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The Ancient Celts 2nd Edition

by Barry Cunliffe (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 279 ratings
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Fierce warriors and skilled craftsmen, the Celts were famous throughout the Ancient Mediterranean World. They were the archetypal barbarians from the north and were feared by both Greeks and Romans. For two and a half thousand years they have continued to fascinate those who have come into contact with them, yet their origins have remained a mystery and even today are the subject of heated debate among historians and archaeologists.

Barry Cunliffe's classic study of the ancient Celtic world was first published in 1997. Since then huge advances have taken place in our knowledge: new finds, new ways of using DNA records to understand Celtic origins, new ideas about the proto-urban nature of early chieftains' strongholds. All these developments are part of this fully updated, and completely redesigned edition.

Cunliffe explores the archaeological reality of these bold warriors and skilled craftsmen of barbarian Europe who inspired fear in both the Greeks and the Romans. He investigates the texts of the classical writers and contrasts their view of the Celts with current archaeological findings. Tracing the emergence of chiefdoms and the fifth- to third-century migrations as far as Bosnia and the Czech Republic, he assesses the disparity between the traditional story and the most recent historical and archaeological evidence on the Celts.

Other aspects of Celtic identity such as the cultural diversity of the tribes, their social and religious systems, art, language and law, are also examined. From the picture that emerges, we are - crucially - able to distinguish between the original Celts, and those tribes which were "Celtized", giving us an invaluable insight into the true identity of this ancient people.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0198752938
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0198752936
  3. Edition
    2nd
  4. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  5. Publication date
    June 26, 2018
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    9.6 x 0.9 x 7.4 inches
  8. Print length
    496 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Book Description

