Should this Celt be blue?
An irish-dress-history game.
I've been researching the actual historical evidence behind the idea that ancient Insular Celts painted or tattooed themselves blue, and I thought it would be fun to make a game out of it. Below are various depictions of this idea along with the culture and date they are supposed to be depicting. The game is to guess whether each use of body paint or tattoos is supported by actual historical evidence. Answers are in the image descriptions.
(Note: This game is not intended to mock or criticize the artists and costume designers of any of these works. Good information on this topic is hard to find, and movie creators and artists frequently have goals other than historical accuracy. I am mocking Mel Gibson though, because f*** that guy.)
1 A 'Woad' (ie Pict) from 5th c. Britain. 2. Tattooed Irish warrior in 1170
3. A Medieval Scottish lord 4. Iceni Queen Boudica c. 60 CE
5. Ancient? Ireland 6. Britons during the time of Julius Cesar
7. Picts in 149 CE 8. Scots in 1297
How many did you get right?
7-8
4-6
1-3
I was just guessing for all of them.
Bibliography:
Hoecherl, M. (2016). Controlling Colours: Function and Meaning of Colour in the British Iron Age. Archaeopress Publishing LTD, Oxford. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Controlling_Colours/WRteEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0
MacQuarrie, Charles. (1997). Insular Celtic tattooing: History, myth and metaphor. Etudes Celtiques, 33, 159-189. https://doi.org/10.3406/ecelt.1997.2117
