Les Celtes: Histoire d’un mythe

by Jean-Louis Brunaux

Durant deux millénaires, les Celtes ont été oubliés mais, depuis quelques décennies, ils occupent le devant de la scène historique, effaçant du même coup Gaulois et Germains. Qui étaient-ils en réalité ? Et ont-ils même existé ?. Pour répondre à ces questions, l'auteur se livre à une vaste enquête, l'obligeant à remonter aux sources écrites les plus anciennes. Il apparaft ainsi que, depuis leur rencontre avec les voyageurs grecs, les Celtes n'ont cessé d'être l'objet des mythes les plus divers, des plus poétiques aux plus idéologiques, voire raciaux. Parce qu'ils ont toujours paru indéfinissables, généalogie, histoire, linguistique, archéologie et comparatisme se sont emparé d'eux comme des exemples ou des modèles malléables à merci. Chacun peut s'imaginer ces hommes à sa manière et les utiliser dans des théories qui souvent ont peu à voir avec l'histoire objective.. Il était temps de rendre les Celtes à leur réalité et, dans les récits qui ont été donnés de leur histoire, de faire la part de l'invention..

Genres: History, Nonfiction

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The French archaeologist Jean-Louis Brunaux is a known name in the French world of history and archaeology, especially for his knowledge on the Gaules and anything Celtic. He's written a number of books on these peoples, their culture, etc. However, he's also not unspoken of, apparently. One interesting topic (about this book) can be found on the forum "L'arbre celtique", see here.

I came across one of his works, "Les Celtes: Histoire d'un mythe" a few months ago. According to the blurb, it wasn't the x-th book on the Celts, their way of living, and so on. No, Mr Brunaux would try to look at the Celts and their influence from a different angle, especially with regards to contemporary times.

History books tend to be dry and not as accessible as, say, a historical fiction novel. Not so with "Les Celtes: Histoire d'un mythe". Mr Brunaux applied quite an accessible style, or it must be because my French has improved a lot over the years. The main focus lies on the Celts' territory. The Celts didn't only live in Ireland, England, ... or even France. No, they were scattered all over Europe.

Also, the Celts? There was not one people of Celts, they were various peoples, each with their own characteristics, habits, way of living, culture, and so on. Yet, throughout history it has been easier to put them all under one banner: Celts. So, the Gaules, the Belgae, the Germanic tribes, Britons, and so on... all were "Celts", without any distinction. At least, according to Mr Brunaux research and found in ancient sources. Without forgetting the peoples of Eastern Europe, who were all Scythians, which obviously they weren't, but it's easier to put them all onto the same pile.

Of course, when diving into the history of the Celts, one cannot avoid the two main places and periods: La Tène and Hallstatt. The city of Marseille and the Greek trading there is also well-explained and a basis for further exploration of the Celtic people living in France.

Language is another aspect that was looked at. As there were various tribes, their languages also differed, however largely. Here too, there might have been the misconception that all spoke the same language. They didn't. There were of course links and relations, as is the case with other languages today: There's not one kind of French or English or Chinese or ...

Culture appropriation is another aspect that's discussed or looked into. Cosplay, political parties using Celtic elements to suit their ideologies, attributes used in today's events or media, ... Or even attributing aspects to "the" Celts that aren't historically correct, either because they never existed or because they belonged to only one or a few Celtic tribes.

The Celts were at some point in the last few centuries so popular that the history of the Gauls, the Belgians, and even the Germanic peoples. All because everything was Celtic, despite the Gauls being one of the Celtic people. Throughout history, several historians have either trusted their own instincts or those of others, instead of properly investigating what was correct and what wasn't. Even today, these mistakes are made, for whatever reason.

With the history of the Celts being so popular and the Celts being more than just a moniker to put every one of those tribes under, one of the questions Mr Brunaux asked or put forward was: What makes a Celt... a Celt?
* language?
* territory?
* physiognomy?
* culture?
* ...?

And those questions make you think about today's way of living and being part of one or more "tribes":
* through music (metal vs other kinds)
* football/soccer teams (fans of team x vs those of team y)
* professions/jobs (workers vs employees vs civil servant vs ...)
* religion
* nations
* ...

We're all humans, but also all part of various groups/tribes (however you wish to call it) via our way of living, where we live, our interests, ... And yet, we each have our nationalities. You can't call everyone "human", when there are French, Chinese, Bulgarian, ... people, each with their characteristics, physiognomy, language, ...

"Les Celtes: Histoire d'un mythe" is, as I see it, a nice addition to the plethora of books on the history of the Celtic peoples, as it focuses on certain aspects of what makes a Celt a Celt and how over the years a lot has been misinterpreted, wrongly appropriated, perhaps romanticised (for whatever reason). Is it a indispensable work? Probably not, but it does provide food for thought, even today.

This work did peak my interest to read some of Mr Brunaux's other works, especially on the Gaules, his field of expertise.

To close off, one article (PDF), via the platform HAL, complementing this book: see here.

----------
----------

Previously read:
* Simon James - The World of the Celts (review)
* Hilda Roderick Elles Davidson - Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe: Early Scandinavian and Celtic Religions

On my TBR-pile:
* Rodney Castleden - The Element Encyclopedia of the Celts
* Barry Cunliffe - The Ancient Celts (the first edition, not the reissue)

[Pierre-Olivier Lemay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Les premiers chapitres sont des plus intéressant, racontant n peu l'histoire des peuples Méditerranéens de l'antiquité. Par contre le tout devient très lourd quand il commence à discuter des théorie linguistiques et archéologiques. Un peu trop en profondeur pour un non initié.