Explore the ancient Celtic world of archetypal barbarians

About the Author

Barry Cunliffe is Emeritus Professor of European Archaeology at the University of Oxford. He taught archaeology at the Universities of Bristol and Southampton and was Professor of European Archaeology at the University of Oxford from 1972 to 2008, thereafter becoming Emeritus Professor. He has excavated widely in Britain (Fishbourne, Bath, Danebury, Hengistbury Head, Brading) and in the Channel Islands, Brittany, and Spain, and has been President of the Council for British Archaeology and of the Society of Antiquaries, a Governor of the Museum of London, a Commissioner of English Heritage, and a Trustee of the British Museum. His many publications include Facing the Ocean (2001), The Druids: A Very Short Introduction (2010), Britain Begins (2012), By Steppe, Desert, and Ocean (2015), and On the Ocean (2017), all published by Oxford University Press. He received a knighthood in 2006.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; 2nd edition (June 26, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 496 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0198752938
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0198752936
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.08 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.6 x 0.9 x 7.4 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 279 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
279 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Larry D. Pennington
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Writer, Comprehensive History
Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2021
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I had no idea who/what/when the Celts were - I'm not a history buff - but this is a superbly written book taking you from the earliest signs of a Celtic tradition in 1000 BC to their final vestiges in 1000 AD. A challenging task for sure, but superbly organized and clearly written. Now I know who the Celts were and how they contributed to us today. Buy it!
9 people found this helpful
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SS
5.0 out of 5 stars SCHOLARLY AND ACADEMIC
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2019
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If you are looking for an in-depth, well researched, and scholarly book, this is a good choice. If you are looking for a lighter read without the great depth and detail, you might want to look elsewhere. This is for scholars and academics.
20 people found this helpful
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Don Miguel de Suza Whitney 1st
5.0 out of 5 stars An extensive and scholarly door to understanding the Celts. It's Begun.
Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2019
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This text has given me an introduction to a multilevel study of the Celts, building upon an interest in religious roots of Western culture. It's study has opened my journey to some of my family roots and the unfolding of the rose in Wales. M M
10 people found this helpful
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Austin Oliver
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent work, great illustrations, some modern injections
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2024
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The work is fairly well written, extremely clear, and does an excellent job making complex archeological evidence accessible to the lay person. However, Cunliffe allows his Marxism to shine through in almost every chapter. It doesn't ruin the book by any means, but his work would be much stronger without his baseless sociological assumptions coloring his perspective of ancient societies.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A view on history I haven’t heard before.
Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2020
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Downloaded this book on Audible & new I had to purchase a copy.
One person found this helpful
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Justin the hermit
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for beginners and experts alike. Well rounded and brilliantly updated. Fascinating read
Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2018
This is an excellent update to the original book. It updates the original wonderfully. Worth the price. This author has outdone himself again 10 stars. I'll get enough for my own copy soon. We need to learn this history before it's erased. Update I got my copy of the second edition finally. Its well worth the price. The top of his field update material buy now while you still can on kindle. I also recommend by steppe, desert, and ocean, on the ocean, brittain begins, by the the same author and the Amazons, the poison king about mithridates, and greek fire,poison arrows,and scorpion bombs by Adrienne mayor. Both authors compliment each other well
14 people found this helpful
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3.0 out of 5 stars DEFINITIVE WORK ON THE CELTS...BUT VERY OUTDATED VIS-A-VIS NEW GENETIC EVIDENCE
Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2022
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Wonderful rendition of Celtic culture in Europe: burial sites, fortresses, interaction with the Romans, Greeks and Etruscans. Nicely illustrated with maps and photos. But this second edition (2018) is clearly deficient in acknowledging the new discoveries regarding migration of people based on ancient DNA. And that data actually started to be released in 2015.
The major flaw is Cunliffe's assertion that, "...the Celtic language may have originated in the Atlantic zone (Portugal, Brittany, Ireland, etc.) of Europe and may have spread eastwards, perhaps as early as the third millennium BC." (preface to the second edition). Later on (p. 401) he claims it may have been "...as early as the fourth millennium BC, and its (Celtic language) spread eastwards into west Central Europe in the third millennium mark the beginning of the history of the Celts."
In 2018 Dr. David Reich published "Who We Are And How We Got Here." That work is based on his own lab's (at Harvard) work over several years combined with other labs like the Max Planck Institute. The undeniable evidence, as described most specifically in Chapter Five, negates any such "eastward" migration or creation of a people or culture originating in the "Atlantic Zone."
Ancient DNA studies "...suggest to me that the most likely location of the population that first spoke an Indo-European language (like Celtic) was south of the Caucasus Mountains, perhaps in present-day Iran or Armenia..." (p. 120, "Who We Are..." hardcover edition). Basically, Indo-European language and genetic migration was propelled by the Yamnaya steppe peoples into Europe approximately five thousand years ago. And it was WESTWARD expansion.
Still and all, Cunliffe's book is rich with valuable archaeology of the Celts and actually illustrates how disparate the clumps of Celtic tribes were scattered throughout Europe.
But for definitive and growing evidence of modern human migration based on ancient DNA...read Dr. Reich and hope for an updated book soon.
19 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars text book quality
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2023
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It lacks investigation of daily life It is a comprehensive general history of the Celts all over Europe. It tells the story of the big picture
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Fiona Jenkins
4.0 out of 5 stars amasing!
Reviewed in Canada on April 1, 2023
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this book is very well written and historical.
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john akwils
2.0 out of 5 stars confusion
Reviewed in France on August 20, 2023
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A number of illustrations lack their labels, the whole book is confusing, repetitive and sometimes out of its field like Crete, allegedly a series of lectures assembled without unifying them.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A worthwhile read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 31, 2020
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This is a reasonably academic text, so it can feel a bit heavy for those who don’t have more than a passing interest in the topic. I found it to be highly educational and it gave information and insights into a topic that I previously thought I knew.
10 people found this helpful
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VAN THIELEN, Bart
5.0 out of 5 stars Onberispelijke service
Reviewed in Germany on May 7, 2019
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Snelle afhandeling en levering. Boek in perfecte staat.
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Mony
4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of information
Reviewed in Canada on April 17, 2021
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Great book. However, very dense. Small print. For a lay person, works best, I think, as a reference book or to read a particular section.
One person found this helpful
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