Although comprised of many distinct tribes and groupings, the Celts shared a distinctive culture that dominated much of Europe for centuries. They enjoyed a formidable reputation as fierce and brave ...warriors, skilled horsemen and fine metalworkers. In 390 BC an alliance of Celtic tribes defeated a Roman army at the River Allia and went on to sack Rome and thenceforth the Romans lived under their threat. In the early third century BC a Celtic army swept into Macedonia and Greece, won a major victory at Thermopylai and ransacked the sacred sanctuary at Delphi. Such was their warlike prowess that, when not fighting their own wars, they were sought after as mercenaries by many armies, serving as far afield as southern Egypt. When the Romans invaded Gaul (France and Belgium) and the British Isles, Celtic armies resisted them fiercely.Gabriele Esposito studies this fascinating warrior culture, their armies, strategy, tactics and equipment (they invented the horned saddle and chainmail, and British armies were the last in Europe to use chariots on the battlefield). Dozens of color photographs of reenactors help bring these magnificent warriors back to life.
In Greek mythology, Hyperboreans were a tribe who lived far to Greece's north. Contained in what has come down to us of Greek literary tradition are texts that identify the Hyperboreans with the ...Celts, or Hyperborean lands with Celtic ones. This groundbreaking book studies the texts that make or imply this identification, and provides reasons why some ancient Greek authors identified a mythical people with an actual one. Timothy P. Bridgman demonstrates not only that these authors mythologize history, but that they used the traditional Greek parallel mythical world to interpret history throughout ancient Greek culture, thought and literature.
The article deals with the etymology of toponyms “Rome”, “Italy” and Etruscan toponyms. The author concludes that the modern toponymic model of Rome, its environs and the Etruscan region were formed ...in the Celtic-speaking environment. The meanings of toponyms reflect the geographical features of the area and the architectural features of fortified cities. The results of the study allow us to take a fresh look at the migration processes of the pre-Roman era on the Apennine Peninsula.
Archaeologist Sir Barry Cunliffe brings up to date his classic work on the Ancient Celts, those bold warriors and skill craftsmen of barbarian Europe who inspired fear in the Greeks and Romans.
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.
From Caledonia to Pictland examines the transformation of Iron Age northern Britain into a land of Christian kingdoms, long before 'Scotland' came into existence. Perched at the edge of the western ...Roman Empire, northern Britain was not unaffected by the experience, and became swept up in the great tide of processes which gave rise to the early medieval West. Like other places, the country experienced social and ethnic metamorphoses, Christianisation, and colonization by dislocated outsiders, but northern Britain also has its own unique story to tell in the first eight centuries AD.This book is the first detailed political history to treat these centuries as a single period, with due regard for Scotland's position in the bigger story of late Antique transition. From Caledonia to Pictland charts the complex and shadowy processes which saw the familiar Picts, Northumbrians, North Britons and Gaels of early Scottish history become established in the country, the achievements of their foremost political figures, and their ongoing links with the world around them. It is a story that has become much revised through changing trends in scholarly approaches to the challenging evidence, and that transformation too is explained for the benefit of students and general readers.Key Features:*The only detailed political history to treat the first eight centuries AD as a single period of Scottish history.*Redresses the imbalance created by an existing literature dominated by archaeologists. From Caledonia to Pictland provides a narrative history of the period.*Bridges a traditional disciplinary divide between the Roman and early medieval periods.*Locates this phase of Scotland's history within a European context, emphasising what is unique and what is not.
