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The Celts: Conquerors of Ancient Europe
Well-written, loaded with information, and with a rich assortment of illustrations, each Discoveries "RM" volume is a look at one facet of art, archaeology, music, history, philosophy, popular culture, science, or nature. These innovatively designed, affordably priced, compact paperbacks bring ideas to life and amplify our understanding of civilization in a new way.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 13, 2021
The books in the Discoveries series always do a really good job balancing imagery and information. The Celts: Conquerors of Ancient Europe (the American title) is no exception. Its pages are filled with unique and rare images of Celtic artifacts, art, ancient structures and later artistic interpretations of Celtic concepts, and a great store of information about Celtic and Gallic history, explaining how all the things in the images fit into the whole. This history is told almost entirely as a reconstruction built off the artifacts that are within these pages, telling the story of this ancient race and their culture, conquests, and spread.
Another thing to point out about the Discoveries books is that they all feel like a museum has been shrunk into a book and put in your hand, with the same sort of casual but immersive feel that a museum creates for anyone really curious about the subject. The author of this volume is Christiane Eluere, chief curator of the French national museums, specializing in protohistoric collections. Perhaps this “museum in a book” is exactly the goal.
Archaeology of Celtic tombs presents us with an abundance of unique items from all over the lands of Gaul, and this serves as the basis for the entire reconstruction of the people’s history. Their weapons, jewelry, pottery, chariots, various Iron Age implements, coins, and of course the bones of princes and warriors and common people offer some glimpses into the mysteries of these tribes which had no written records for centuries.
Burial mounds and collections of old ritual materials, ruins of fortresses, armor, and luxury items like golden torques, bracelets, or earrings give us another perspective of these people and their customs. The things they were buried with reveal a lot about their values and priorities.
Influences from Mediterranean art have been noticed in some of the old Celtic works, but over time it is seen to diminish, and in its place grows a more refined, abstract, and wholly “Celtic” character, displaying an extreme focus on nature, on beasts real and mythical, on repeated patterns, smooth shapes, and the great use of all available space (some art historians have remarked on the Celts’ “fear of empty spaces”, a reference to their complex crafts in which every inch is filled with some fantastic shape or pattern or intricate detail.)
Much of the bronze work and other metalwork created by Celtic smiths is remarkable for the imagery put into them, sometimes telling stories or indicating mythological aspects that we know almost nothing about today. Everything preserved has some spectacular artistic element to it, whether it is a wine flagon, a cauldron, other vessels, helmets, statues, jewelry, sword hilts, carvings. Just about every item that we have today from the Celts had both utility and serious artistic effort put into it.
The book also looks at Celtic history in warfare and conquest, particularly that involving conflict with the Romans, much of which was recorded by the Romans. The Romans’ descriptions of the Gauls/Celts are both awesome and barbaric, as if they perceive them as a boastful, arrogant, primitive people who love war and violence and gold, but that are also fun-loving, wise, and artistic.
There is much made of the Celtic invasion of Italy and their siege of Rome. The Celts raid throughout Europe and work as mercenaries when it benefits them, sometimes exacerbating the conflicts in the Mediterranean. Not only do they conquer, but they suffer many defeats at the hands of Rome. Vercingetorix, the Gallic prince who was elected as leader of the Gallic resistance to Rome, is a legendary figure of history, and his story is told here briefly, including a look at his tactical mind, his abilities as a leader, and his ultimate sacrifice in which he gave himself up to the Romans in a bizarre and distracting manner that was designed to take attention away from the rest of his people, who were able to escape the Romans in the meantime.
Boudicea, the warrior queen who took over the rule of the Iceni tribe of Celts in Norfolk and led the rebellion against Rome in 61 AD is also given due attention, as is her unfortunate fate in battle against the Romans who outnumbered them.
Village life, Celtic religion and myth, writing and language, the enigmatic allure of the Druids to the Romans, and the heroic sagas and oral traditions of Ireland are covered with sufficient detail and with terrific supporting imagery. The book is setup to give each topic a brief but satisfying discussion, seamlessly organized such that one subject seems to flow naturally from the one preceding it.
The Documents section at the end of the book, which is a regular feature of the Discoveries series, includes a great assortment of writings on the Celts, both ancient and modern, providing a full picture of the Celtic and Gallic people, both as they were understood thousands of years ago, and as we think we understand them now, after processing centuries of findings, of treasures and literature and ruins.
The book is a great, if condensed, read that provides a broad overview of the primary points of interest in Celtic history and culture, with a treasury of outstanding images that give substance to the telling.
Another thing to point out about the Discoveries books is that they all feel like a museum has been shrunk into a book and put in your hand, with the same sort of casual but immersive feel that a museum creates for anyone really curious about the subject. The author of this volume is Christiane Eluere, chief curator of the French national museums, specializing in protohistoric collections. Perhaps this “museum in a book” is exactly the goal.
