What do you think?
Rate this book
A Brief History of the Celts
For centuries the Celts held sway in Europe. Even after their conquest by the Romans, their culture remained vigorous, ensuring that much of it endured to feed an endless fascination with Celtic history and myths, artwork, and treasures.
A foremost authority on the Celtic peoples and their culture, Peter Berresford Ellis presents an invigoration overview of their world. With his gift for making the scholarly accessible, he discusses the Celts' mysterious origins and early history and investigates their rich and complex society. His use of recently uncovered finds brings fascinating insights into Celtic kings and chieftains, architecture and arts, medicine and religions, myths and legends, making this esesntial listening for any search for Europe's ancient past.
A foremost authority on the Celtic peoples and their culture, Peter Berresford Ellis presents an invigoration overview of their world. With his gift for making the scholarly accessible, he discusses the Celts' mysterious origins and early history and investigates their rich and complex society. His use of recently uncovered finds brings fascinating insights into Celtic kings and chieftains, architecture and arts, medicine and religions, myths and legends, making this esesntial listening for any search for Europe's ancient past.
Audiobook
First published January 1, 1994
103 people are currently reading
2128 people want to read
About the author
Peter Berresford Ellis
52 books152 followersPeter Berresford Ellis is a historian, literary biographer, and novelist who has published over 90 books to date either under his own name or his pseudonyms Peter Tremayne and Peter MacAlan. He has also published 95 short stories. His non-fiction books, articles and academic papers have made him acknowledged as an authority on Celtic history and culture. Under Peter Tremayne, he is the author of the international bestselling Sister Fidelma mystery series. His work has appeared in 25 languages.
He began his career as a junior reporter on an English south coast weekly, becoming deputy editor of an Irish weekly newspaper and was then editor of a weekly trade journal in London. He first went as a feature writer to Northern Ireland in 1964 for a London daily newspaper which had a profound effect on him. His first book was published in 1968: Wales: a Nation Again, on the Welsh struggle for political independence, with a foreword by Gwynfor Evans, Plaid Cymru's first Member of Parliament. In 1975 he became a full-time writer. He used his academic background to produce many popular titles in the field of Celtic Studies and he has written numerous academic articles and papers in the field for journals ranging from The Linguist (London) to The Irish Sword: Journal of the Irish Military History Society (UCD). He is highly regarded by academics in his own field and was described by The Times Higher Education Supplement, London, (June, 1999) as one of the leading authorities on the Celts then writing. He has been International Chairman of the Celtic League 1988–1990; chairman of Scrif-Celt (The Celtic Languages Book Fair in 1985 and in 1986); chairman and vice-president of the London Association for Celtic Education 1989–1995, and now is an Hon. Life Member); He was also chairman of his local ward Labour Party in London, England, and was editorial advisor on Labour and Ireland magazine in the early 1990s. He is a member of the Society of Authors.
Apart from his Celtic Studies interests, Ellis has always been fascinated by aspects of popular literature and has written full-length biographies on H. Rider Haggard, W. E. Johns, Talbot Mundy as well as critical essays on many more popular fiction authors. His own output in the fictional field, writing in the genre of horror fantasy and heroic fantasy, began in 1977 when the first "Peter Tremayne" book appeared. Between 1983 and 1993 he also wrote eight adventure thrillers under the name "Peter MacAlan". Ellis has published (as of January, 2009) a total of 91 books, 95 short stories, several pamphlets, and numerous academic papers and signed journalistic articles. Under his own name he wrote two long running columns: 'Anonn is Anall' (Here and There) from 1987–2008 for the Irish Democrat, and, "Anois agus Arís" (Now and Again) from 2000–2008 for The Irish Post. His books break down into 34 titles under his own name; 8 titles under the pseudonym of Peter MacAlan and 49 titles under his pseudonym of Peter Tremayne. He has lectured widely at universities in several countries, including the UK, Ireland, American, Canada, France and Italy. He has also broadcast on television and radio since 1968. With the great popularity of his 7th Century set Sister Fidelma Mysteries, in January, 2001, an International Sister Fidelma Society was formed in Charleston, South Carolina, with a website and producing a print magazine three times a year called The Brehon. In 2006 the Cashel Arts Fest established the first three-day international gathering of fans of the series which is now held bi-annually and receives the full support of the Society
He began his career as a junior reporter on an English south coast weekly, becoming deputy editor of an Irish weekly newspaper and was then editor of a weekly trade journal in London. He first went as a feature writer to Northern Ireland in 1964 for a London daily newspaper which had a profound effect on him. His first book was published in 1968: Wales: a Nation Again, on the Welsh struggle for political independence, with a foreword by Gwynfor Evans, Plaid Cymru's first Member of Parliament. In 1975 he became a full-time writer. He used his academic background to produce many popular titles in the field of Celtic Studies and he has written numerous academic articles and papers in the field for journals ranging from The Linguist (London) to The Irish Sword: Journal of the Irish Military History Society (UCD). He is highly regarded by academics in his own field and was described by The Times Higher Education Supplement, London, (June, 1999) as one of the leading authorities on the Celts then writing. He has been International Chairman of the Celtic League 1988–1990; chairman of Scrif-Celt (The Celtic Languages Book Fair in 1985 and in 1986); chairman and vice-president of the London Association for Celtic Education 1989–1995, and now is an Hon. Life Member); He was also chairman of his local ward Labour Party in London, England, and was editorial advisor on Labour and Ireland magazine in the early 1990s. He is a member of the Society of Authors.
