What language family did the Iron Age people of Britain speak?

The Iron Age in Britain, roughly from 800 BC to the Roman invasion in 43 AD, was dominated by Celtic tribes. These weren't a unified nation, but rather groups sharing similar language, culture, and religious beliefs. The Celtic languages, a branch of the Indo-European language family, were spoken across much of Europe during this period. Think of names like Boudicca or places like Wales and Cornwall – their roots are firmly Celtic. So, while Anglo-Saxon, English, and Viking languages came much later with subsequent invasions, the people living in Britain during the Iron Age primarily spoke Celtic languages. It's easy to get confused because we associate English so strongly with Britain today, but that's a much more recent development. The Celtic languages are the linguistic link to Britain's ancient past.