Archaeology of Celtic tombs presents us with an abundance of unique items from all over the lands of Gaul, and this serves as the basis for the entire reconstruction of the people’s history. Their weapons, jewelry, pottery, chariots, various Iron Age implements, coins, and of course the bones of princes and warriors and common people offer some glimpses into the mysteries of these tribes which had no written records for centuries.
Burial mounds and collections of old ritual materials, ruins of fortresses, armor, and luxury items like golden torques, bracelets, or earrings give us another perspective of these people and their customs. The things they were buried with reveal a lot about their values and priorities.
Influences from Mediterranean art have been noticed in some of the old Celtic works, but over time it is seen to diminish, and in its place grows a more refined, abstract, and wholly “Celtic” character, displaying an extreme focus on nature, on beasts real and mythical, on repeated patterns, smooth shapes, and the great use of all available space (some art historians have remarked on the Celts’ “fear of empty spaces”, a reference to their complex crafts in which every inch is filled with some fantastic shape or pattern or intricate detail.)
Much of the bronze work and other metalwork created by Celtic smiths is remarkable for the imagery put into them, sometimes telling stories or indicating mythological aspects that we know almost nothing about today. Everything preserved has some spectacular artistic element to it, whether it is a wine flagon, a cauldron, other vessels, helmets, statues, jewelry, sword hilts, carvings. Just about every item that we have today from the Celts had both utility and serious artistic effort put into it.
The book also looks at Celtic history in warfare and conquest, particularly that involving conflict with the Romans, much of which was recorded by the Romans. The Romans’ descriptions of the Gauls/Celts are both awesome and barbaric, as if they perceive them as a boastful, arrogant, primitive people who love war and violence and gold, but that are also fun-loving, wise, and artistic.
There is much made of the Celtic invasion of Italy and their siege of Rome. The Celts raid throughout Europe and work as mercenaries when it benefits them, sometimes exacerbating the conflicts in the Mediterranean. Not only do they conquer, but they suffer many defeats at the hands of Rome. Vercingetorix, the Gallic prince who was elected as leader of the Gallic resistance to Rome, is a legendary figure of history, and his story is told here briefly, including a look at his tactical mind, his abilities as a leader, and his ultimate sacrifice in which he gave himself up to the Romans in a bizarre and distracting manner that was designed to take attention away from the rest of his people, who were able to escape the Romans in the meantime.
Boudicea, the warrior queen who took over the rule of the Iceni tribe of Celts in Norfolk and led the rebellion against Rome in 61 AD is also given due attention, as is her unfortunate fate in battle against the Romans who outnumbered them.
Village life, Celtic religion and myth, writing and language, the enigmatic allure of the Druids to the Romans, and the heroic sagas and oral traditions of Ireland are covered with sufficient detail and with terrific supporting imagery. The book is setup to give each topic a brief but satisfying discussion, seamlessly organized such that one subject seems to flow naturally from the one preceding it.
The Documents section at the end of the book, which is a regular feature of the Discoveries series, includes a great assortment of writings on the Celts, both ancient and modern, providing a full picture of the Celtic and Gallic people, both as they were understood thousands of years ago, and as we think we understand them now, after processing centuries of findings, of treasures and literature and ruins.
The book is a great, if condensed, read that provides a broad overview of the primary points of interest in Celtic history and culture, with a treasury of outstanding images that give substance to the telling.
January 12, 2024
Reading this, one has to know that it’s knowledge on the Celts as it was in 1992. Still, I think most of the knowledge here is still correct. I have seen a documentary on recent findings at Hallstatt on tv some months ago, very interesting. One of the places where things started, during the Bronze Age, 8th-7th century. Most of the written material is from other sources, since the Celts did not like writing things down (though some writing can be find on things like coins and stones). So what is found in the Documents section of this book are things Greeks and Romans said, plus stuff from historian and archaeologist etc. of the modern day. There are many pictures and illustrations in this book, like in other books in this series, and they really show how rich the culture was.
I have had a small interest in the Celts a long time, mostly of what was in the British Isles, but it was so much more. A 500-year domination of Europe (before defeated by Romans). Interest in the Celts started in the 18th century, when a cauldron with golden objects was found in 1771 Bohemia (where a tribe called the Boii lived). Things started with trading 6h century dynasty settlements of mid-Europe, known to Greeks. There were the burrows with many treasures that tell us how well the Celts were in contact with other parts of Europe, and how rich their burials were (some completely intact). Then came the conquest, more successful towards west than east – probably one reason this book concentrates on the western side of Europe and the British Isles, where some Belgic Gaul tribes settled. During the conquest times the power moved from princes and their citadels to more rural, warrior-chieftain rule. The Galatians that St Paul wrote his letter to were one Celtic group that moved southeast and settled in Asia Minor, but without much power.