Apart from his Celtic Studies interests, Ellis has always been fascinated by aspects of popular literature and has written full-length biographies on H. Rider Haggard, W. E. Johns, Talbot Mundy as well as critical essays on many more popular fiction authors. His own output in the fictional field, writing in the genre of horror fantasy and heroic fantasy, began in 1977 when the first "Peter Tremayne" book appeared. Between 1983 and 1993 he also wrote eight adventure thrillers under the name "Peter MacAlan". Ellis has published (as of January, 2009) a total of 91 books, 95 short stories, several pamphlets, and numerous academic papers and signed journalistic articles. Under his own name he wrote two long running columns: 'Anonn is Anall' (Here and There) from 1987–2008 for the Irish Democrat, and, "Anois agus Arís" (Now and Again) from 2000–2008 for The Irish Post. His books break down into 34 titles under his own name; 8 titles under the pseudonym of Peter MacAlan and 49 titles under his pseudonym of Peter Tremayne. He has lectured widely at universities in several countries, including the UK, Ireland, American, Canada, France and Italy. He has also broadcast on television and radio since 1968. With the great popularity of his 7th Century set Sister Fidelma Mysteries, in January, 2001, an International Sister Fidelma Society was formed in Charleston, South Carolina, with a website and producing a print magazine three times a year called The Brehon. In 2006 the Cashel Arts Fest established the first three-day international gathering of fans of the series which is now held bi-annually and receives the full support of the Society
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
December 3, 2015
This book provides an overview of the world of the Celts, it is divided into 15 chapters including origins, kings and chieftains, druids, warriors, women, farmers, cosmology, art and architecture, religion, myths and legends etc.
While I liked the author’s interesting links to their Indo-European roots, I'd like to warn the reader that this book is very heavy on the linguistic aspect. Especially in the first half of the book, the Celtic roots of words are used as evidence for pretty much anything. I would have liked more emphasis on the evidence from the archaeological finds rather than on the etymology of terms.
For this reason, I preferred the second half of the book and in particular the interesting chapter on religion, which explains the belief that the soul dwelt in the human head (with the consequent Celtic practice of human decapitation) and the origin of Halloween (the night when the Otherworld would become visible to this world).
Sadly missing is a timeline of important events, dates and the different periods (Hallstatt, La Tène, etc), which I found odd given the book’s title.
I read this book as an introduction to the Celts and in the end, my curiosity has been piqued, it made me want to learn more about these fascinating people and culture.
An interesting fact that will stick with me:
“Divorce was permitted for a variety of reasons, and men and women had equal rights to divorce each other. One reason a woman could divorce in Irish law was if her husband snored.”
I can understand that.
While I liked the author’s interesting links to their Indo-European roots, I'd like to warn the reader that this book is very heavy on the linguistic aspect. Especially in the first half of the book, the Celtic roots of words are used as evidence for pretty much anything. I would have liked more emphasis on the evidence from the archaeological finds rather than on the etymology of terms.
For this reason, I preferred the second half of the book and in particular the interesting chapter on religion, which explains the belief that the soul dwelt in the human head (with the consequent Celtic practice of human decapitation) and the origin of Halloween (the night when the Otherworld would become visible to this world).
Sadly missing is a timeline of important events, dates and the different periods (Hallstatt, La Tène, etc), which I found odd given the book’s title.
I read this book as an introduction to the Celts and in the end, my curiosity has been piqued, it made me want to learn more about these fascinating people and culture.
An interesting fact that will stick with me:
“Divorce was permitted for a variety of reasons, and men and women had equal rights to divorce each other. One reason a woman could divorce in Irish law was if her husband snored.”
I can understand that.
January 21, 2016
This is an excellent survey of the Celts from their earliest days through the dawn of Christianity. There is some exploration of modern Celts, but very little, and only to tie off investigative threads.
