18. Celtic warriors terrified enemies with their appearance
One attribute Celtic warriors used to their advantage in military encounters was their appearance. According to Diodorus Siculus, the Gauls who invaded Greece and Rome towered over their Mediterranean enemies. They accentuated this height with bronze helmets adorned with “large, projecting figures.” Celtic appearance also unnerved their enemies in other ways. While some warriors went into battle in chain male, others headed into the fray naked. To be faced with an army of naked Celts, running into battle “openly and without forethought” must have been a terrifying sight. However, as long as the enemy remained unintimidated, Strabo believed the Celts were easy to defeat. His reason was that they fought without a strategy, relying on “their mighty bodies and on their numbers.”