Ancient Celts Iberia Bosnia Czech Turkey Religion War Law Art Language Culture

Description: The Ancient Celts by Barry Cunliffe. NOTE: We have 75,000 books in our library, almost 10,000 different titles. Odds are we have other copies of this same title in varying conditions, some less expensive, some better condition. We might also have different editions as well (some paperback, some hardcover, oftentimes international editions). If you don’t see what you want, please contact us and ask. We’re happy to send you a summary of the differing conditions and prices we may have for the same title. DESCRIPTION: Hardback with Dust Jacket: 324 pages. Publisher: Oxford University Press; (1997). Size: 9¾ x 7¼ x 1¼ inches; 2¾ pounds. For two and a half thousand years the Celts 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. In this erudite and engaging illustrated history, Professor Cunliffe explores the archaeological reality of these bold warriors and skilled craftsmen of barbarian Europe who inspired fear in the Greeks and 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 and into Turkey, he assesses the disparity between the traditional and contemporary information on the Celts. Other aspects of Celtic identity, such as the cultural diversity of the tribes, their social and religious systems, their art, language and law, are also examined. From the picture that emerges, Professor Cunliffe is able to distinguish between the original Celts and tribes which were subjected to 'Celtization', thus giving us a new insight into the true identity of this ancient people. CONDITION: LIKE NEW. Unread (?) hardcover w/dustjacket in a new mylar sleeve. Oxford University (1997) 360 pages. Seemingly only lightly browsed book but in a shopworn dustjacket. Inside the pages are pristine; clean, crisp, unmarked, unmutilated, tightly bound, seemingly only flipped through a few times. I would guess the original owner flipped through the book once or twice, then put it away never to be read. At worst it may have been read once by someone with an exceedingly "light hand". From the outside the dustjacket evidences modest shelfwear. There are two neatly mended closed edge tears to the top edge of the front side of the dustjacket. One is about 1" in length and is at the open upper corner. The second is about 1 1/2" in length and is at the spine head. Both are very nicely repaired and not immediately discerned. The extremities show modest rubbing/abrasion; i.e. the dustjacket spine head, spine heel, and the dustjacket "tips" (the open corners of the dustjacket, top and bottom, front and back). The dustjacket also evidences mild overall rubbing/fine scratching (dustjacket is photo-finish, high gloss black and so shows rub marks very easily merely from being shelved between other books). So as to preclude any further wear to the dustjacket we encapsulated it within a new mylar sleeve. Beneath the dustjacket the covers are clean and unblemished. Except for the modest shopwear to the dustjacket, the overall condition of the book is not too terribly far removed from what might pass as "new" from an open-shelf book store (such as Barnes & Noble) wherein patrons are permitted to browse open stock, and so otherwise "new" books are often a bit "shopworn" exhibiting moderate handling/shelf/browsing wear. Satisfaction unconditionally guaranteed. In stock, ready to ship. No disappointments, no excuses. PROMPT SHIPPING! HEAVILY PADDED, DAMAGE-FREE PACKAGING! #2065f. PLEASE SEE IMAGES BELOW FOR SAMPLE PAGES FROM INSIDE OF BOOK. PLEASE SEE PUBLISHER, PROFESSIONAL, AND READER REVIEWS BELOW. PUBLISHER REVIEW: REVIEW: Barry Cunliffe, Professor of European Archaeology at the University of Oxford and Editor of “The Oxford Illustrated Prehistory of Europe”, explores the nature of Celtic identity and presents the first thorough and up-to-date account of the tribes who were famous throughout the ancient Mediterranean world and whose origins still provoke heated debate. Fierce warriors and skilled craftsmen, the Celts were the archetypal barbarians from the north, feared by both Greeks and Romans. Napoleon III spent much time and money searching for the ancestral Gauls, and the concept of the Celts has been used many times by nations fringing the Atlantic in their search for identity. Barry Cunliffe is Professor of European Archaeology at the University of Oxford and one of the world's leading archaeologists. The author of over forty books, including “The Ancient Celts”. His most recent book is “Facing the Ocean: The Atlantic and Its Peoples”. He has served as President of the Council for British Archaeology and the Society of Antiquaries, and is currently a member of the Ancient Monuments Board of English Heritage. Contents/Chapter Headings include: 1) Visions of the Celts; 2) The Reality of the Celts; 3) Barbarian Europe and the Mediterranean: 1300-400 B.C.; 4) The Migrations: 400-200 B.C.; 5) Warfare and Society; 6) The Arts of the Migration Period; 7) Iberia and the Celtiberians; 8) The Communities of the Atlantic Façade; 9) The Communities of the Eastern Fringes; 10) Religious Systems; 11) The Developed Celtic World; 12) The Celts in Retreat; 13) Celtic Survival; 14) Retrospect. Also: “A Guide to Further Reading”, “Chronological Tables”, and “Map Sections”. PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS: REVIEW: From 1300 B.C. to 400 A.D., a group of peoples known variously as Celts or Gauls figures prominently in the history of the development of the Greco-Roman world. Cunliffe, Professor of European Archaeology at Oxford University, presents a carefully detailed study of these people long colorfully chronicled in song and story. The strengths of this beautiful text are immediately obvious. Not only are there profuse and varied examples of Celtic art, often in color, but each illustration is annotated in detail. The maps in the text are plentiful and well explained; there is, in addition, a section of maps and chronological tables at the end of the book. The prose is extremely well written and well organized; each chapter is clear in its purpose and place in the overall work. The first six chapters are especially fascinating as they trace the many Celtic groups as they spread out across Europe, reaching Iberia