Life Of The Ancient Celts

'Who were Ireland's first settlers? How did they live? What did they believe? The answers to these questions and more are to be found in the late Laurence Flanagan's acclaimed guide to pre-Celtic civilisation, 'Ancient Ireland: Life Before the Celts'

Discover the life along the Danube and the Celtic Civilization, social life, customs, language and religion.

When the Celts first arrived in Ireland around 200 B.C., the island had already been inhabited for over 7000 years. Drawing on a wealth of archaeological evidence and the author's own mastery of the subject, Ancient Ireland returns to those pre-Celtic roots in a bid to discover the secrets of the island's first inhabitants: Who were they? And how did they live? Few accounts of the period are as exhaustively researched; fewer still are as alive with historical insight and compelling detail. At once accessible and comprehensive, Ancient Ireland is an indispensable guide to early Irish civilisation, its culture and mythology.

Fourteen centuries of Celtic life and culture are depicted in over 40 well-researched, excellently rendered illustrations. Intriguing scenes of an Iron-Age village, Glastonbury fishermen, farmers harvesting grain, Celtic warriors on horseback, St. Patrick driving the snakes out of Ireland, and much more are featured. Descriptive captions.

Fierce warriors and skilled craftsmen, the Celts were famous throughout the Ancient Mediterranean World. They were the archetypal barbarians from the north and were feared by both Greeks and Romans. For two and a half thousand years they have continued to fascinate those who have come into contact with them, yet their origins have remained a mystery and even today are the subject of heated debate among historians and archaeologists. Barry Cunliffe's classic study of the ancient Celtic world was first published in 1997. Since then huge advances have taken place in our knowledge: new finds, new ways of using DNA records to understand Celtic origins, new ideas about the proto-urban nature of early chieftains' strongholds, All these developments are part of this fully updated , and completely redesigned edition. Cunliffe explores the archaeological reality of these bold warriors and skilled craftsmen of barbarian Europe who inspired fear in both the Greeks and the Romans. He investigates the texts of the classical writers and contrasts their view of the Celts with current archaeological findings. Tracing the emergence of chiefdoms and the fifth- to third-century migrations as far as Bosnia and the Czech Republic, he assesses the disparity between the traditional story and the most recent historical and archaeological evidence on the Celts. Other aspects of Celtic identity such as the cultural diversity of the tribes, their social and religious systems, art, language and law, are also examined. From the picture that emerges, we are — crucially — able to distinguish between the original Celts, and those tribes which were 'Celtized', giving us an invaluable insight into the true identity of this ancient people.

"The Religion of the Ancient Celts" is perfect for those interested in the Celts from a historical, linguistic, mythological, or ethnological standpoint. The book's author, MacCulloch, covers his subject matter clearly and thoroughly. He adds references to such things as parallels with Greek mythology and Sumerian religion. The style of the book will satisfy the expert without mystifying or losing the attention of the amateur.