The Ancient Celts

by Barry Cunliffe

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198752936
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	06/26/2018
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	496
Sales rank:	246,837
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Barry Cunliffe is Emeritus Professor of European Archaeology at the University of Oxford. He taught archaeology at the Universities of Bristol and Southampton and was Professor of European Archaeology at the University of Oxford from 1972 to 2008, thereafter becoming Emeritus Professor. He has excavated widely in Britain (Fishbourne, Bath, Danebury, Hengistbury Head, Brading) and in the Channel Islands, Brittany, and Spain, and has been President of the Council for British Archaeology and of the Society of Antiquaries, a Governor of the Museum of London, a Commissioner of English Heritage, and a Trustee of the British Museum. His many publications include Facing the Ocean (2001), The Druids: A Very Short Introduction (2010), Britain Begins (2012), By Steppe, Desert, and Ocean (2015), and On the Ocean (2017), all published by Oxford University Press. He received a knighthood in 2006.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Second EditionPreface to the First Edition1. Visions of the Celts2. Constructing the Historical Celts3. In the Beginning: 5500-1300 BC4. The Atlantic System: 1300-200 BC5. Western Central Europe and the Mediterranean:1300-450 BC6. The Migrations: 450-50 BC7. The Communities of the Atlantic Facade8. Celts and Others on the Eastern Fringes9. Warfare and Society10. The Arts of the Migration Period11. Religious Systems12. The Developed Celtic World13. The Celts in Retreat14. Celtic Survival15. RetrospectA Guide to Further ReadingChronological TablesMap SectionIllustration SourcesIndex