Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
W. W. Norton & Company (2014), Edition: Reprint, 416 pages
Description
Describes a discovery the author made in the Alps, which uncovered a treasure trove of Druid celestial mathematics that mapped out the entire geography of ancient Europe, and discusses the implications of this new information.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
The general perception of the Celts has been as a fairly chaotic and peripatetic people, renowned for their hedonism rather than their inclination towards developing any lasting infrastructure. In this book Graham Robb strives to overthrow that view. It is not an easy book to read, and I was
The opening section focuses on the Heraklean Way, an ancient, dead straight route that stretches from the Atlantic coast of Spain, through the Pyrenees and on towards the Alps. This route follows, exactly, the bearing of the rising sun as seen on the summer solstice. Equally significantly, it is also the route followed by Hannibal in his attempt to invade Rome, complete with elephants.
As Robb explores this route he makes a series of assertions, including that the Celts (or Gauls as he calls them) were expert surveyors, capable of designing and building arrow-straight roads under the influence of their astronomical observations.. He further asserts that most of the roads now ascribed to the Romans were actually originally created by the Gauls.
He makes a number of these assertions, frequently with relatively little hard, supporting evidence. I found it all fascinating, but I did feel that there was a lot of hypothesising disguised as accepted fact. I remember, as a teenager, reading some of Erich von Daniken's books ('The Chariots of the Gods' and its fellow volumes, all now roundly discredited). There were times while I was reading this book when I wondered if Graham Robb might be the thinking man's Erich von Daniken. Overall, I think that is probably unfair - this book is, after all, very much better written that von Daniken ever managed - but it did try my patience.
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tempted to jump ship at various points, but I am glad that I persisted.The opening section focuses on the Heraklean Way, an ancient, dead straight route that stretches from the Atlantic coast of Spain, through the Pyrenees and on towards the Alps. This route follows, exactly, the bearing of the rising sun as seen on the summer solstice. Equally significantly, it is also the route followed by Hannibal in his attempt to invade Rome, complete with elephants.
As Robb explores this route he makes a series of assertions, including that the Celts (or Gauls as he calls them) were expert surveyors, capable of designing and building arrow-straight roads under the influence of their astronomical observations.. He further asserts that most of the roads now ascribed to the Romans were actually originally created by the Gauls.
He makes a number of these assertions, frequently with relatively little hard, supporting evidence. I found it all fascinating, but I did feel that there was a lot of hypothesising disguised as accepted fact. I remember, as a teenager, reading some of Erich von Daniken's books ('The Chariots of the Gods' and its fellow volumes, all now roundly discredited). There were times while I was reading this book when I wondered if Graham Robb might be the thinking man's Erich von Daniken. Overall, I think that is probably unfair - this book is, after all, very much better written that von Daniken ever managed - but it did try my patience.
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LibraryThing member Opinionated
The argument here is that rather than being disorganised, hairy alcoholics (they drank their wine undiluted, a practice to which the whole race appeared addicted) the Celts instead were a religious confederation under the guidance of the Druids. And more importantly, they understood astronomy and
Its a compelling argument - which begins with the straight as a die Via Heraclea, used by Hannibal in his invasion of Italy, explains some of the inexplicable choices Gaullish leaders made in siting their battles (the augury of being on important sun lines) and links British druidery with their cousins on the continent, through a confluence of Meridians running through Glastonbury, Whitchurch and Oxford
Essentially the Druids are presented as surveyors par excellence. And the Gauls as a people with their fate trapped in the sun lines
Its all beautifully argued, wonderfully illustrated, and rather melancholy. The trouble is I have no idea if any of it is true or not. I want it to be - I simply don't know enough Gaulish history to be sure. The sceptic will say that of course its not surprising if the Romans and their successors built on preused, preauspicious sites, even if they dont accept that the famous Roman roads of Britain were built on preexisting meridian and solstice based paths that already existed. But they will argue that Robb is simply making vast conclusions on the basis of a few geometric coincidences. Draw enough straight lines, they will say, and you are bound to find links. But its mainly noise, not signal (sorry, I've been reading Nate Silver)
And I simply don't know. But I enjoyed the book. And I liked the idea of Caratacus, holed up in Dinas Emrys, confident of success because of being on the Whitchurch meridian, but ultimately doomed. I grew up in North Wales and I can't dislodge this image.
It may be too dense, and too obscure for some. And there are a lot of maps with straight lines drawn on them. But I'd recommend it - if nothing else it humanises a race about which history has had little to say
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geometry (from being descended from the Greeks who built Marseille) and based their civilisation on a sun worship that used their understanding of solstice and meridian lines to place all important sites and settlements, sites which are still in place today. Its a compelling argument - which begins with the straight as a die Via Heraclea, used by Hannibal in his invasion of Italy, explains some of the inexplicable choices Gaullish leaders made in siting their battles (the augury of being on important sun lines) and links British druidery with their cousins on the continent, through a confluence of Meridians running through Glastonbury, Whitchurch and Oxford
Essentially the Druids are presented as surveyors par excellence. And the Gauls as a people with their fate trapped in the sun lines
Its all beautifully argued, wonderfully illustrated, and rather melancholy. The trouble is I have no idea if any of it is true or not. I want it to be - I simply don't know enough Gaulish history to be sure. The sceptic will say that of course its not surprising if the Romans and their successors built on preused, preauspicious sites, even if they dont accept that the famous Roman roads of Britain were built on preexisting meridian and solstice based paths that already existed. But they will argue that Robb is simply making vast conclusions on the basis of a few geometric coincidences. Draw enough straight lines, they will say, and you are bound to find links. But its mainly noise, not signal (sorry, I've been reading Nate Silver)
And I simply don't know. But I enjoyed the book. And I liked the idea of Caratacus, holed up in Dinas Emrys, confident of success because of being on the Whitchurch meridian, but ultimately doomed. I grew up in North Wales and I can't dislodge this image.
It may be too dense, and too obscure for some. And there are a lot of maps with straight lines drawn on them. But I'd recommend it - if nothing else it humanises a race about which history has had little to say
Show Less
LibraryThing member PDCRead
This book is Robb's theory of how the ancient celts organised themselves.
Whilst following the legendary Via Heraklea he concludes that this pre Roman peoples layout of settlements and ritual sites follow a series of solstice lines across Gaul (France). These lines follow a particular angle, from
It does have lots of fascinating facts in the book, and some of the details that he brings out as supporting evidence, show that this culture and people were far more sophisticated than was previously though. There is also evidence to suggest that the Romans overlaid their roads and towns on some of the features that the celts had developed.
I am not an expert of the ancient celts of Europe, but it doesn't seem really convincing as an argument, and reminds me rather of ley lines, those mysterious links between features and ancient sites that amateur archaeologist Alfred Watkins proposed. As has been demonstrated elsewhere any series of points on a map can be shown to have a link purely down to chance. It is a shame really as I hoped that this would be more than a speculative book, and was going to be more about this fascinating culture.
Whilst following the legendary Via Heraklea he concludes that this pre Roman peoples layout of settlements and ritual sites follow a series of solstice lines across Gaul (France). These lines follow a particular angle, from
Show More
east to west and another angle from west to east. Some of these lines go directly through the centre of these sites, and others pass through at a distance of 1km or so away.It does have lots of fascinating facts in the book, and some of the details that he brings out as supporting evidence, show that this culture and people were far more sophisticated than was previously though. There is also evidence to suggest that the Romans overlaid their roads and towns on some of the features that the celts had developed.
I am not an expert of the ancient celts of Europe, but it doesn't seem really convincing as an argument, and reminds me rather of ley lines, those mysterious links between features and ancient sites that amateur archaeologist Alfred Watkins proposed. As has been demonstrated elsewhere any series of points on a map can be shown to have a link purely down to chance. It is a shame really as I hoped that this would be more than a speculative book, and was going to be more about this fascinating culture.
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LibraryThing member tangborn
This book was a bit of a disappointment to me. I really liked Graham Robb's first two books, but this one didn't seem to be on the same level. I think the problem is that the thesis of the work, that Celts were both so obsessed with winter/summer solstice, and so good at geometry and mapping that
On the other hand, the book is very well written and entertaining, and does provide a nice introduction to the culture of Gaul before (and during) the Roman occupation. And I do believe that the solstice was a major focus of Celtic religion. It's just hard to believe that in the days before the compass and sextants, that this kind of large scale surveying could have been done.
And one small error in the book: The sun does NOT rise due east on the equinox, unless you are at the equator.
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they could build their entire civilization along these lines. I have no idea if the author cherry picked his data points to fit his model, but I would like to know if some of towns or other markers were left out. On the other hand, the book is very well written and entertaining, and does provide a nice introduction to the culture of Gaul before (and during) the Roman occupation. And I do believe that the solstice was a major focus of Celtic religion. It's just hard to believe that in the days before the compass and sextants, that this kind of large scale surveying could have been done.
And one small error in the book: The sun does NOT rise due east on the equinox, unless you are at the equator.
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LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
The general perception of the Celts has been as a fairly chaotic and peripatetic people, renowned for their hedonism rather than their inclination towards developing any lasting infrastructure. In this book Graham Robb strives to overthrow that view. It is not an easy book to read, and I was
The opening section focuses on the Heraklean Way, an ancient, dead straight route that stretches from the Atlantic coast of Spain, through the Pyrenees and on towards the Alps. This route follows, exactly, the bearing of the rising sun as seen on the summer solstice. Equally significantly, it is also the route followed by Hannibal in his attempt to invade Rome, complete with elephants.
As Robb explores this route he makes a series of assertions, including that the Celts (or Gauls as he calls them) were expert surveyors, capable of designing and building arrow-straight roads under the influence of their astronomical observations.. He further asserts that most of the roads now ascribed to the Romans were actually originally created by the Gauls.
He makes a number of these assertions, frequently with relatively little hard, supporting evidence. I found it all fascinating, but I did feel that there was a lot of hypothesising disguised as accepted fact. I remember, as a teenager, reading some of Erich von Daniken's books ('The Chariots of the Gods' and its fellow volumes, all now roundly discredited). There were times while I was reading this book when I wondered if Graham Robb might be the thinking man's Erich von Daniken. Overall, I think that is probably unfair - this book is, after all, very much better written that von Daniken ever managed - but it did try my patience.
Show More
tempted to jump ship at various points, but I am glad that I persisted.The opening section focuses on the Heraklean Way, an ancient, dead straight route that stretches from the Atlantic coast of Spain, through the Pyrenees and on towards the Alps. This route follows, exactly, the bearing of the rising sun as seen on the summer solstice. Equally significantly, it is also the route followed by Hannibal in his attempt to invade Rome, complete with elephants.
As Robb explores this route he makes a series of assertions, including that the Celts (or Gauls as he calls them) were expert surveyors, capable of designing and building arrow-straight roads under the influence of their astronomical observations.. He further asserts that most of the roads now ascribed to the Romans were actually originally created by the Gauls.
He makes a number of these assertions, frequently with relatively little hard, supporting evidence. I found it all fascinating, but I did feel that there was a lot of hypothesising disguised as accepted fact. I remember, as a teenager, reading some of Erich von Daniken's books ('The Chariots of the Gods' and its fellow volumes, all now roundly discredited). There were times while I was reading this book when I wondered if Graham Robb might be the thinking man's Erich von Daniken. Overall, I think that is probably unfair - this book is, after all, very much better written that von Daniken ever managed - but it did try my patience.
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LibraryThing member booktsunami
I found this book to be slightly maddening. At its heart, I think there are some probable truths....that sacred sites and even cities were located by Celtic or Druid Priests on lines which tallied with solar measurements ....especially the winter and summer equinoxes. But the author goes much
Well, first, Graham Robb has put a power of work into his various pathways and plots and has personally ridden many of these routes on his bicycle...especially in France. And for this he has to be given credit. But what I continue to find disturbing, is that he pretty much ignores geography. It's all based on astronomical projections and cities are located not necessarily where nature has located a well endowed site with natural fortifications and access to water but at the intersection of some meridian line (somewhat arbitrarily chosen) and another solstice line that happens to run through another site. Maybe he is right but I wonder about all the other sites that he doesn't mention and wonder whether he is cherry picking his data to suit his theory. A fairer way of doing things might be to come up with a compete listing of all acknowledged sacred sites and see how many of them fell on these astronomically "predictive" lines. If they all fell on the lines then I think he would have a case closed but if he's just cherry picked then he's really proved nothing much.
I have difficulty with his apparent starting point with the route of Herakles...whether you take it from Andorra to the alps or project even further back to the sacred promontory of Sagres in Portugal. His lines look fine when plotted on the modern Mercator projection ...and duly pass through Narbonne and end at the Matrona pass. But they certainly don't do this when plotted on the more accurate Lambert's azimulthal equal area projection of Europe. If you try projecting from Sagres via Andorra you end up far to the south and in the Mediterranean sea. And if you take Andorra as your starting point and project eastwards via Narbonne then you end up far to the north of the alps. So Robb's overly simplistic base lines seem very suspect to me. And even the idea that Druids and Celts had adopted wholesale the legend of Herakles seems rather suspect to me. A big problem with the Druids was that they left no writings so Robb is pretty free to attribute anything to them ....and does. Though he certainly has a much higher opinion of them and their accomplishments than contemporary Roman writers such as Caesar and Polybius.
I found, when I checked, that most of the reviews of the book were very favourable ..."Remarkable...an overarching, wondrous reworking of history" says Phillip Hoare of the Literary Review. In fact, I only found one review which questioned the fairly bold claims made by Robb and the lack of references to back up some of the claims. (Though, to be fair, I think he has done a reasonable job with the references).
Overall, I found it a pretty hard slog to read. And rather repetitive....especially when he runs through the same sort of procedure for Britain (after France) and then Ireland.
I noticed that like many people who are fond of geometrical links (or golden ratios etc.,) that they are prepared to claim somewhat spurious accuracy. For example, his lines superimposed on an image of the roundel on p247, don't exactly line up with the centres of the circles etc., and one could....with this sort of diagram pick any point to draw the lines and it would match some feature (with the various spirals) in the actual figure. I remember seeing some similar geometry being applied to a famous Japanese stone garden in Kyoto......but this time using the golden ratio. Superficially it looked fine but only because a particular group of stones was spread over a fair area and so the line could be made to intersect wherever suited the theory best.
OK. I think there is probably some truth in what Robb is saying. Priests and soothsayers did take astronomical readings and oriented activities according to the sun cycles (Stonehenge and the standing stones all over France and Spain testify to this). And, if a new city or sacred site was to be established presumably the priests would be consulted and use their astronomical observations to predict favourable sites. (Certainly this happened with the location of Mexico City and happens today with houses and shinto rites in Japan). Though, I suspect, the priestly incantations etc were probably overlain with a bit of pragmatic local geography. For me, It's hard to know how much of Robb's tales to believe. My impression is that he is over-claiming and cherry picking but without looking in detail for all the other sacred sites (and there must be tens of thousands) and checking to see if they also align with the royal roads and solstice lines ...it's hard to know for sure. But just looking at the map of France on p58 and that of Britain on p282..it seems to me that local geography is at least as important and many of these sites are clearly NOT located on the meridianal lines or equinox lines.
So an interesting book. It has somewhat intrigued me but still have my doubts about people with theories who want to draw lines on maps to suit their theories and look only for supporting evidence and are happy to accept places that are close but not exactly on the lines. I give it 4 stars.
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further than this and draws all sorts of lines on his (Mercator projection) maps and finds mysterious linkages with all sorts of ancient cities and sacred sites. As he says, towards the last few pages: "geomantic expeditions are not for the neurotically disposed'.....having just plotted on a meridian, the restaurant where he'd had a discussion to the left-luggage office at St Pancreas Station where his bicycle had completed its journey. The whole book smacks of a theory in search of coincidences which would confirm the theory. Rather like numerology. I was interested in the map of Britain on p 282 where a large number of early christian sites had been plotted. Over this Robb has plotted a few of his Royal Roads and solstice lines. Yes they pass through a number of the christian sites but there seem to be a huge number that are not related. So what can one conclude from all of this?Well, first, Graham Robb has put a power of work into his various pathways and plots and has personally ridden many of these routes on his bicycle...especially in France. And for this he has to be given credit. But what I continue to find disturbing, is that he pretty much ignores geography. It's all based on astronomical projections and cities are located not necessarily where nature has located a well endowed site with natural fortifications and access to water but at the intersection of some meridian line (somewhat arbitrarily chosen) and another solstice line that happens to run through another site. Maybe he is right but I wonder about all the other sites that he doesn't mention and wonder whether he is cherry picking his data to suit his theory. A fairer way of doing things might be to come up with a compete listing of all acknowledged sacred sites and see how many of them fell on these astronomically "predictive" lines. If they all fell on the lines then I think he would have a case closed but if he's just cherry picked then he's really proved nothing much.
I have difficulty with his apparent starting point with the route of Herakles...whether you take it from Andorra to the alps or project even further back to the sacred promontory of Sagres in Portugal. His lines look fine when plotted on the modern Mercator projection ...and duly pass through Narbonne and end at the Matrona pass. But they certainly don't do this when plotted on the more accurate Lambert's azimulthal equal area projection of Europe. If you try projecting from Sagres via Andorra you end up far to the south and in the Mediterranean sea. And if you take Andorra as your starting point and project eastwards via Narbonne then you end up far to the north of the alps. So Robb's overly simplistic base lines seem very suspect to me. And even the idea that Druids and Celts had adopted wholesale the legend of Herakles seems rather suspect to me. A big problem with the Druids was that they left no writings so Robb is pretty free to attribute anything to them ....and does. Though he certainly has a much higher opinion of them and their accomplishments than contemporary Roman writers such as Caesar and Polybius.
I found, when I checked, that most of the reviews of the book were very favourable ..."Remarkable...an overarching, wondrous reworking of history" says Phillip Hoare of the Literary Review. In fact, I only found one review which questioned the fairly bold claims made by Robb and the lack of references to back up some of the claims. (Though, to be fair, I think he has done a reasonable job with the references).
Overall, I found it a pretty hard slog to read. And rather repetitive....especially when he runs through the same sort of procedure for Britain (after France) and then Ireland.
I noticed that like many people who are fond of geometrical links (or golden ratios etc.,) that they are prepared to claim somewhat spurious accuracy. For example, his lines superimposed on an image of the roundel on p247, don't exactly line up with the centres of the circles etc., and one could....with this sort of diagram pick any point to draw the lines and it would match some feature (with the various spirals) in the actual figure. I remember seeing some similar geometry being applied to a famous Japanese stone garden in Kyoto......but this time using the golden ratio. Superficially it looked fine but only because a particular group of stones was spread over a fair area and so the line could be made to intersect wherever suited the theory best.
OK. I think there is probably some truth in what Robb is saying. Priests and soothsayers did take astronomical readings and oriented activities according to the sun cycles (Stonehenge and the standing stones all over France and Spain testify to this). And, if a new city or sacred site was to be established presumably the priests would be consulted and use their astronomical observations to predict favourable sites. (Certainly this happened with the location of Mexico City and happens today with houses and shinto rites in Japan). Though, I suspect, the priestly incantations etc were probably overlain with a bit of pragmatic local geography. For me, It's hard to know how much of Robb's tales to believe. My impression is that he is over-claiming and cherry picking but without looking in detail for all the other sacred sites (and there must be tens of thousands) and checking to see if they also align with the royal roads and solstice lines ...it's hard to know for sure. But just looking at the map of France on p58 and that of Britain on p282..it seems to me that local geography is at least as important and many of these sites are clearly NOT located on the meridianal lines or equinox lines.
So an interesting book. It has somewhat intrigued me but still have my doubts about people with theories who want to draw lines on maps to suit their theories and look only for supporting evidence and are happy to accept places that are close but not exactly on the lines. I give it 4 stars.
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LibraryThing member Library_Lin
If you’re looking for stories with details on iron age life and the magical acts performed by Druids, you will be disappointed with this book. Graham Robb doesn’t promise what he can’t deliver.
But if you are curious about what we now know about the mythological and practical maps that the
Using solar routes, longitude and latitudes, and Celtic myths, Robb draws up places either long disappeared or buried beneath more recent history. Taken together, they provide maps of a world long gone. The Celtic world he has discovered is based on myth, yes. But more importantly, it’s based on math, including a geometry different from the Euclidean geometry of the classic world.
While I sometimes found this book difficult to follow, the glimpses I got were fascinating. The ancient Celts weren’t the unsophisticated, hairy brutes the Romans portrayed them to be. They were different, but in their own way, just as intelligent as the Romans who defeated them.
I recommend this book to anyone genuinely curious about ancient Celtic cultures. While they didn’t leave written accounts to satisfy our curiosity, what Graham Robb teases out of the rubble provides a tantalizing peek and much fodder for the imagination. I'd give this book 3.5 stars if I could. It's a good book, though sometimes hard to follow.
But if you are curious about what we now know about the mythological and practical maps that the
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Celts used to map Gaul, Britain, and Ireland, he can help you out. And he knows what he’s talking about because he first realized that hints at the Iron Age Celtic world still exist in the landscape of these places today.Using solar routes, longitude and latitudes, and Celtic myths, Robb draws up places either long disappeared or buried beneath more recent history. Taken together, they provide maps of a world long gone. The Celtic world he has discovered is based on myth, yes. But more importantly, it’s based on math, including a geometry different from the Euclidean geometry of the classic world.
While I sometimes found this book difficult to follow, the glimpses I got were fascinating. The ancient Celts weren’t the unsophisticated, hairy brutes the Romans portrayed them to be. They were different, but in their own way, just as intelligent as the Romans who defeated them.
I recommend this book to anyone genuinely curious about ancient Celtic cultures. While they didn’t leave written accounts to satisfy our curiosity, what Graham Robb teases out of the rubble provides a tantalizing peek and much fodder for the imagination. I'd give this book 3.5 stars if I could. It's a good book, though sometimes hard to follow.
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Awards
Stanford Travel Book of the Year (Longlist — 2014)
Publishers Weekly's Best Books of the Year (Nonfiction — 2013)
The Observer Book of the Year (History — 2013)
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
8.2 inches
ISBN
0393349926 / 9780393349924
UPC
884351568569
Local notes
FB