Iraq the Culture Book

This is a book for younger readers (ages 9 12) but the subject has intrigued me for some time. I've always wanted to know where the Celts came from in their quest to overtake Europe and Asia Minor.

The photographs of artifacts are quite exceptional and are clearly explained. I would have appreciated the map of Celtic conquests to have appeared earlier in the book. The time line for the Ancient Celts (both BCE {Before the Common Era} and CE {during the Common Era}) helped keep things straight. Theres also a glossary that explains complex words and concepts that were used in the book.

The sidebar topics add a great deal to the subject covered; i.e. sacred animals, chariot warfare and the four festivals important to the Celts.
Kathryn Hinds certainly knows Celtic art and culture. The book has five main chapters:

1) THE CELT TRIBES ON THE MOVE: They began in Hallstatt (in Austria) and moved both east and west. The Celts were a long-term pain to the Romans while the Greeks handled them much more effectively.

2) THE CELTIC ART OF LIVING: How the Celts lived, their art and the learning they valued. The photo of a home interior [a reconstruction] proves the adage that a picture is worth a thousand words. Because they did not have a written language, we do not know much about the early Celtic communities.

3) DEITIES IN THEIR MIDST: This section takes a look at the deities that were important to the Celts.

4) THE CELTIC IDEAL IN PRACTICE: It took druids 20 years to become a fully-fledged druid; they really were more powerful than the king. They could stop a battle just by stepping between 2 forces on the battlefield.

5) A LIVING CULTURE: This section traces the oral tradition of the Celts, their assimilation (most groups) and their rise again when a portion of Ireland became independent.