Ellis is a master of his subject, and clearly a Celtophile. The only reason the book isn't 5-stars is because of his naked effort to lionize Celtic legacy. While he does much to rectify the bigoted and ignorant testimony of Greek and Roman historians (pretty much the only textual evidence we have), he also raises the suspicion that he will err on the side of cultural hagiography, as indeed he does in his reckoning of Celtic military motivations (i.e. Brennus' sack of Rome), and advances in military technology and doctrine.
Every historian brings their specialty to the table, and Ellis is clearly a linguist. Much of the book explores the history of Celtic tradition through language, and this is particularly effective when Ellis uses it as a means to tie Celtic and Indian traditions in a way that gives a lot of support to suppositions of a proto-Indo-European ethno-linguistic group that splintered into the cultures we today reckon as Europeans and Indians.
It's well written to the point where the author's enthusiasm for his topic becomes contagious, which makes it an enjoyable read as well as an informative one. Recommended.
Ellis is a master of his subject, and clearly a Celtophile. The only reason the book isn't 5-stars is because of his naked effort to lionize Celtic legacy. While he does much to rectify the bigoted and ignorant testimony of Greek and Roman historians (pretty much the only textual evidence we have), he also raises the suspicion that he will err on the side of cultural hagiography, as indeed he does in his reckoning of Celtic military motivations (i.e. Brennus' sack of Rome), and advances in military technology and doctrine.
Every historian brings their specialty to the table, and Ellis is clearly a linguist. Much of the book explores the history of Celtic tradition through language, and this is particularly effective when Ellis uses it as a means to tie Celtic and Indian traditions in a way that gives a lot of support to suppositions of a proto-Indo-European ethno-linguistic group that splintered into the cultures we today reckon as Europeans and Indians.
It's well written to the point where the author's enthusiasm for his topic becomes contagious, which makes it an enjoyable read as well as an informative one. Recommended.
January 8, 2019
The Celts
By Peter Beresford Ellis
This ‘Brief History of the Celts’ is an introduction and a tiny piece of a mosaic to knowledge and understanding of the Celtic Civilisation.
It is the door handle to open the door to further reading.
We have a few pages on each subject: the origins, the (absent) literature, the kings and chieftains, the druids, the Celtic warriors, the women, the farmers, the physicians, cosmology, the roadbuilders, the architecture, artists and craftsmen, religion, myths and legends and history.
However, the author's enthusiasm and love of the Celts compensate for the shortness of this book.
He is eagerly trying to correct all the wrong and false perceptions of a culture that was created mainly by superficial and jealous propaganda by the Roman Ceasars and historical writers.
Notably, Julius Caesar has mentioned the Celts in his Gallic War and other writings as savage barbarians without any technical knowledge, or agriculture feeding only on meat and clothing themselves in hides of beasts.
The reality was entirely different as we shall read.
The author provides a geographical and historical map of the expansion of the Celts during the first millennium BC.
The original Celtic homeland was situated in Central Europe in what is modern Eastern France and Western Germany.
From there the Celts migrated to North England and Ireland, the South West to Spain, to the South to Northern Italy and South East as far as Greece and Galatia (today’s Turkey).
During this migration over time different Celtic cultures have been defined by archaeology:
Hallstatt Culture
La Téne Culture
Cisalpine Gaul
Transalpine Gaul
To the Celts, warfare was a matter of honour which could begin and end with single combat.
Generally, the Celts were not interested in central authority and discipline. They thought and acted as individuals and were natural anarchists. (this behaviour could make the reader think of a modern European Nation)
In ancient times these attributes were the reason for the downfall of the Celtic people.
As so often while reading one book, we meet old acquaintances like the beautiful poem by W.B.Yeats of “Oisin” who rode off to the Otherworld on a magical horse with Niamh, daughter of the sea god, and stayed there for 300 years.
On the Celtic legends, we learn of a group of stories ‘The Fenian Cycle.’ These are sometimes known as the “OssianicCycle”. This work is now on my reading shelf.
To the modern popular mind, the most famous Celtic mythological figure is “Arthur”.
He was undoubtedly a historical person, living during the late fifth and early sixth century.
Over the next few centuries, the Celts embellished his story with earlier mythological themes, giving him a special circle of warriors, who later became the Knights of the Round Table.
May reader friends now select one of a variety of reasons to read this book and choose related works for further readings.
By Peter Beresford Ellis
This ‘Brief History of the Celts’ is an introduction and a tiny piece of a mosaic to knowledge and understanding of the Celtic Civilisation.
It is the door handle to open the door to further reading.
We have a few pages on each subject: the origins, the (absent) literature, the kings and chieftains, the druids, the Celtic warriors, the women, the farmers, the physicians, cosmology, the roadbuilders, the architecture, artists and craftsmen, religion, myths and legends and history.
