Description
The Arevaci were a Celtiberian tribe of warriors and horsemen. As a group the Celtiberians were regarded by their contemporaries as odd to the point of being quite intimidating, if not downright scary. Among their many bizarre little ways it was the custom of washing their bodies, hair and teeth in urine that made others think them deranged. The Celtiberians seem to have been convinced of urine’s healing properties. They also went into battle painted orange. The dye paste they used was thought to toughen the skin, but the morale impact on enemies must have been considerable. Other Celts tattooed and painted themselves for battle. Some Britons dyed themselves blue by using an extract of woad; this must have been something of a trial for everyone else, as processing woad to make dye produces a magnificently disgusting smell as well as a rich blue colour.
