Onomaris
One of the first females
to enable the Romans to understand the equality of Celtic society was Onomaris
whose name means ‘mountain-ash’ or ‘rowan tree,’ which are sacred trees of the
Druids (Ellis, Celtic Women, p.80). Onomaris led her people, the Scordisci,
in their wanderings through southeastern Europe and ultimately led them into
battle against the Illyrians of the Balkans (Ellis, Celtic Women, p.80). They
founded a settlement in what is today Serbia and a capital called Singidun(um)
on the banks of the Danube which is today Belgrade. Although some scholars
argue that Onomaris’ settlement mixed with the Illyrians and therefore was not
purely Celtic, Onomaris shows that women held great power in Roman society.