and the Ireland in the west and as far as Asia Minor to the east. These chapters, however, abound with archeological terminology and theoretical concepts. Based not only on archeological finds but the commentaries of Roman writers, the later chapters on the Celtic communities, religious systems and finally Celts in retreat before the Romans and surviving on the Atlantic periphery of Europe are more descriptive and accessible. REVIEW: In this fascinating new volume Barry Cunliffe explores the true nature of the Celtic identity and presents the first thorough and up-to-date account of a people whose origins still provoke heated debate. Examining the archaeological reality of the Iron Age inhabitants of barbarian Europe, he traces the emergence of chiefdoms, patterns of expansion and migration, and the development of a mature urbanized society, thus assessing the disparity between the traditional vision of the Celts and the archaeological evidence. Through his consideration of cultural diversity, social and religious systems, art, language, law, and oral traditions, Cunliffe is able to draw a distinction between societies which conform to an ethnic `Celtic' model and those subjected to `Celtization', and tease out a fascinating new picture of the identity of the Celts. REVIEW: Each generation, the British scholar Jacquetta Hawkes has observed, chooses the archaeology that best suits its current ideology. For a century beginning in the late 1800s, archaeologists depicted the Celts as an inordinately brave and poetic tribal people who battled their way across the Eurasian world without being unduly aggressive, in the manner, that is, of good colonialists. Today some archaeologists are more inclined to consider the Celts as a people who kept ethnic unity alive across a huge span of territory and time, a view that may offer comfort in a time when, as Oxford University professor Barry Cunliffe writes, "ethnic divisions are becoming a painful and disturbing reality." Cunliffe himself takes the view that the Celts were at once alike and diverse, which led to the formation of many different Celtic cultures from the Black Sea to Ireland. This heavily illustrated, well-written book tells their story well, from the beginnings of Celtic culture in the distant Indo-European past to the height of Celtic power in the third century A.D. REVIEW: This survey of the origins of the Celts and their expansion during the Iron Age through their largely successful subjection by the Romans is sure to be of interest to many readers. Cunliffe (European Archaeology, Oxford University) has written a readable and informative book with many attractive illustrations, a good index, and a helpful annotated bibliography. The focus is archaeological, but not exclusively, as Cunliffe does explore literary and oral traditions as well. An interesting aspect of the book is the description of 18th- and 19th-century amateur archaeologists and Celtic enthusiasts. The Celtic peoples are a popular topic among many scholars and lay readers, and this title would be a good purchase for those interested in ancient Celtic history. REVIEW: Cunliffe (University of Oxford, Archaeology) explores and interprets the physical evidence relating to the iron-age inhabitants of Europe. He traces the emergence of chiefdoms, patterns of expansion and migration, and the development of an urbanized society. He distinguishes between the ethnic Celts and the people subjected to Celtization. Highly illustrated in color and black and white. REVIEW: A fascinating new picture of the Celts, and a superb analysis of the archaeological reality of the Celtic Iron Age. Generously illustrated with twenty pages of color plates, over two hundred other illustrations and line-drawings, and many new maps. READER REVIEWS: REVIEW: An informative and comprehensive overview of the history of Celtic Eurasia. Cunliffe's status as a leading scholar in this field is well deserved. This volume exhibits the result of many years of work. The wealth and breadth, in both time and space, of the material preclude Cunliffe engaging in flowery rhetoric or idle speculations. Using archaeology as the basis for his presentation, he provides both textual and graphic information. The result is a thorough examination of the development and movements of the Celtic peoples. Their impact on the geopolitics of Europe is great, he reminds us. Place names, artistic styles, and numerous practical elements, many of which have been downplayed or ignored during the Christian centuries, remain as a legacy of their presence and influence. Given the paucity of Celtic written records, Cunliffe begins with early archaeological efforts and snippets of Greco-Roman observations. What the Celts thought of themselves must remain a mystery. Those observing them found a warrior society, highly sophisticated in that realm from both aggressive and defensive standpoints. Highly mobile, the Celts established societies from Western Asia to the British Isles. In their settlements, which became increasingly organized and administered over the centuries, they laid the foundations of many modern communities. Cunliffe's accounts of these settlements, particularly those in the Iberian Peninsula is likely to offer fresh information for many students. Cunliffe gives us overviews of the "barbarian" migrations and their impact on European society. The most important result of Celtic movements, of course, was the counter expansion of Rome. Celtic domination of the trans-Alpine region drew Rome into Europe proper. Rome's choice of land routes for armies instead of sea routes for trade meant occupation or dominance of Celtic holdings. These counter forces had far-reaching results in all areas of European life. Even religion, which was normally viewed tolerantly by Rome, came under assault when the Celtic Druids became the force organizing resistance to Roman rule. Cunliffe traces these interactions with a scholar's precision, relating it all in a crisp narration. The author's long career in this field has provided him with a storehouse of resources. Aside from the fine bibliographic essay, he enhances the main text with excellent maps, illustrations and photographs, many in color. These cultural images impart a graphic sense of how misleading the term "barbarian" is applied to these people. Their rich heritage, eroded by Rome and virtually eliminated by Christianity is revived by Cunliffe's superb recounting of their world. This book is valuable at many levels and well worth the investment. REVIEW: Stop Right Here! If you are wondering what to read about the Celts, with little previous exposure to the subject, then you only need to know one thing: "The Ancient Celts" by Barry Cunliffe. In fact, just buy it now, it is that good. I am not joking! You will find "The Ancient Celts" to be a thorough going introduction to most aspects of Celtic research and history. Cunliffe gives a broad overview of previous Celtic study, the sources and the different influences and prejudices that have wormed their way into the sources and works through history. This provides an excellent back-drop to Cunliffe's own book, and puts it into an historical context of scholarship. For the Celts themselves, the book presents broad overviews of different aspects of Celtic society, culture, art and so on. This is necessarily brief and focuses on those Celtic peoples who are amply attested to. For those others who dwelt more on the fringes of Celtic territory, Cunliffe is rightly more cautious in the few conclusions he draws. Despite this, the treatment is reasonably detailed and will certainly give you enough to go further should you wish to do so. This might sound a bit puerile, but another bonus for me was the ample supply of photos, pictures and diagrams that helped put a more visual facet on the text. One might think that this is a pretty banal comment, but I found it a real boon to be able to see the artifacts that Cunliffe referred to, and appreciate them for myself. The Celtic art was a classic example of this. While there are other authors out there, I would agree that Cunliffe has achieved possibly the best introduction available on the Celts. If you have not already got it ordered, I suggest you do so now. It is a great book and you won't regret the purchase. REVIEW: A wonderful and ground-breaking book. Cunliffe is a well-known scholar who's an expert on Celtic archeology, and has been in numerous television shows and documentaries. Wonderful author, well written, and in-depth. He shows you the archeology, and what it could've meant, but leaving enough room for you to draw your own conclusions. I loved the chapter "Religious Systems" as it's very informative, and solid in the archeological record. Love it, love it, love it. I fully intend to re-read it next year to see if I re-learn what I've learned. There's just so much information in this book, that it warrants another read! REVIEW: The definitive work on the Ancient Celts. Cunliffe is the greatest living author on the history of the Celts. This book is good for the beginner and yet the Celtophile will find themselves returning to it again and again as a reference. This book takes us from their Hallstatt origins to their retreat to the stronghold of the British Isles. REVIEW: Very Detailed and Informative. I am nowhere near an expert on this subject. I read this book because I wanted to learn more about the Celts. Although I found this book to be a bit academic for my liking it was obviously scrupulously researched. I always ship books Media Mail in a padded mailer. This book is shipped FOR FREE via USPS INSURED media mail (“book rate”). All domestic shipments and most international shipments will include free USPS Delivery Confirmation (you might be able to update the status of your shipment on-line at the USPS Web Site and free insurance coverage). A small percentage of international shipments may require an additional fee for tracking and/or delivery confirmation. If you are concerned about a little wear and tear to the book in transit, I would suggest a boxed shipment - it is an extra $1.00. Whether via padded mailer or box, we will give discounts for multiple purchases. International orders are welcome, but shipping costs are substantially higher. Most international orders cost an additional $9.99 to $37.99 for an insuredshipment in a heavily padded mailer, and typically includes some form of rudimentary tracking and/or delivery confirmation (though for some countries, this is only available at additional cost). 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However many of the items also come from purchases I make in Eastern Europe, India, and from the Levant (Eastern Mediterranean/Near East) from various institutions and dealers. Though I have always had an interest in archaeology, my own academic background was in sociology and cultural anthropology. After my retirement however, I found myself drawn to archaeology as well. Aside from my own personal collection, I have made extensive and frequent additions of my own via purchases on Ebay (of course), as well as many purchases from both dealers and institutions throughout the world - but especially in the Near East and in Eastern Europe. I spend over half of my year out of the United States, and have spent much of my life either in India or Eastern Europe. In fact much of what we generate on Yahoo, Amazon and Ebay goes to support The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, as well as some other worthy institutions in Europe connected with Anthropology and Archaeology. I acquire some small but interesting collections overseas from time-to-time, and have as well some duplicate items within my own collection which I occasionally decide to part with. Though I have a collection of ancient coins numbering in the tens of thousands, my primary interest is in ancient jewelry. My wife also is an active participant in the "business" of antique and ancient jewelry, and is from Russia. I would be happy to provide you with a certificate/guarantee of authenticity for any item you purchase from me. There is a $2 fee for mailing under separate cover. Whenever I am overseas I have made arrangements for purchases to be shipped out via domestic mail. If I am in the field, you may have to wait for a week or two for a COA to arrive via international air mail. But you can be sure your purchase will arrive properly packaged and promptly - even if I am absent. 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