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The Celtic Heroic Age: Literary Sources for Ancient Celtic Europe & Early Ireland & Wales
A new fourth edition of an invaluable collection of literary sources, all in translation, for Celtic Europe and early Ireland and Wales. The selections are divided into three sections: the first is classical authors on the ancient celts - a huge selection including both the well known Herodotos, Plato, Aristotle, Livy, Diogenes Laertius, and Cicero - and the obscure-Pseudo-Scymnus, Lampridius, Vopsicus, Clement of Alexandria and Ptolemy I. The second is early Irish and Hiberno-Latin sources including early Irish dynastic poetry and numerous tales from the Ulster cycle and the third consists of Brittonic sources, mostly Welsh. This edition includes three new early Irish tales, translated by Mairin Ni Dhonnchadha: The Birth of Aed Slaine; Fingal Ronain, and the Story of Mis and Dubh Rois.
488 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
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About the author
John T. Koch
23 books8 followersJohn T. Koch is an American academic, historian and linguist who specializes in Celtic studies, especially prehistory and the early Middle Ages.
He is a graduate of Harvard University, where he was awarded the degrees of A.M. and Ph.D. in Celtic Languages and Literatures in 1983 and 1985 respectively. In addition, he has also pursued studies at Jesus College, Oxford, and the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. He has taught Celtic Studies at Harvard University and Boston College.
Since 1998, he has been senior research fellow or Reader at the Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies, University of Wales, where he has supervised a research project focusing on Celtic Languages and Cultural Identity. Two of the offshoots of this project are the five-volume Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia and An Atlas for Celtic Studies (2007).
He has published widely on aspects of early Irish and Welsh language, literature and history. His works include The Celtic Heroic Age (first published in 1994, 4th edition in 2003), in collaboration with John Carey; The Gododdin of Aneirin (1997), an edition, translation and discussion of the early Welsh poem Y Gododdin; and numerous articles published in books and journals. A grammar of Old Welsh and a book on the historical Taliesin are in the works.
In 2007, John Koch received a personal chair at the University of Wales.
Koch supervises (as Senior Fellow and Project Leader) the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies Ancient Britain and the Atlantic Zone Project (Ireland, Armorica, and the Iberian Peninsula). In 2008, Koch gave the O'Donnell Lecture at Aberystwyth University titled People called Keltoi, the La Tène Style, and ancient Celtic languages: the threefold Celts in the light of geography. In 2009, Koch published a paper Tartessian: Celtic from the Southwest at the Dawn of History detailing how the Tartessian language may have been the earliest directly attested Celtic language with the Tartessian written script used in the inscriptions based on a version of a Phoenician script in use around 825 BC.
He is a graduate of Harvard University, where he was awarded the degrees of A.M. and Ph.D. in Celtic Languages and Literatures in 1983 and 1985 respectively. In addition, he has also pursued studies at Jesus College, Oxford, and the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. He has taught Celtic Studies at Harvard University and Boston College.
Since 1998, he has been senior research fellow or Reader at the Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies, University of Wales, where he has supervised a research project focusing on Celtic Languages and Cultural Identity. Two of the offshoots of this project are the five-volume Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia and An Atlas for Celtic Studies (2007).
He has published widely on aspects of early Irish and Welsh language, literature and history. His works include The Celtic Heroic Age (first published in 1994, 4th edition in 2003), in collaboration with John Carey; The Gododdin of Aneirin (1997), an edition, translation and discussion of the early Welsh poem Y Gododdin; and numerous articles published in books and journals. A grammar of Old Welsh and a book on the historical Taliesin are in the works.
In 2007, John Koch received a personal chair at the University of Wales.
Koch supervises (as Senior Fellow and Project Leader) the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies Ancient Britain and the Atlantic Zone Project (Ireland, Armorica, and the Iberian Peninsula). In 2008, Koch gave the O'Donnell Lecture at Aberystwyth University titled People called Keltoi, the La Tène Style, and ancient Celtic languages: the threefold Celts in the light of geography. In 2009, Koch published a paper Tartessian: Celtic from the Southwest at the Dawn of History detailing how the Tartessian language may have been the earliest directly attested Celtic language with the Tartessian written script used in the inscriptions based on a version of a Phoenician script in use around 825 BC.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 21, 2013
A real gem of a sourcebook. The authors collect and translate a voluminous amount of texts that relate to the Celtic heroic age. The book is divided into three sections, Latin sources, Irish and British.
