The Celtic Empire: The First Millennium of Celtic History, C. 1000 BC-51 Ad

This is a history of the Celts and their political and military doings (particularly in relation to Rome), not an analysis of Druid mythology or Celtic mythology. If you want that, you'll need to find another book, which Ellis probably authored. The focus of this book is more narrow, and cultural issues are set aside in favor of Roman-Celtic relations. Attention is given to the Celts and their alliance w/ Hannibal, the militarization of Roman society in response to the Celtic frontier, and of course Julius' quests to sieze Gaul and Britain. We tend to think of the Celts as limited to Northeast Europe (ie Ireland), yet Ellis dispells this pop cultural myth and documents that the Celts were very prominent--and historically influential--in Iberia-Galacia, even Asia Minor. The Galatians were the first Celts to accept Christianity, and Paul's epistle to them is one that greatly influenced early Christian relationship to Judaism and the Torah. The book only lightly touches upon the Irish Celts, but this is still a good book for the Irish-ophile to learn more about the spread of the Celts across all of Europe.

This book was excellent and the author is really an expert in his field. I was recently drawn to Celtic spirituality. I read this book slowly to completely understand it, and it was worth every minute! It is very academic and filled with historical information.

Peter Berresford Ellis' work on the "Celtic Empire" is an interesting, well-researched, and compelling read. His deep knowledge contemporary archaeological lore, modern Celtic scholarship, and the original Greek and Roman sources, makes this work a reliable and trustworthy account of a nation often clouded by the mist of Mythology and obscured by the stigma barbarity. Ellis begins his study of the Celtic peoples during the Bronze Age at approximately 1000 BC and concludes it at the conquest of Britain under the regiments of the emperor Claudius in AD 51. Also, the epilogue covers some fascinating theories propounded concerning Celtic relations with the American Indians around 800 BC, and also about possible ties of kinship with the Etruscans - Ellis discounts these theories, but they are worth checking out nevertheless. In general, the history focuses on the Celts struggle for freedom and identity against the pressure of an expanding Roman Empire. So, what will be found here is a very good, in-depth overview of Roman and Celtic military history. Little will be found here on Celtic law, philosophy, religion, and art, although it does contain much useful information on the Celt's language, achievements and contributions to Greco-Roman civilization and culture from Asia Minor to Ireland. The only flaw to this history is Ellis' obvious contempt for anything Roman, branding them as ambitious, greedy, and cruel; this estimate of the Roman's may to a certain extent be justified, however, Ellis' over-emphasis grows a bit bothersome early in the work. Apparently, to Ellis, anything that was good in Roman culture was inherited from the Celts. Overall, an eager reader will find a peaceful medium between the impressions left from the original Greco-Roman sources and Ellis' Celtic bias. This work should not be overlooked.

Two things i have learned from reading this book: The Celts were further spread (in time as well as distance) than i had ever known ~ and i knew they were in both Galatia and Gaul; and the Romans were consistently the most inhumane and brutal civilised people the world has known ~ outdone perhaps by the Nazis in the total quantity killed, but far outdoing them (by hundreds of years) in length of time and (by thousands of officials) in men prepared to inflict pain as a matter of state policy. To take the second point first, it is depressing to read how many Celts over the centuries were killed, tortured, sold into slavery by the invading Roman army; and if it happened to the Celts, obviously there were other peoples treated in the same way, all in the name of "The Republic". Turning to the first point, i had known that the Celts and the Gauls were the same people, and i was aware that they were found from the interior of Asia Minor to the westernmost fringe of Europe; i did not know where their homeland was ~ Ellis says central Europe, what would now be Switzerland, Austria, Eastern France, Southern Germany ~ nor did i know that they spread into Iberia, settled as thoroughlly as they did in the Po valley, or travelled as far into Scythia as they did. I was fascinated to learn that the Celtic language had such an effect on modern European languages; English, it is obvious, but French, other Romance languages through the Latin, even some Greek was influenced by the Gauls. Overall, this is a very well written history of one of the true founding peoples of Europe. The sole serious complaint i found myself making ~ several times ~ was the lack of maps: There is one, rather ill-defined, which serves as the endpapers; about six more were needed: The spread of the Celts, Italy and the Po Valley, Gaul and North-Central Europe, Illyria, Thrace and Asia Minor, the British Isles, and the Final Distribution of Celtic Influence. Barring this lack, The Celtic Empire tells a poorly known tale wonderfully.

Having first read this book in 1991 I may have forgotten parts of the story but what I haven't forgotten was that it was an excellent story. The author has presented a rich account of the first millennium of Celtic history (1000BC - 51AD). This may not be a highly detailed history but its a good story and covers all the major points of history that you would want to know about the people we call the Celts. It covers all aspects of their life and their role in the ancient world. Its a good book, well presented and researched and it's a joy to read. The text just flows along taking you on a journey back in time to when the Celts were the most feared and respected people in the land. Read it and enjoy!