Status
Available
Call number
Collections
Publication
Quercus Publishing (2017), Edition: Illustrated, 320 pages
Description
'Informed, impeccably researched and written' Neil Oliver 'A masterpiece of evocative scientific storytelling' Brian Cox The Celts are one of the world's most mysterious ancient people. In this compelling account, Alice Roberts takes us on a journey across Europe, uncovering the truth about this engimatic tribe: their origins, their treasure and their enduring legacy today. What emerges is not a wild people, but a highly sophisticated tribal culture that influenced the ancient world - and even Rome. It is the story of a multicultural civilization, linked by a common language. It is the story of how ideas travelled in prehistory, how technology and art spread across the continent. It is the story of a five-hundred year fight between two civilizations that came to define the world we live in today. It is the story of a culture that changed Europe forever. 'Roberts's lightness of touch is joyous, and celebratory' Observer 'Clear-spoken and enthusiastic' Telegraph… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member PDCRead
The Celts and a mysterious people. You either think of a woad daubed, near naked warrior, screaming at the top of his voice, or see them as a hugely artistic people who produced the most exquisite gold jewellery. These images have been elicited from Roman literature and from burial sites and finds
But the evidence is there; provided you know where to look. In this companion book to the BBC series, Roberts takes us from Northern Europe and right down to the Mediterranean to speak to those who are investigating these people, to see the latest evidence and touch the few possessions that have survived across the ages. It is an interesting journey as the people are so elusive, partly as they left precious little traces of their homes and lifestyle. There are some interesting theories as to the roots of Celts, how they influenced European language and culture and how the echoes of their legacy still reverberate even today. Good stuff, now to watch the TV series.
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in fields. Unlike the Romans and Normans who left vast swathes of solid architectural evidence and literature for us to understand them, the Celts touched the earth lightly leaving traces only of their existence. The artefacts that we do find though are quite beautiful; the tales that history whispers are strange; so who are these people?But the evidence is there; provided you know where to look. In this companion book to the BBC series, Roberts takes us from Northern Europe and right down to the Mediterranean to speak to those who are investigating these people, to see the latest evidence and touch the few possessions that have survived across the ages. It is an interesting journey as the people are so elusive, partly as they left precious little traces of their homes and lifestyle. There are some interesting theories as to the roots of Celts, how they influenced European language and culture and how the echoes of their legacy still reverberate even today. Good stuff, now to watch the TV series.
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LibraryThing member starbox
Who were the Celts? I had a sort of confused image between the Welsh/Scots ...but ancient Europeans too (recalled Celtic settlements in Croatia).
This was a BRILLIANT book, trying to get true facts rather than blindly going along with traditional narratives ("waves of immigration from Central
And the final twist is that latest findings suggest the Celts first emerged in the Iberian peninsula..
Despite leaving us with many unanswered questions, it's a fascinating look at ancient history. Superb.
This was a BRILLIANT book, trying to get true facts rather than blindly going along with traditional narratives ("waves of immigration from Central
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Europe".) Looking at the often very different tribes of Bromze/Iron Age Europe, there's often no certainty that there was much of a link. Miss Roberts observes that foreign artefacts can be due to trade or an exchange of ideas/ tastes...not necessarily immigration. And likewise, Celtic ideas cancome to permeate the lives of non-Celtic tribes. She's loth to put a romantic interpretation on "ritual buials" without definitive proof. Or to necessarily take the Romans' writings on the Celts as gospel truth.And the final twist is that latest findings suggest the Celts first emerged in the Iberian peninsula..
Despite leaving us with many unanswered questions, it's a fascinating look at ancient history. Superb.
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LibraryThing member booktsunami
I originally came across this book via a recommendation in "Ancient Paths" by Graham Robb (Which falls into the circular argument trap that Alice Roberts describes about looking for confirming evidence for a theory). But I've found Robert's book to be vaguely dissatisfying. She simply leaves a lot
A basic theme of the book is do dispel the idea that the Celts originated in central Europe...near the source of the Danube and spread by a series of migrations from here...both westwards and eastwards and to the south. I'm reasonably happy with the approach which she seems to adopt from Barry Cunliffe that this approach is wrong. That culture and language was transmitted quite effectively by individuals (such as miners and traders ) moving between countries with small scale migration. The DNA evidence (which Roberts doesn't really give enough attention to) indicates that in Britain, anyway, the influx of relatively recent genes from Europe is small and most of the ancestors were already in place. In fact, I guess, that the whole area was inhabited originally by the neanderthals who were then displaced (and interbred) by the later migrations of homo sapiens. And changes that were wrought upon these early settlers came about through some invasions and migrations but also via the mechanisms that Roberts describes...getting together for feasts and exchange of marriage partners, trade, movement of priests and "missionaries" who spread ideas and maybe new technology.
The book is especially interesting in that it describes the clear lack of agreement by archeologists on their methodology. I was fascinated by the revelation that the Germans resolutely rejected any hypothesis that the Celts had Iberian origins....yet this was welcomed by the Spanish. So modern politics and "My team" first seems to prevail even in the (supposedly) scientific world for Archeology.
To my mind, the same sort of "My team first" thinking rather pervades Roberts whole book...where she seems to take a position of an overly strong role for Britain in the Celtic story. though finally, it is a story of the movement of ideas rather than people that brought about the Celtic people. Oh, one further thought, and this relates to a book I read about the role of mercenary forces in the Ancient world and especially the importation of the Galatians into (modern day) Turkey. They became a thorn in the side of many rulers in subsequent centuries and hired themselves out to many different and opposing sides over the subsequent years.....including a big contingent who settled in Egypt. (Though the evidence from Egypt is that though they were supposed to be a force who were ready, at a moment's notice, to leap to arms....the reality was that they became a bit soft and within one generation were paying more attention to their farms than the defence of the current Ptolemy.
An interesting read but vaguely superficial. I give it four stars.
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out. Quite a lot. For example, there is no discussion of the ancient paths that Robb talks about in great depth. And, whilst, I think he exaggerates the ubiquity of the paths...there does seem to be some significance to the location of religious sites etc which is based on ancient astronomy. And no coverage of Astronomy and the ancient sites like Stonehenge....which appear to have been used by the Celts...if not actually created by them,. And there is virtually no coverage of the Druids and their religious activities and their coordinating influence across Europe. (Well a little but it's very little). Roberts seems to be very hung-up on linguistic clues to the origins of the Celts and to the longevity of values, customs and myths...which even current experience (with "fake news" and language morphing for example) is demonstrably very plastic and, I think, unreliable. A basic theme of the book is do dispel the idea that the Celts originated in central Europe...near the source of the Danube and spread by a series of migrations from here...both westwards and eastwards and to the south. I'm reasonably happy with the approach which she seems to adopt from Barry Cunliffe that this approach is wrong. That culture and language was transmitted quite effectively by individuals (such as miners and traders ) moving between countries with small scale migration. The DNA evidence (which Roberts doesn't really give enough attention to) indicates that in Britain, anyway, the influx of relatively recent genes from Europe is small and most of the ancestors were already in place. In fact, I guess, that the whole area was inhabited originally by the neanderthals who were then displaced (and interbred) by the later migrations of homo sapiens. And changes that were wrought upon these early settlers came about through some invasions and migrations but also via the mechanisms that Roberts describes...getting together for feasts and exchange of marriage partners, trade, movement of priests and "missionaries" who spread ideas and maybe new technology.
The book is especially interesting in that it describes the clear lack of agreement by archeologists on their methodology. I was fascinated by the revelation that the Germans resolutely rejected any hypothesis that the Celts had Iberian origins....yet this was welcomed by the Spanish. So modern politics and "My team" first seems to prevail even in the (supposedly) scientific world for Archeology.
To my mind, the same sort of "My team first" thinking rather pervades Roberts whole book...where she seems to take a position of an overly strong role for Britain in the Celtic story. though finally, it is a story of the movement of ideas rather than people that brought about the Celtic people. Oh, one further thought, and this relates to a book I read about the role of mercenary forces in the Ancient world and especially the importation of the Galatians into (modern day) Turkey. They became a thorn in the side of many rulers in subsequent centuries and hired themselves out to many different and opposing sides over the subsequent years.....including a big contingent who settled in Egypt. (Though the evidence from Egypt is that though they were supposed to be a force who were ready, at a moment's notice, to leap to arms....the reality was that they became a bit soft and within one generation were paying more attention to their farms than the defence of the current Ptolemy.
An interesting read but vaguely superficial. I give it four stars.
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Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2015
Physical description
7.88 inches
ISBN
9781784293352