Product Description

We use the word Celtic fast and loose, it evokes something mythical and romantic about our past, but what precisely does it mean? And why do people believe there were Celts in Britain and what relationship do they have to the ancient Celts? John Collis focuses particularly on how they were re-invented in the sixteenth and later centuries. He argues that this legacy of mistaken interpretations still affects the way we understand the ancient sources and archaeological evidence.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #122319 in Books
• Published on: 2003-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
Celts have had a romantic fascination on us for the last 400 years. Stories of these brave usually red-haired people fighting the Romans for their way of life and although eventually being 'conquered', never really surrendering their beliefs and tribal fealties. There is something romantic in the term and it is often used as a compliment. Today it is fashionable to have Celtic blood, although this usually refers to being of Irish descent. But why is this so? Who were the Celts and where did they come from? Is it just an idea or were they real? In this scholarly work, John Collis researches the history of the Celts. He finds that Celts are first referred to in the 6th century BC, disappear in 4th century AD and do not re-occur until they were re-invented in the 16th and 17th centuries. Using published and unpublished works as his terms of reference, illustrating throughout with photographs and maps and looking at different aspects of their lives from religious rituals to art and architecture, Collis build up possibly the definitive picture of the Celts that persons seriously studying this civilisation cannot afford to dismiss. (Kirkus UK)