed, picking the crop. Another task might be cooking eggs. In this instance the pictures would include: Selecting eggs from the henhouse nests, washing the eggs, cracking the eggs, flipping or stirring the eggs, putting eggs on a plate or bowl. As some tasks may be too advanced for the youngest age group, alternative versions will be devised to include such tasks as taking a bath, dressing and other simple tasks appropriate to that age group. The mathematical equations are also too complicated, particularly for a two year old. A much simpler version of the mathematics portion can also be devised. An example of an appropriate question might be asking the child how many of item are in a basket, bowl or other container. It is unlikely the symbols portion of the test will be used for this age group, who may or may not understand the significance of each symbol. For the drawing reproduction tasks, much simpler figures will be used. Though children of this age will not likely share test questions with each other, they are allowed to have one parent present, who may possibly share parts of the test with other parents. For this reason, three versions of the tests for the 2-5 age group will be created. While tests are easy enough to administer by anyone of moderate intelligence, it is recommended that they be given by priests or leaders of other clans, when possible. Another option will be to train test administrators, who will travel from time to time to to locations of far away clans, just as the Bards do. Those interested in administering the intelligence tests will meet at assigned locations in groups, to learn how to administer tests properly. They will practice administering the questions, while paying close attention to changes in voice inflection and tone, to avoid testing bias. I have designed testing methodology that does not rely on written forms, as the ancient Celts preferred to relay information orally. The ordering of tasks section is based on activities that are familiar Intelligence in Ancient Celts 9 with many clan members who either perform them or see them performed often. I have taken symbols based on basic religious practices and daily activities for identification. The intelligence test I have devised for the ancient Celts is based on many aspects of their lifestyle and cultural behavior. It gives a general picture of the abilities of each clan member, enabling elders and leaders to more closely match abilities to jobs or tasks. The ancient Celts will be able to identify those in their clans who may need learning assistance. Used as a tool to aid in the selection process of leaders, the intelligence test will help to identify those who can make well thought out decisions. The ancient Celts had no formal education or schooling system, so the intelligence test is adapted for use in practical applications. References The Celtic Lady. Retrieved June 28, 2007 from http://www.celticlady.com/celt-syms/ index.html. Dalriada Celtic Heritage Society. Who Were the Celts? Retrieved June 27, 2007 from http://www.ibiblio.org/gaelic/celts.html. Mr.Donn.org. Retrieved June 26, 2997 from http://www.Mr.Donn.org. Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. (2002). The Gale Group. Kaufman, A. (1994). Intelligent Testing with the WISC-III. New York, Wiley & Sons. Parle, J. (1999). Story of the Celts: The Ancient Celts. Retrieved June 27, 2007 from http://realmagick.com/articles/05/1305.html Read More