A Brief History of the Celts

Despite the rabid reviews by a few,don't pass up the book,and of course consider possible author bias,just as you would with any book

To add to the existing reviews noting biases.. Yes, Ellis is biased toward the Celtic cultures in this book. More on that in a minute. This book is very readable (to compare to Markale who is incredible, but more academic in her writing style), and presents a comprehensive, enthusiastic history of Celtic culture. Biased, yes, however, he is a balance to other historical/pre-historic/psudo-archaeological writers such as Freeman (Women, War, and Druids) who take a pro-Greek and Roman view in their writings. Granted a more unbiased source would be preferable, but if you read a balance of both, you can figure out about where the middle ground lays (or might that be lies?). Ellis really points out that most, especially Roman, classical documentation is biased, generally viewing the Celts as uncivilized barbarians. He does comment that Caesar is writing on a Political agenda, but also acknowledges there are gems of truth in the propaganda. After all the best lie is an alteration of the truth, rather than an outright falsehood. Also, contemporary Romans would have had other sources on the Celts, so he would have had to keep his exaggerations within believable, hence moderated, limits. So there is useful, yet biased information in Caesar's accounts, which must be picked through carefully and in context to other writings and to archaeological record. A must have on the bookshelf of anyone who is interested in the study of ancient Celtic history and culture.

I was hesitant to read this after looking at some of the reviews posted here. But I took a chance and I will admit, I've thoroughly enjoyed this book. Its well-cited and the author has kept up to date with pertinent issues, such as languages and archaeological findings. I read Tacitus earlier this summer, as well as some other books on the "prehistory" of Scotland and I think this particular book is not meant to be concise/definitive (or a piece of propaganda)....its simply an introduction. I recommend it if you want to get your feet wet.

I thought this book was an excellent overview of ancient Celtic history. It is not meant to be a difinitive work. But if your looking for a solid overview this is an excellent place to start. To those who are having a go at this book I would say firstly Ellis does not hate Romans or Greeks he just rightly points out that when reading the Romans accounts of the Celts you must take into account that they were fighting the Celts and driving them out of continental Europe so they hardly were likely to be writing flowing tributes to the Celts. To those who attack the very existence of the Celts mentioning recent books by John Collis and Simon James I would say remember they are British and they are part of an anglo culture which is obviously very anti Celtic and in particular very nervous about the Celtic revivals going on in Scotland and Wales fueled by the recent devloution. Collis and James are more interested in politics and their anglo cultural racism. O and by the way Ceaser in De Bello Gallico himself during his campaign in Gaul (one which today I think would fit the definition of genocide) mentions that the Gauls called themselves Celts and comments that their religion prohibits them from putting their teachings and beliefs to paper.

In the Western world no libel has endured with greater persistence than the one of "barbarian" levied against the Celts. The ancient Greeks applied the term "Keltai" to the peoples living north of their peninsula. They described them as "barbarians" which originally meant "outsider" or "foreigner". The meaning of "barbarian" changed over the centuries, especially when the Roman Empire's expansion was checked by these ancient people and Caesar became a propagandist in his campaigns against them. He admired their courage and fighting abilities, but disparaged nearly every other aspect of their culture. And his depiction persisted for centuries. In an outstanding brief overview, Ellis provides a corrective to that portrayal. We learn the Celts have Indo-European roots reaching into deep time. We also learn all those centuries allowed the Celts to achieve high cultural attainments in society, urban development and the arts. Oh, yes. They also successfully defeated nearly every force sent against them. Only a long war of attrition plus a few renegade leaders turned defectors ultimately led to Rome's overrunning them. Which didn't destroy their culture. It took the Christians to achieve that. In describing Celtic society, Ellis frequently reminds us that these "first Europeans" had no written records. In large part, this lack was due to the prohibition of religious matters being set down in writing. Their leading intellectual class, the Druids, who had a far larger role than chanting in oak forests, maintained a detailed oral tradition. Not until the Christians came among them were any of their legends committed to parchment, and those, in Ellis' words were "bowdlerised" versions, designed to transform Celtic historical and mythical figures into the Christian mythology. Ellis guides us through the metaphysical and concrete aspects of Celtic life. Gods proliferated, with countless local deities, but some which appear to be common across their areas of occupation. The Celts had a strong sense of the human soul, which they knew resided in the head, not in the stomach of Greek philosophy. The Christian Trinity, not "officially" promulgated until Nicea, may have originated with ideas derived through a Celtic bishop a century before the "Creed". Kings and warriors played their roles, but the Celts had a highly talented artisan class. While swords were significantly superior for their time, they also produced superb jewellry and other artefacts. Their technology, going far beyond weaponry, included a strong use of glass and enamelling techniques. They built strong houses and castles, expanding some sites into major urban centres. While the libel against them has persisted, so have many of their ideas, words and deities. As Ellis has attempted to do with this book, a better balance needs to be struck. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada] ** with thanks to Atheen