Celts: The History and Legacy of One of the Oldest Cultures in Europe

From their emergence as an Iron Age people around 800 BCE to the early centuries CE, Celts reveals the truth behind the stories of naked warriors, ritual beheadings, druids, magic, and accusations of human sacrifice. Before the Vikings, before the Anglo-Saxons, before the Roman Empire, the Celts dominated central and western Europe. Today we might think of the Celts only inhabiting parts of the far west of Europe--Ireland, Great Britain, France, and Spain--but these were the extremities in which their culture lasted longest. In fact, they had originated in central Europe and settled as far afield as present-day Turkey, Poland, and Italy. This book examines the different tribes, the Hallstatt and La Tène periods, as well as Celtic survival in western Europe, the Gallic Wars, military life, spiritual life, slavery, sexuality, and Celtic art. Celts is an expertly written account of a people who have long captured the popular imagination.