However, the author's enthusiasm and love of the Celts compensate for the shortness of this book.
He is eagerly trying to correct all the wrong and false perceptions of a culture that was created mainly by superficial and jealous propaganda by the Roman Ceasars and historical writers.
Notably, Julius Caesar has mentioned the Celts in his Gallic War and other writings as savage barbarians without any technical knowledge, or agriculture feeding only on meat and clothing themselves in hides of beasts.
The reality was entirely different as we shall read.
The author provides a geographical and historical map of the expansion of the Celts during the first millennium BC.
The original Celtic homeland was situated in Central Europe in what is modern Eastern France and Western Germany.
From there the Celts migrated to North England and Ireland, the South West to Spain, to the South to Northern Italy and South East as far as Greece and Galatia (today’s Turkey).
During this migration over time different Celtic cultures have been defined by archaeology:
Hallstatt Culture
La Téne Culture
Cisalpine Gaul
Transalpine Gaul
To the Celts, warfare was a matter of honour which could begin and end with single combat.
Generally, the Celts were not interested in central authority and discipline. They thought and acted as individuals and were natural anarchists. (this behaviour could make the reader think of a modern European Nation)
In ancient times these attributes were the reason for the downfall of the Celtic people.
As so often while reading one book, we meet old acquaintances like the beautiful poem by W.B.Yeats of “Oisin” who rode off to the Otherworld on a magical horse with Niamh, daughter of the sea god, and stayed there for 300 years.
On the Celtic legends, we learn of a group of stories ‘The Fenian Cycle.’ These are sometimes known as the “OssianicCycle”. This work is now on my reading shelf.
To the modern popular mind, the most famous Celtic mythological figure is “Arthur”.
He was undoubtedly a historical person, living during the late fifth and early sixth century.
Over the next few centuries, the Celts embellished his story with earlier mythological themes, giving him a special circle of warriors, who later became the Knights of the Round Table.
May reader friends now select one of a variety of reasons to read this book and choose related works for further readings.
December 9, 2016
Το βιβλίο αυτό είναι η καλύτερη απάντηση στην ερώτηση "από που να ξεκινήσω να μαθαίνω για την ιστορία των Κελτών;". Μία σύντομη εισαγωγή στο θέμα, που περιέχει πολλές πληροφορίες χωρίς να κουράζει με πολλές λεπτομέρειες. Το μόνο ελάττωμα είναι ότι σε αρκετά σημεία ο συγγραφέας γίνεται υπερβολικός με τη συνεισφορά των Κελτών στον παγκόσμιο πολιτισμό.
November 13, 2008
Informative as always. Especially loved the chapters on women, religion and ancient history. Good book to pick up if you are interested in Celtic History. Ellis' voice is informative and interesting and knowledgeable. Please note that is a Cultural Anthropological book and even to pare it down further, a Socially Cultural book. If you want something dry, based purely on fact and numbers then this book is not one you want to pick up. Also not recommended for those interested in only Insular Celtic History.
December 3, 2023
Mainly linguistics, a history of Europe, Latin and Roman history was needed to read this book.
June 21, 2010
Sort of dry. I learned a lot, but it's like digesting pig iron. The author crams a lot of information into a short book (just over 200 pages). I often found my eyes glazing over as I re-read paragraphs filled with names I have no idea how to pronounce. Each chapter focuses on some aspect of Celtic civilization, so that makes things easier. And the chapters are short. But it's probably a story that needs to be told in a much longer book, and written with greater style.
January 28, 2008
I found myself surprisingly enthralled with this book. Despite the fact that it is littered with impossible to pronounce names, it is an entertaining portrait of a tribe of people that it turns out I knew nothing about. Certain chapters were more interesting than others, but on the whole well worth the read.
September 15, 2025
The author packs a lot of information into this 220 page book, revealing a deep knowledge of the subject. But his admiration of the Celts is undisguised and in continually heaping praise on them it seems to me that he neglects the evidence that that would make their culture less admirable and praiseworthy.
July 24, 2024
An excellent overview of Celtic history, culture, and mythology. Foundational for anyone interested in the Celts, Ellis draws upon an immense well of archaeological and historical sources to provide a fascinating introduction to the Celts.
December 19, 2020
With plans to write a historical novel that deals partly with the Celts of the Iron Age, I had to make a serious research into the Celtic society and study its structures and the way it functioned. Ellis's A Brief History of the Celts provided me with good and solid material for a start.
The writing is clear, precise and easily understood, making the book accessible for anybody who wishes to become familiar with the topic. Ellis offers details and cites many sources, thus making his work reliable. But he doesn't get lost in them and that's positive because it makes the book informative and not heavy and dry. He focuses his efforts on deconstructing the biased myths the Romans perpetuated, shedding light on the true identity of the Celtic peoples.
The Celts were not child-like savages fond of blood and war as the Romans had painted them. They had created a vast civilization with their own beliefs, philosophy and religion that extended all over Europe and not only. What made a great impression on me was the fact that the various Celtic tribes had built an incredible net of communication between them in both Europe and Asia. Something that indicates the close bonds they shared as well as the fact that they were conscious of their nationality and common ancestry.
Ellis gives us a glimpse into the various aspects of their world such as their warriors, their philosophy, their intellectual caste of the Druids, the position of women, their cosmology and their literary tradition.
We have only scratched the surface so far. Our knowledge of this civilization grows day by day. What we have discovered until now is stunning, but it's only the tip. The future surely has a lot more to unearth before our eyes.
The writing is clear, precise and easily understood, making the book accessible for anybody who wishes to become familiar with the topic. Ellis offers details and cites many sources, thus making his work reliable. But he doesn't get lost in them and that's positive because it makes the book informative and not heavy and dry. He focuses his efforts on deconstructing the biased myths the Romans perpetuated, shedding light on the true identity of the Celtic peoples.
The Celts were not child-like savages fond of blood and war as the Romans had painted them. They had created a vast civilization with their own beliefs, philosophy and religion that extended all over Europe and not only. What made a great impression on me was the fact that the various Celtic tribes had built an incredible net of communication between them in both Europe and Asia. Something that indicates the close bonds they shared as well as the fact that they were conscious of their nationality and common ancestry.
Ellis gives us a glimpse into the various aspects of their world such as their warriors, their philosophy, their intellectual caste of the Druids, the position of women, their cosmology and their literary tradition.
We have only scratched the surface so far. Our knowledge of this civilization grows day by day. What we have discovered until now is stunning, but it's only the tip. The future surely has a lot more to unearth before our eyes.
March 19, 2011
For such a small book (221 pages), and considering it had to skim through so much, it was chock-full of information. The author did a really good job of giving information about assorted Celtic tribes from all over Europe, rather then focusing on a specific area, such as Ireland. He compared and contrasted some of the major tribes, and then went in to some very interesting descriptions on what the Celts did, that the Romans end up being known for. Not a difficult or tedious read, rather enjoyable, and totally fascinating!
February 25, 2017
It is a thoroughly researched book and a great introduction to the world of the Celts, who, at least here in Italy, are overlooked when learning history. It's good to get a different point of view that isn't the one of the Roma or the the Greek or their descendents. At the same time, I could have done without this point being repeated oer and over, because it was clear from the impressive narration iself.
I'd suggest reading it if you want to discover more about the origins of extended European culture and history.
I'd suggest reading it if you want to discover more about the origins of extended European culture and history.
August 1, 2010
A fascinating look at an ancient, influential, but overlooked European group that is ancestral to most Americans. Ellis is obviously a celtophile, attributing so much of what are considered Roman advances to ideas lifted from the long-fought and eventually conquered Celts. I gave this book to my son, who's in love with the Romans, knowing that it would add to his understanding of them.
June 9, 2020
Unfortunately I let a good deal of time laps between reading this book and writing the review, so this book is not fresh in my mind, but I recall that this was a very eye-opening look at the Celts, who seem to get little attention paid to them in popular culture except as a stand-in for modern Irish people (or Irish-Americans), which seems like a disservice.
The chapter on Celtic women was super interesting, and brought to my attention the story of Boudica, one of the great revenge fulfillment stories in history. Looking forward to a film adaptation of her story of waging a brutal war against the Romans after her daughters were raped and their kingdom stripped from them, a la Death Wish, Braveheart or Gladiator.
Another thing that stuck with me was the idea that people seem to think that the Celts were illiterate, when in fact they had a religious proscription on writing down their teachings (e.g. philosophy, religion, history), but were actually fully capable of writing things down. It's an interesting belief, but also a sad one, because it means there's a lot less documentary evidence of Celtic belief (and indeed Celtic languages) than one would hope.
I think this has piqued my interest in Celtic society, and I'm very interested to read more books of a similarly high quality, if they are available.
The chapter on Celtic women was super interesting, and brought to my attention the story of Boudica, one of the great revenge fulfillment stories in history. Looking forward to a film adaptation of her story of waging a brutal war against the Romans after her daughters were raped and their kingdom stripped from them, a la Death Wish, Braveheart or Gladiator.
Another thing that stuck with me was the idea that people seem to think that the Celts were illiterate, when in fact they had a religious proscription on writing down their teachings (e.g. philosophy, religion, history), but were actually fully capable of writing things down. It's an interesting belief, but also a sad one, because it means there's a lot less documentary evidence of Celtic belief (and indeed Celtic languages) than one would hope.
I think this has piqued my interest in Celtic society, and I'm very interested to read more books of a similarly high quality, if they are available.
January 2, 2021
Neurosurgery and Other Things the Romans Never Told You About their Celtic Rivals
This 'brief history' can be more narrowly described as a cultural history of the Celts. It covers the contributions of the Celtic people of various parts of the continent; from as far Southeast as Italy to the far West tips of the Atlantic where we seem to think mostly of the Gaelic Celts and the British Celts. There are sections on origins and class structure, warriors and women, farmers and physicians, and even science, religion, and architecture. Beyond that, much study is revealed that illustrates the Celtic contribution to the Roman world. The book continues as far as the Anglo-Saxon massacres.
The work is well researched and filled with illustrations. I thought that within the confines of its purpose, the book does a good job of presenting the reality of the Celtic world. The last book I read on the Celts was a fictional work, Uneasy Lies the Crown: A Novel of Owain Glyndwr by N. Gemini Sasson. It was good historical fiction, but this book goes a long way to filling in the archeological and literary history. I think anyone interested in the Celts could enjoy reading both of these books. I read A Brief History of the Celts in the Kindle Whisper-sync with high quality narration by Christopher Oxford.
This 'brief history' can be more narrowly described as a cultural history of the Celts. It covers the contributions of the Celtic people of various parts of the continent; from as far Southeast as Italy to the far West tips of the Atlantic where we seem to think mostly of the Gaelic Celts and the British Celts. There are sections on origins and class structure, warriors and women, farmers and physicians, and even science, religion, and architecture. Beyond that, much study is revealed that illustrates the Celtic contribution to the Roman world. The book continues as far as the Anglo-Saxon massacres.
"As part of the same ritual, dogs were crucified on stakes of elder, to remind the people they had not barked a warning of the Celtic attack. It was a ritual which lasted in Rome well into the Christian epoch."
The work is well researched and filled with illustrations. I thought that within the confines of its purpose, the book does a good job of presenting the reality of the Celtic world. The last book I read on the Celts was a fictional work, Uneasy Lies the Crown: A Novel of Owain Glyndwr by N. Gemini Sasson. It was good historical fiction, but this book goes a long way to filling in the archeological and literary history. I think anyone interested in the Celts could enjoy reading both of these books. I read A Brief History of the Celts in the Kindle Whisper-sync with high quality narration by Christopher Oxford.
January 24, 2020
I really enjoyed this. I understand that some of the scholarship is already outdated, as this is thirty years old, but I still found it fascinating. The way he connects very distant cultures together is also interesting and definitely presents some facts that just don't have clear answers. Like the similarities between the Vedic texts of India and what we know of early Irish and Welsh religious beliefs.
Not that distant cultures don't often have similar ideas, especially when it comes to spirituality, but it still is pretty fascinating. And Ellis's enthusiasm for the subject really makes you feel that just about anything is possible!
So, yes, lots to chew on here. How true some of these conjectures are seems to still be hotly debated, but I think the core of what he argues here is reasonable. That being that the Celts were never a homogenous group in the way we may like to think about them, but that they shared linguistic and cultural aspects, and that the Celts were active over a very wide geographical region at different points in prehistory and early known history.
Not that distant cultures don't often have similar ideas, especially when it comes to spirituality, but it still is pretty fascinating. And Ellis's enthusiasm for the subject really makes you feel that just about anything is possible!
So, yes, lots to chew on here. How true some of these conjectures are seems to still be hotly debated, but I think the core of what he argues here is reasonable. That being that the Celts were never a homogenous group in the way we may like to think about them, but that they shared linguistic and cultural aspects, and that the Celts were active over a very wide geographical region at different points in prehistory and early known history.
September 22, 2022
An excellent history of the Celts. Who knew that they were a civilization that informed most Roman innovations by several thousand years! This book is a straight history book and I am so impressed with what the Celts accomplished.
March 30, 2024
For a brief overview, I thought this was really good and covered quite a lot. As a history graduate, I’ve read some heavy texts but this seemed accessible for anyone with an interest in the Celts regardless of educational level in the subject. I was particularly fascinated with the linguistic roots, especially the language and narrative similarities with ancient Irish and Sanskrit! I’ve always had an interest in how languages are formed and dialects develop. This gave a taste of that, and I’m eager to learn more about Celtic linguistics as a result of this book.
October 19, 2023
The author knows a lot about the subject but unfortunately doesn't know how to organize his knowledge in a book form. The book is hard to read, it's all over the place - it's an endless trivia, which supposedly refutes by all means necessary the claim that Roman culture is superior to the Celtic one. Very unsatisfying read on such a rich topic.
March 27, 2021
This is a good introduction to Celts civilization.
It tries to explain all parts of this civilization from the famous druids and Celtic warriors to road builders and from Celts Myth to astronomy and its settlement.
Each chapter is in bite pieces so it is easy to read but also easy to put down. That is why for such a short book it took me a month to finish.
It tries to explain all parts of this civilization from the famous druids and Celtic warriors to road builders and from Celts Myth to astronomy and its settlement.
Each chapter is in bite pieces so it is easy to read but also easy to put down. That is why for such a short book it took me a month to finish.
February 11, 2017
Ellis traces the broad history of Celtic migration and influence on Europe from the time they emerge around 6th century B.C. through the dawn of the Christian era. Challenging some of the stereotypes Ellis breaks the society down into its origins, laws, religion, arts and sciences, and roles of its members.
While I’m focused right now on a deep study into Irish history the books does a great job of framing the overall impact of the Celts into broader world history, even having a fascinating impact on Brazil. The two most fascinating aspects of the work is how closely Celtic society and religion parallel India’s history and Hinduism and the origins of the modern day Halloween celebrations. In an earlier read on Irish folktales and mythology I couldn’t help but notice the fairy-tale, happy-ever-after nature of the stories. This is more fully explained in Ellis’ work. Further, while I’ve heard the term Druid before I had very little understanding of the role in their society. If Ellis is to be believed (I will get to that in a moment) they are a fascinating study in their own right.
The work verifies earlier reads of the continuity of Celtic/Irish history in the absence of Roman conquest. You can’t help but really appreciate the fullness of its history, with two royal lines able to trace its genealogy 3,000 when combined with oral tradition. The advanced nature of aspects of this society rival the astounding nature of ancient Egyptians with a law that seems based on a great deal of common sense and justice. The medical technology and laws regulating it was incredibly progressive with the Irish language claiming the world’s largest collection of medical texts in any one language prior to 1800.
This is a quick and easy read but there are a few flaws. First, Ellis is obviously a Celtophile – to the point where he, at times, comes across as not entirely objective. The best example is in dealing with human sacrifice and barbarity of Celtic war. While the argument of “it’s no different than the Romans” may be valid, his approach comes across as a married couple fighting and trying to one up each other on the wrongs committed. It was a little tiresome. He is also a bit repetitive for my taste and he could be contradictory at times. For instance, on one hand he argues that the Church so highly regarded Celtic tradition it absorbed it into its own practices. But, on the other hand, would argue that written history couldn’t be trusted because of the church’s attempt to slander the traditions.
Overall, for someone with limited exposure to Celtic history this is a great place to start.
While I’m focused right now on a deep study into Irish history the books does a great job of framing the overall impact of the Celts into broader world history, even having a fascinating impact on Brazil. The two most fascinating aspects of the work is how closely Celtic society and religion parallel India’s history and Hinduism and the origins of the modern day Halloween celebrations. In an earlier read on Irish folktales and mythology I couldn’t help but notice the fairy-tale, happy-ever-after nature of the stories. This is more fully explained in Ellis’ work. Further, while I’ve heard the term Druid before I had very little understanding of the role in their society. If Ellis is to be believed (I will get to that in a moment) they are a fascinating study in their own right.
The work verifies earlier reads of the continuity of Celtic/Irish history in the absence of Roman conquest. You can’t help but really appreciate the fullness of its history, with two royal lines able to trace its genealogy 3,000 when combined with oral tradition. The advanced nature of aspects of this society rival the astounding nature of ancient Egyptians with a law that seems based on a great deal of common sense and justice. The medical technology and laws regulating it was incredibly progressive with the Irish language claiming the world’s largest collection of medical texts in any one language prior to 1800.
This is a quick and easy read but there are a few flaws. First, Ellis is obviously a Celtophile – to the point where he, at times, comes across as not entirely objective. The best example is in dealing with human sacrifice and barbarity of Celtic war. While the argument of “it’s no different than the Romans” may be valid, his approach comes across as a married couple fighting and trying to one up each other on the wrongs committed. It was a little tiresome. He is also a bit repetitive for my taste and he could be contradictory at times. For instance, on one hand he argues that the Church so highly regarded Celtic tradition it absorbed it into its own practices. But, on the other hand, would argue that written history couldn’t be trusted because of the church’s attempt to slander the traditions.
Overall, for someone with limited exposure to Celtic history this is a great place to start.
November 24, 2008
Historians who talked about the Celts can be fit into three categories. The first category includes the Classical writers who wrote to demonize them, and the writers who wrote to show
how unsophisticated they are. The second category includes the people who wrote to show what a great society they were and how misunderstood they were and those include both modern and
classical writers. And the third and final category is the writers who were somewhat unbiased and these are very few. The author of this book falls in the second category.
Peter Ellis set out in his book to tell us the story of the origins of the Celts and their ancient history. Also to show a thematic survey of the Celtic culture, way of life, and what they left behind. On the first count he didn’t do such a good job but on the second he did an amazing job, but not without bias.
Though the book has its problems it also has its good points which out way the problems. It gives details that a lot of other writers ignore, or just don’t feel interested in writing about. Keeping the biases of the author aside and reading the book critically you will be able to get a lot of information out of it that give a whole different image to the Ancient Celts.
how unsophisticated they are. The second category includes the people who wrote to show what a great society they were and how misunderstood they were and those include both modern and
classical writers. And the third and final category is the writers who were somewhat unbiased and these are very few. The author of this book falls in the second category.
Peter Ellis set out in his book to tell us the story of the origins of the Celts and their ancient history. Also to show a thematic survey of the Celtic culture, way of life, and what they left behind. On the first count he didn’t do such a good job but on the second he did an amazing job, but not without bias.
Though the book has its problems it also has its good points which out way the problems. It gives details that a lot of other writers ignore, or just don’t feel interested in writing about. Keeping the biases of the author aside and reading the book critically you will be able to get a lot of information out of it that give a whole different image to the Ancient Celts.
May 18, 2019
A bit biased for my taste, very dense and hard to read on. If not for my interest in the subject I would have quit. Learned some new theories because with everything celtic most of it is hearsay are really light on hard evidence.
March 4, 2014
A very enjoyable read.
Ellis presents a great deal of information in a short book without being overwhelming. Pleasantly packaged in a manner that is neither too dry or lacking in dignity.
There is a lot to chew on that I had not considered. The sheer scope of the celtic world is simply amazing (while most of us only think in terms of insular celts and Asterix).
My only misgivings about the information in the book is that the author gives SO much credit, and SO much defense to the celtic side of issues that I (as a pro-celtic leaner) am made suspicious by the very evident pro-celtic bias that it makes me want to take EVERYTHING in the book with a grain of salt. I was put a little in mind of Ensign Chekov "Inwented in Russia".
Still a eye opening little book that will wind up multicolored with highlighter.
Ellis presents a great deal of information in a short book without being overwhelming. Pleasantly packaged in a manner that is neither too dry or lacking in dignity.
There is a lot to chew on that I had not considered. The sheer scope of the celtic world is simply amazing (while most of us only think in terms of insular celts and Asterix).
My only misgivings about the information in the book is that the author gives SO much credit, and SO much defense to the celtic side of issues that I (as a pro-celtic leaner) am made suspicious by the very evident pro-celtic bias that it makes me want to take EVERYTHING in the book with a grain of salt. I was put a little in mind of Ensign Chekov "Inwented in Russia".
Still a eye opening little book that will wind up multicolored with highlighter.
March 7, 2022
The civilization of the Celts is a mysterious and intriguing subject, and the author demonstrates a very deep knowledge of this matter.
Despite this premise, a major flaw spoils the reading since the beginning of the book.
The writer is praising the Celts in every expression of their culture, and he is spending pages and pages despising other civilizations, especially the Romans and the Greeks. This partisan spirit is so overwhelming that in many points the book loses completely his objectivity, and it is easy to detect several errors and contradictions.
This biased attitude fails to convey the fascination that this subject should bring to the reader.
I don’t recommend this book.
Despite this premise, a major flaw spoils the reading since the beginning of the book.
The writer is praising the Celts in every expression of their culture, and he is spending pages and pages despising other civilizations, especially the Romans and the Greeks. This partisan spirit is so overwhelming that in many points the book loses completely his objectivity, and it is easy to detect several errors and contradictions.
This biased attitude fails to convey the fascination that this subject should bring to the reader.
I don’t recommend this book.
July 30, 2009
I found this book very interesting and enjoyable, though it's obvious that Peter Berresford Ellis is a great partisan of the Celts and rather biased. Having said that, it's a very easy to read book and an excellent introduction to the Celts.
July 31, 2024
So it turns out I knew next to NOTHING about the Celts and their historical importance. This was pretty amazing, and the writing is clear but entertaining. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who wants a primer on Celtic history!
March 1, 2020
Very dry in parts but a concise history of the Celts that mostly focusses on the European Celts (the Gauls) rather than on what Ellis calls the 'insular' Celts, i.e. the ones that remain in Ireland, Scotland France and Spain.
May 2, 2008
I loved this book! Lots of insights on the impact of the Celts on the early Christians, and the religious beliefs that were evident of the Celts.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews