The Celts: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

Generally speaking, those VSIs written specifically for this series are livelier, more recent, more engaging and more in keeping with its spirit. Cunliffe's The Celts (2003) illustrates this distinction well.

The author is an expert on Celtic civilisation and well-placed, therefore, to separate myth from reality. The myth has a surprisingly long history. Plato, writing in the 4th century BC, was the first in a long line to characterise the Celts as warlike and drunken. Strabo thought 'the whole race ... war-mad' while Diodorus enjoyed Roman merchants' exploitation of the Celts' perceived love of alcohol: 'for one amphora of wine they got a slave - a servant in return for a drink!' All excellent propaganda and amusement for a Graeco-Roman audience, of course.

Cunliffe, however, presents a culture which is in many ways parallel, not inferior, to those of the Mediterranean. The Late Bronze Age warrior-aristocracy of northern Europe, with its rituals of hospitality, gift-exchange and obligation, was 'not at all unlike the kind of society depicted in the works of Homer.' Celtic cultures had their bards and an oral tradition to rival the Homeric sagas. Julius Caesar, for one, was notably impressed by tremendous feats of memory, and Cunliffe notes the almost miraculous continuity of this oral tradition, persisting (in Ireland, at least) well into the twentieth century.

This VSI is careful to avoid the kind of over-simplification that can lead to romanticising. Cunliffe is quite clear that the term 'Celtic' is largely a modern construct and, as such, to be treated with caution. The various 'Celtic' tribes, spanning modern Portugal in the west, Hungary and Romania in the east, and Scotland and Ireland in the north, probably had little or no sense of collective identity. They may well also have spoken mutually unintelligible languages.

This is a clear and concise addition to an excellent series. It is enjoyable and expertly written with the non-expert always in mind.

What it means to be Celtic (3/3 people found this helpful)

The Celts have had a long and complex journey, both through history and myth, and this entry in the excellent Very Short Introduction series is a great place to start tracing that journey. Some historians question whether 'Celtic' is even a meaningful or useful term. Is it a modern invention? Who were, or are, these people or peoples we call 'Celts'? Cunliffe warns at the outset that finding reliable answers will not be easy, then proceeds to make it as easy as possible.

He views the subject from various angles - linguistic, archeological, Classical (the Roman and Greek accounts), ethnological - and gradually builds a coherent picture. His bias reflects the current orthodoxy that cultural influence spread without the mass migrations that used to be assumed -- ideas and customs spread, not necessarily people. He encourages us to take a view from the Atlantic, and see the Celts as European peoples who traded along that seaboard. Some readers might wish for more detailed maps -- the author or publisher seems to assume that you will know which rivers are the Marne, Danube, etc.

This is an authoritative and accurate work, although I did spot one surprising blunder: On page 137, the ceremony of All Souls is described as taking place on October 31, preceding All Saints. In fact it follows All Saints, on November 2.

Cunliffe's prose is very readable, except that he has a fondness for litotes ("It is not unreasonable to suppose..." "It is not unlikely that..."). This can get not unirritating after a while.

A great deal of misinformation surrounds Celticism. It has become a tool for propagandists and nationalists. There is a certain amount of healthy debunking in this book, but the Celts emerge alive and well. Before I read it, I thought I was of Celtic descent on my mother's side. After reading it, I still do, but now I have some idea of what that means. If you want to know about the Celts, then you need to choose your sources with care, because - as Cunliffe hints - there are many 'lunatic fringe' publications out there. This is a safe place to start.

A bit of everything (5/5 people found this helpful)

By a writer who's archaeological reputation spans large chunks of pre history, this book takes a suprisingly modern veiw of what Cleltic means. Covering elements such as language, stories, art, history and politics. How it has been used in propoganda and evolved up to today. As with all the short introductions it can seem sweeping, leading to more questions than it answers. However, for me it was a easy and fun read. A starting point for understanding more in depth texts on the subject.

The Celts: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

Barry Cunliffe

Reader Reviews:

Celts: the myth and the reality (0/0 people found this helpful)

What it means to be Celtic (3/3 people found this helpful)

A bit of everything (5/5 people found this helpful)

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