The rise of Rome and the conquest of Julius Caesar, plus the arrival of invaders of some Germanic tribes to middle-Europe put an end to the Celtic rule. It was not an easy conquest, but successful I the end. In Britain, the victory took a bit more time, to around 77 AD (but Celtic art lived on for a long time, in book decoration art and jewelry, for example). Boudicca gets a good mention here.
Then the book look more on what the Celtic life was like: in fortified towns, villages, and farms. What their religion was like (at least what can be said to be reliable in written sources, plus in archaeological evidence) – sanctuaries, ritual pits / shafts, animal and human sacrifices, sacred water places, buried hoards, some names of the deities, and the long education to become a druid, who came from ruling classes.
And what influence they had in history after they were gone: early Christian art (books, stone crosses, reliquaries etc.), jewelry, languages, legends, music, dances.
I have still other books to read on Celts, but this one was really informative, and the pictures were beautiful. It may be a slim book, but I got a lot out of it, and would recommend to those interested.
I have had a small interest in the Celts a long time, mostly of what was in the British Isles, but it was so much more. A 500-year domination of Europe (before defeated by Romans). Interest in the Celts started in the 18th century, when a cauldron with golden objects was found in 1771 Bohemia (where a tribe called the Boii lived). Things started with trading 6h century dynasty settlements of mid-Europe, known to Greeks. There were the burrows with many treasures that tell us how well the Celts were in contact with other parts of Europe, and how rich their burials were (some completely intact). Then came the conquest, more successful towards west than east – probably one reason this book concentrates on the western side of Europe and the British Isles, where some Belgic Gaul tribes settled. During the conquest times the power moved from princes and their citadels to more rural, warrior-chieftain rule. The Galatians that St Paul wrote his letter to were one Celtic group that moved southeast and settled in Asia Minor, but without much power.
The rise of Rome and the conquest of Julius Caesar, plus the arrival of invaders of some Germanic tribes to middle-Europe put an end to the Celtic rule. It was not an easy conquest, but successful I the end. In Britain, the victory took a bit more time, to around 77 AD (but Celtic art lived on for a long time, in book decoration art and jewelry, for example). Boudicca gets a good mention here.
Then the book look more on what the Celtic life was like: in fortified towns, villages, and farms. What their religion was like (at least what can be said to be reliable in written sources, plus in archaeological evidence) – sanctuaries, ritual pits / shafts, animal and human sacrifices, sacred water places, buried hoards, some names of the deities, and the long education to become a druid, who came from ruling classes.
And what influence they had in history after they were gone: early Christian art (books, stone crosses, reliquaries etc.), jewelry, languages, legends, music, dances.
I have still other books to read on Celts, but this one was really informative, and the pictures were beautiful. It may be a slim book, but I got a lot out of it, and would recommend to those interested.
December 23, 2024
I think this is a good book to get you started in Celtic history. However, this could just be me, I find that sometimes it can be hard to keep track of things as it doesn't follow a linear timeline and kinda jumps around in time.
July 4, 2024
A good little overview
June 5, 2024
Bought this book while traveling in Ireland.
Wow! The amount of history packed into this interesting photo-filled read is amazing! Enjoyed reading it over again several times. The pictures and detailed descriptions are a great addition to the historical artifacts shown.
Wow! The amount of history packed into this interesting photo-filled read is amazing! Enjoyed reading it over again several times. The pictures and detailed descriptions are a great addition to the historical artifacts shown.
August 9, 2011
Presente encomendado à prima que mora na Inglaterra, este livro me surpreendeu pela fartura de fotos e esquemas mostrando como era a vida e a organização social dos celtas, além de tratar com muitos detalhes de todos os aspectos culturais e religiosos desses misterioso povo.
Para quem gosta de história, e particularmente da Europa antiga, é muito bom.
Como detalhe, vale ressaltar que é inteiramente publicado em papel couche, com um acabamento de capa de revista, chique mesmo.
Para quem gosta de história, e particularmente da Europa antiga, é muito bom.
Como detalhe, vale ressaltar que é inteiramente publicado em papel couche, com um acabamento de capa de revista, chique mesmo.
dnf
December 14, 2016DNF. This book reads more like a catalog of archaeological finds, with rapidly glossed-over history and an appendix of historical sources. I would prefer a work that integrates all of these aspects more cleanly and with a more enjoyable narrative style. I'm also primarily interested in the religious life of the Celts in pre-Christian Ireland, so the focus on migration through Europe, trade, and warfare was less interesting to me.
May 26, 2013
Fascinating subject and Elure's work on it provides a good overview, but occasionally it just becomes fact-listing and there was never really a good enough narrative along with the facts to make it stand out. However, interesting and enjoyable to read.
October 11, 2009
Just superb. Layout and writing. Much clearer on a second read. Riveting subject. Remember Vix.
June 21, 2013
This is an OK introduction to the subject, but not one of the more compelling books in this series.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews