Celtic Warriors

First of all, I know that this book has been the subject of some arguments on the validity of the word `Celt' in reference to the ancient Gauls, Britons, and Galatians. In my review I am going to remain neutral, however, and review the book solely for its own sake. O hOgain's book is lavishly illustrated and appears to be well-researched, fleshing out the appearance, fighting styles, and history of these ancient warriors using words that capture the reader's attention. By telling the history of the warriors of ancient Gaul, Britain, Eire, Celtiberia, and Galatia, he effectively gives the whole history of these realms as it is known to us - including their clashes with the Greeks, their service in Carthaginian armies, and their piecemeal conquest by the Roman Republic. The author reveals, like most books on this topic, the various strengths and weaknesses of the ancient Gauls - tall, strong, and courageous, but also superstitious, undisciplined, and prone to heavy drinking and fighting amongst themselves. As a student of the Classical World, I have to admit that, as I read the story of the Gaulish warriors I find myself sympathizing more with the Romans. Any potential, however great, these `barbarians' may have had was lost by their pitiful disunity and bickering amongst themselves. `A united Gaul can defy the universe', this was the dream of Vercingetorix the Arvernian, one of the few visionaries that appear in Rome's accounts of the Gauls, and it was a dream too late to be realized by the time he made his stand against Julius Caesar in 52 BC. Not unlike Scotland's Highlanders, the warriors of Gaul were in fact not destined to realize their full potential as warriors until after they were conquered by their imperial neighbors - by the 2nd Century AD, the warriors of Gaul, Britain, and Spain were providing the majority of recruits into the Roman Army. As a previous reviewer observed, this book tells the story of the wars between the Romans and Gauls without glorifying or demonizing either side, and I found it to be a well - rounded and fair work of legitimate history. Other reviewers, and those who have left negative remarks on reviews - should worry less about the relevance of the word `Celt' than they should the actual content of the book they are attacking.

This book is perhaps the most comprehensive one-volume survey of ancient Celtic history available. Filled with beautiful photos and illustrations, this volume covers in detail the rise and fall of the Celtic peoples in Europe in the ancient world. O Hogain describes the expansive Celtic experience in the ancient world from Britian and Ireland to Galicia in Turkey. O Hogain's descriptions of their cultural acheivements and military exploits shows that these warriors and craftsmen were a force to be reckoned with in the ancient world. O' Hogain is indeed very sympathetic with his subjects, and understandably suspicious of Roman sources, which after all were written by authors entirely unsympathetic to the Celtic peoples. It is important to remember that a history is written by the victors, and may be viewed with suspicion accordingly. O' Hogain, however, does not wax poetic about the virtues of the Celtic peoples nor unduly demonize the Roman victors. Nevertheless, O Hogain accurately describes the lack of central organization and what we recognize as modern military discipline that allowed the Celtic peoples to be defeated piecemeal by the better equipped, trained and logistically superior Roman forces. As an aside, it is entirely irrelevant that the peoples we call the "Celts" did not use that word. The fact remains that these people shared a common cultural heritage and traditions, and are therefore properly studied as a single "people", and this volume does those people justice.

Beautiful produced with lots of excellent photos of statues, jewellery and places in Celtic History, this is a broader view than a lot of work. It covers who were the Celts, the push into Italy and then the thrust Eastward, covering the struggles of the Celts in the Mediterranean, the Collapse of Gaul and the fight for survival in the West. For someone searching to start their journey on just who were these people, what influence they made on the ancient world, this is an excellent starting point to understanding this warlike people.

This historical atlas-like offering is a record of the Celtic peoples, from their 1st Millenium B.C. entrance on the historical stage, to their withdrawal from their continental heartland into Western France, Ireland, and Wales. The tale is well told and supported by helpful maps, plus photos of weapons, coins, statues, paintings, and drawings of the tall, fair, fearless, red-haired people. It seems the beautiful and gallant Celts, so fascinated later civilizations that the Romans and Greeks were compelled to depict Celts in many paintings and sculptures, such as "The Dying Gaul". (It's in there)The early Celtic warriors extended their culture throughout most of Europe and into Asia Minor, as they conquered and settled the continent almost at will. Alexander the Great (355-323 BC) came to terms with them and turned his attention to the south and east of his Greek/Macedonian home base. In 189 B.C., while addressing his troops, the Roman general Manlius called the Celts a fierce nation. He further stated: "Their tall physique, their flowing red hair, their huge shields and enormous swords", along with the songs they sing when marching naked into battle, "their howling and leaping, and the fearful din of arms as they bang their shields according to some ancestral custom -- all these things are designed to terrify!"The archeological finds displayed in the book are of surprising excellence and sophistication for the 1st Millenium B.C. The bronze art-works and iron weaponry, both of which have been found plated with gold, tell the tale of an advanced people who spread throughout Europe, into Asia Minor, and perhaps beyond. Apparenty the Celtic culture was an early victim of "diversity". Their settlers mingled and interbred with conquered and conquerors, alike. Thus, the Celtic civilization was infected with so much "diversity" that it disappeared in most of Europe...The illustrations alone make this book a worthwhile purchase, but for those who can read, (advocates of "diversity" and social engineers are excused) the text is clear and easy to follow. An excellent appendix is included, which contains an "Alphabetial Listing of Celtic Peoples" including the area of Europe with which each is associated. There is also a bibliography for further research: go to it and enjoy.

Celtic Warriors is the first widely available book of its kind in English: a scholarly survey of Iron Age Celtic culture that can be enjoyed by specialists and the general reader alike. Herein you will not find wild speculations or New Age wishful thinking; O'hOgain does an excellent job of interpreting the body of evidence available from the period of roughly 800 BCE to about 450 CE (the period when the designation "Celtic" can properly be applied to the indigenous cultures/languages of Western Europe). The author skillfully balances Classical historical accounts with archaeological remains (coins, inscriptions, weapons, grave plots, etc.)and later medieval Irish and Welsh epics. Indeed, the focus on antiquity (as opposed to the Middle Ages) makes this book the landmark study that it is. So many other books about the Celts give way too much coverage of the later medieval manuscripts (which are heavilly influenced by Christian and Germanic traditions) at the cost of the reader coming away with a some what blurred notion of what the term "Celtic" actually means in a cultural context. The section on Gaulish tribal names and their meanings/etymologies is a very nice feature and O'hOgain's comparative analysis of insular and continental tribal names is fantastic. Furthermore, he addresses a topic often ignored in other surveys: the British origins of Ireland's dominant east coast tribes. In the end the story of the Celts is a tragic one. These mighty warbands had the power to overrun all of Europe and wipe out all who cared to stand up against them...but all evidence indicates that the celts had no sense of "nationhood" and they spent more time fighting each other than they did threatening outside enemies. In a sense, the Celts were not defeated by Romans or Germans: they defeated themselves.