Reviews for Celts A History

The average rating for Celts A History based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-01-27 00:00:00 Jeff Britton A bit of a "hit-and-miss", this introductory overview of the history of the Celts provide a broad study of the development and decadence of the Celtic culture, mostly focused on the period starting from the massive expansion in Europe in the 6th and 5th centuries BC and ending with its retreat, in the first centuries AD, under the pressure of Germanic, Dacian and Roman areas of control and influence. While it does provide many points of historical interest (like the development of the short-lived Thracian Celtic Kingdom, the intriguing and peculiar development of the Galatian polities in Asia Minor, the expansion of the "Celtiberian" groups of Celts and Celticized peoples inhabiting the central-eastern Iberian Peninsula during the final centuries BC, and the non-insignificant role played by Celtic mercenary troops in the Punic Wars and in other wars of Antiquity), this book does present some methodological issues such as: - the over-reliance on just a couple of sources (Titus Livius, and Gaius Iulius Caesar's "De Bello Gallico", with only a few passing references to Polybius), which are mostly accepted with little critical analysis of their veracity and accuracy. Sometimes, while reading the section on the Gallic Wars, it does seem like reading Caesar, almost verbatim: I did not mind this too much (it felt, in a couple of instances, like walking down memory lane, as in high school I had to read and translate from the original Latin many parts of the "De Bello Gallico"), but I think it is reasonable to expect also some critical analysis of such primary sources, not just a transcription - the utilization of the available primary sources is a bit unbalanced: there is too much focus on the literary sources, at the expense of a more detailed analysis of the archaeological sources; and, as highlighted above, there is insufficient cross-referencing and critical analysis. There are some points of study where, contrarily to what might appear by reading this book, there is no definite consensus within the historians' community: for example, the actual date of the foundation of Mediolanum (current city of "Milano"), is reported by the author as around 400 BC (carried out by the Insubres, a Gaulish population that lived on the north side of the River Po); but other authors (following Livy) report the actual foundation date as close to 600 BC. In this particular case I would tend to agree with the author, but a reference to different interpretations would have definitely been helpful - there is also too much focus on the detailed chronological developments of the various battles and of specific events and tidbits, at the expense of a more comprehensive analysis of the underlying social, cultural, religious and economic developments associated with the expansion and demise of the Celtic cultural and political influence in Europe - there are a few minor inaccuracies: for example, the current name of the city of Agrigentum is "Agrigento" not "Girgenti" (the latter being just the local Sicilian dialect version of it!). I also do not like the anachronism of the term "Roman empire" while describing events involving the Roman Republic. Yes, it might have well been used by the author as a figure of speech, but still is something that does not sit very well with me. - there is a clear pro-Celtic and anti-Roman bias when dealing with the process of Romanization of Gaul, which comes at the expense of historical balance and accuracy. Just by reading this book, the unwary reader might be misled into thinking that this Roman province was subject throughout the centuries by oppressive taxation, an unsustainable weight that generated recurrent riots and rebellions. The history of Gaul is represented by the author mainly as an almost continuous succession of such uprisings, while the reality is quite more subtle and nuanced. Yes, the initial campaign of conquest by Caesar was absolutely brutal, almost genocidal, as everybody knows. BUT, without entering into a full digression about the great economic and cultural development of significant parts of Gaul into a peaceful, loyal and relatively wealthy region of the Empire, I would like to counter such monolithic perspective by referring, just as an example, to the Claudian "Lyon Tablet" (the inscribed speech presented before the Roman Senate in 48 AD, where he proposed that the upper classes from further Gaul be allowed to enter the Senatorial class. In here, the Emperor also pointed to the Sabine origins of his own family (the gens Claudia), and to the recent promotion to senatorial rank of men from Gallia Narbonensis). The strength of the Roman Empire was also based on its legions, true, but its unique success in history is due, to a significant extent, to its inclusive, religiously tolerant and multi-ethnic nature. Talking in more general terms: to the famous speech reported by the author, speech that the Caledonian chieftain gave in advance of the Battle of Mons Graupius (the one that goes like: "To robbery, slaughter, plunder, the Romans give the lying name of empire; they make a solitude and call it peace"), I can reply with many sources that clearly highlight the level of integration, peace, economic development and wealth provided by the Empire. The author is only looking at one face of Ianus Bifrons - an unbalanced, rigorous work should look at both faces. - the maps are too few and of average detail and quality, and there is no timeline Overall, it is an interesting book, but probably not the best available nor the most thorough or comprehensive treatment of this subject. It is an "OK" introductory book, possibly to be used as a first stepping stone into further more rigorous study of the subject; but to me, in full honesty, this book has clearly been less than an overwhelming reading experience. A pity, as it does have some good elements and points of interest, and some sections are well-researched, and because of that it does seem to me like a bit of a missed opportunity. 2 stars.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-04-12 00:00:00 Eric Vincent I think it important to see 'The Celts', published 2002, as a comprehensive introduction to this history. It has a very broad sweep, from the stone age to the end of the first millennia a.d. It also covers the extensive geography of these peoples, from western Europe to the Middle East. To be expected with any work that encompasses such a vast amount of information in just under 250 pages, Daithi OhOgain's history should be viewed as a superb source of reference and platform for those interested in further study. The author utilises archaeological discovery as well as extensive souces from the classical to the modern. At times it reads like Livy's 'History of Rome' in documenting the internecine struggles and movements of tribal groups facing internal and external threats across hundreds of years. For me, OhOgain's mastery of the Celtic languages, utilised to explain tribal and personal identity, deism, and placenames is all very interesting. In the end, this is a sad story of a slow but inexorable demise of a rich culture that is subjugated and lost by Latin and Germanic forces, which today hangs on in Europe through the Cornish, Welsh and Gaelic tongues.