The Latin selection collects extracts from classical authors on the Celtic tribes. While most of the collection covers British and Irish texts, this covers the Celts on mainland Europe. Authors include Caesar and Tacitus and their views on Druids and the Celtic uprisings against roman rule.
The second selection covers the Irish Mythological, Ulster and Fenian Cycles. The texts included are the Lebor Gabála Érenn (Book of Invasions of Ireland), narratives on the Ulster heroes and too many more to mention.
The final section on British material is the one I enjoyed the most. Included in the selection are Nenius, the Welsh Arthurian poems but best of all are the selection that cover the Hen Ogled (old north). Included from this subject are the Urien Rheged poems, Gododdin, Llywarch Hen poems and a few more odd little texts.
On the initial publication of this book, I was given a free hardcover copy. On reading it, I found the text to be peppered with printers errors and thought that some important texts were also missing but I could still see the potential in the book. Years later I picked up a the revised paperback edition and all the printing errors were gone, plus the authors had added a few extra texts to the collection, which made a vast improvement over the first edition.
The book is an ideal quick reference tool for scholars in the field but is also ideal for the general reader to make an initial acquaintance with some obscure Celtic source texts. Each text is prefaced by a short introduction and the book isn't overloaded with scholarly notes.
The Latin selection collects extracts from classical authors on the Celtic tribes. While most of the collection covers British and Irish texts, this covers the Celts on mainland Europe. Authors include Caesar and Tacitus and their views on Druids and the Celtic uprisings against roman rule.
The second selection covers the Irish Mythological, Ulster and Fenian Cycles. The texts included are the Lebor Gabála Érenn (Book of Invasions of Ireland), narratives on the Ulster heroes and too many more to mention.
The final section on British material is the one I enjoyed the most. Included in the selection are Nenius, the Welsh Arthurian poems but best of all are the selection that cover the Hen Ogled (old north). Included from this subject are the Urien Rheged poems, Gododdin, Llywarch Hen poems and a few more odd little texts.
On the initial publication of this book, I was given a free hardcover copy. On reading it, I found the text to be peppered with printers errors and thought that some important texts were also missing but I could still see the potential in the book. Years later I picked up a the revised paperback edition and all the printing errors were gone, plus the authors had added a few extra texts to the collection, which made a vast improvement over the first edition.
The book is an ideal quick reference tool for scholars in the field but is also ideal for the general reader to make an initial acquaintance with some obscure Celtic source texts. Each text is prefaced by a short introduction and the book isn't overloaded with scholarly notes.
April 28, 2009
Oh, SO much fun! This was my first introduction to Celtic literature of any sort, and, from my limited point of view concerning the stuff, had a fair selection of early literature from Ireland. Wales I'm not too sure about, since the book seemed to be somewhat lacking in that area, unfortunately. My biggest quipe at the book is that the editor leaves any introduction or footnotes for the stories up to the translators, who are generally rather sparse. Only a few sections note much about when the tales were written, or anything for that matter, making all the stories in the collection seem as if they were both created and written down at the same time. In all, though, enjoyable and fun.
February 18, 2008
Anyone interested in learning about the Celts, this is the text to own.
Has all of the classical (Roman and Greek) writings on the Celts, and then a plethora of historical stories, tales, poems and more from the Brythonic to the Irish.
Has all of the classical (Roman and Greek) writings on the Celts, and then a plethora of historical stories, tales, poems and more from the Brythonic to the Irish.
June 4, 2012
A now classic and indispensable resource for Celticists and all those interested in ancient Celtic culture and history, Celtic literature and the interrelation between the two. Clear and useful translations by John Koch and John Carey. Something I refer to again and again. Highly recommended!
August 13, 2018
Diddorol dros ben. Pob cyfeiriad at y Celtiaid erioed ynddo.
March 17, 2022
Such a useful book and has become a standard of every Celtic studies reading list.
July 17, 2013
Koch and Carey managed to get the best translations from various experts and bring it all into one place, supplementing with their own work as necessary. The result is a classic work that can be used for quick references. Highly recommended for casual and professional scholars, a great taste of the Celtic people for everyone else.
May 25, 2011
I used this book in a course on Celtic mythology and literature and found it to be an easy read. It included key works that were interesting and well translated. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Celtic history from the beginner to the more advanced scholar.
July 3, 2007
Read for HISTAM 276: Celtic Civilizations
June 10, 2012
A great, resourceful book on its domain. Strongly recommended for Celtic history/literature students and enthusiasts.
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July 13, 2012{RECO Neil, 7-14-12} Essay collection.
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July 24, 2024Includes welsh
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews