Celts: The History and Legacy of One of the Oldest Cultures in Europe

by Martin J. Dougherty

They cut off the heads of enemies slain in battle and attach them to the necks of their horses... They embalm the heads... [and]... display them with pride to strangers. Diodorus Siculus. Before the Vikings, before the Anglo-Saxons, before the Roman Empire, the Celts dominated central and western Europe. Today we might think of the Celts only inhabiting parts of the far west of Europe Ireland, Great Britain, France and Spain but these were the extremities in which their culture lasted longest. In fact, they had originated in Central Europe and settled as far afield as present day Turkey, Poland and Italy. From their emergence as an Iron Age people around 800 BC to the early centuries AD, Celts reveals the truth behind the stories of naked warriors, ritual beheadings, druids, magic and accusations of human sacrifice. The book examines the different tribes, the Hallstatt and La Te ne periods, as well as Celtic survival in western Europe, the Gallic Wars, military life, spiritual life, slavery, sexuality and Celtic art. Illustrated with more than 180 color and black-and-white photographs, maps and artworks, Celts is an expertly written account of a people who have long captured the popular imagination.REVIEWS ..".easy to read, yet detailed and extensive...bursting with color photographs of artifacts, archaeological sites, paintings, and sculpture, showing Celtic design and artistic motifs as well as depictions of the Celts throughout history, especially by their enemies. The author is fair as he narrates the current, most widely accepted consensus about various aspects of Celtic culture, while also presenting competing hypotheses. Chapters are split into short, focused sections, and pages are beautifully arranged with plenty of white space, and illustrations, each explained through helpful side notes. This beautiful book is a wonderful and pleasurable introduction to this amazing culture.City Book Review"

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Mythology

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Hailing from northeast England, Martin J Dougherty is a professional writer specialising in military history. He has been at times a games designer, an engineer, a self-protection instructor, a teacher and a defence analyst. Martin has published a range of books covering topics as diverse as self-protection, medieval warfare and space flight, and has addressed international conferences on anti-shipping missiles and homeland security issues.

Martin's interests include martial arts and fencing. He has coached Fencing, Ju-Jitsu, Self-Defence and Kickboxing for many years at the University of Sunderland, and has competed to national level as a fencer. As a martial artist he holds black belts in Combat Ju-Jitsu, Nihon Tai-Jitsu and Self-Defence. Martin is a Senior Assessor with the Self-Defence Federation and an IL1 instructor/assessor with the Britsh Federation for Historical Swordplay, specialising in the Military Sabre and the Smallsword.

Reviews

[Jon Dalvy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great, visually-pleasing entry from the author and Amber, Dougherty does a fine job organizing the history of one of the most hotly debated cultures in all of antiquity. The lack of detail is, in some respects, made up for by his pleasant narrative, making this a solid introduction for those looking for a jumping-point into the culture's legacy.

[Rob Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent review of what we know of the Celts and their history. The author points out the difference between what we think we know, and what we do. Much of what we know is based on Roman sources, which were very biased. They covered much of Europe and even what is now Turkey. This is an excellent book for the student of history interested in Roman antiquity.

[Dylan Gregory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its a fun and easy read and an excellent way for someone who may not be terribly acquainted with Ancient Celtic history to expand their horizons rather quickly. It doesn't go into too much detail on most things like other books I have read, but it is a great place to start.

[Brandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Nice overview of a fair range of subjects. Little dry at times. Wish there was a credit for the artist images... pretty sure there’s some Rackham in there.

[Ajengpuspita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sangat cocok di baca bila ingin mengetahu lebih dalam mengenai celtic

[Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good introduction into the world of Celtic history. Unfortunately, the Celts did not leave any written record of their point of view; so we have to keep in mind how the Roman's would depict them as a savage people. The author, points out to the reader the Roman "propaganda," with regards to their accounts of the Celtic Druids and the people themselves. He touches on the societal and social structure of the Celtics, their laws,customs, clothing, jewelry, art and religion. I was rather pleasantly surprised the author included how ancient Celtic spiritual beliefs have survived or been revived via modern day neo-paganism such as Wicca, 'Neo-Druidism" etc. The author, presented the information in a respectful manner on this topic. Dougherty discusses how Wiccan's have revised the practice of Handfastings and the worship of ancient Celtic Gods and Goddesses. I also enjoyed reading about the death and funeral practices of the Celts. Overall, this is the second book I own by this particular author. I enjoyed his writing style, the information he presented, his tone and the photos of artifacts and such.

[Elentarri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Celt: The history and Legacy of One of the Oldest Cultures in Europe by Martin J Dougherty is an easy to read introductory book on the Celts. This book provides an informative and interesting overview of the subject matter, but tends to be rather superficial in detail. To a certain extent, this is due to lack of information since the Celts left behind no written material of their own. The contents of the book is also short on archaeological details. On the other hand, there are no irrelevant personal anecdotes. This is a book that conveys information about Celts and that's it.

The author discusses who the Celts were; what their society was like; their customs; their art and religions; technology; and warfare. There is also an extensive overview of Celtic myths and legends. The author also provides a history of the Celts in terms of their expansion and decline in Europe with a look at how Celts in Gaul and the British Isles fared through history. The book includes numerous illustrations and maps. However, the maps were completely illegible (too small) in the e-book version.

I would recommend this book as an introduction to the Celts for someone new to the subject and not interested in extensive details or military histories. The book may also be of interest to younger readers.

[D.M. Wiltshire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a lot of information that was helpful in building a culture for my book series. It gave good information and wasn't overwhelming. Things were broken down into simpler terms for someone with no past knowledge of the subjects - like myself - could follow along with ease. After reading this book, I had a better grip on the culture/ religion which allowed me to search out other books on the subject.

[Carolyn Johnson]

The history of the Celts has been gradually been revealing itself over my lifetime, and it has been fascinating for me to discover. Because the Celts had no written language of their own, groups of them were widespread across Europe, and because the Romans and other cultures they touched, all gave them different names, the Celts have been mysterious, and almost invisible, except for their languages, which survive in Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic, and a few other scattered languages.

[Maya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please Read my review at Celtic Scholar's Reviews and Opinions