Barry Cunliffe writes that such references are "likely to be ill-observed" and meant to portray the Celts
as outlandish "barbarians".[148] Historian Lisa Bitel argues the descriptions of Celtic women warriors are
not credible. She says some Roman and Greek writers wanted to show that the barbarian Celts lived in
"an upside-down world [...] and a standard ingredient in such a world was the manly warrior
woman".[149]
The Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote in his Politics that the Celts of southeastern Europe approved of
male homosexuality. Greek historian Diodorus Siculus wrote in his Bibliotheca historica that although
Gaulish women were beautiful, the men had "little to do with them" and it was a custom for men to
sleep on animal skins with two younger males. He further claimed that "the young men will offer
themselves to strangers and are insulted if the offer is refused". His claim was later repeated by Greco-
Roman writers Athenaeus and Ammianus.[150] David Rankin, in Celts and the Classical World , suggests
some of these claims refer to bonding rituals in warrior groups, which required abstinence from women
at certain times,[151] and says it probably reflects "the warlike character of early contacts between the
Celts and the Greeks".[152]
Under Brehon Law, which was written down in early Medieval Ireland after conversion to Christianity, a
woman had the right to divorce her husband and gain his property if he was unable to perform his
marital duties due to impotence, obesity, homosexual inclination or preference for other
women.[153][ failed verification ]
Celtic art
The Battersea Shield, a ceremonial bronze shield dated 3rd–1st
century BC, is an example of La Tène Celtic art from Britain