Lords of Battle: The World of the Celtic Warrior (World of the Warrior) [Hardcover]

Stephen Allen (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1841769487 | ISBN-13: 978-1841769486 | Publication Date: March 27, 2007 | Edition: 1st. British

To the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome, the Celtic warrior of the late Iron Age was the archetypal barbarian: savage, undisciplined, and bloodthirsty. In a clash of cultures that lasted almost 500 years, the rich and vibrant society in which he lived, fought, and died was virtually destroyed, becoming the stuff of myth and legend.

Covering the period from the first mention of the Celts by ancient Greek writers to the Roman conquest of Britain, this book examines the Celtic warrior, his society and his place within it, and the conflicts that would eventually destroy his world. Beautifully illustrated with many examples of Celtic art and craftsmanship, this book provides a fascinating insight into a culture whose legacy has endured to the present day.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Celtic warrior of the late iron Age was the archtypal barbarian: savage, undisciplined and bloodthirsty beyond belief. In a clash of cultures that lasted almost 500 years, the vibrant society in which he lived, fought and did was virtually destroyed, becoming a myth and legend... This amazing book invites readers to the wonderful journey in the Ancient World." -Neoproprealism (May 2008)

"...published by Osprey is the beautifully illustrated study of the Celtic warrior class... Lords of Battle is an excellent read." -Coastal Defense Journal

"...blend[s] lovely color illustration throughout with a survey rich in Celtic history...covering everything from appearance and dress to arms and rebellions. While its narrowed scope will appeal primarily to specialty holdings and libraries strong in early Celtic history, these collections will find the military focus unique and worthy of acquisition." -The Bookwatch Midwest Book Review

"Thanks to a desire by the 'winning' side to erase all memories and artifacts of the Celts, recent research has turned up a considerable amount of information on these peoples and in particular how they fought. Stephen Allen has put all this into one lavishly illustrated volume... Osprey hardcover books are an outstanding value for the money and you can buy these with confidence that you are getting the best." -Scott Van Aken, mdoelingmadness.com

About the Author

Stephen Allen graduated in 1975 with a degree in French and Spanish from the University of Coventry, and since 1979 has lived in Brussels where he works for an international organisation. With a great passion for history and archaeology, and a particular interest in the European Iron Age, he is a keen amateur archaeologist, regularly taking part in the excavation of Romano-British sites in the south of England. His fascination for the Celts led to the publication of his first book, The Celtic Warrior (Osprey, 2001). Stephen is married and has two children. The author lives in Brussels, Belgium.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing; 1st. British edition (March 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841769487
• ISBN-13: 978-1841769486
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #789,602 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A really, really good read, October 5, 2007

By 

Shea John Michael (Zurich, Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lords of Battle: The World of the Celtic Warrior (World of the Warrior) (Hardcover)

Lords of Battle was a really, really good read. Many books on the Celts are more like references, with many nice pictures, discrete sections etc., books that you tend to dip into, but not read through. With Lords of Battle however, I read it cover to cover, and enjoyed it greatly. The text is great, the images beautiful, and its well turned out. As the title suggests, it is focused on Celtic Warrior, but not exclusively so, there is a lot of accompanying information. If you want to read only one book on the Celts (giving a broader view, linguistics, insular Celts etc), then it should be "The Celtic Empire" by Peter Ellis, but this book makes a good accompaniment, and there were a number of interesting perhaps "new" nuggets of information, that I have not found in other books on the Celts. For example the early retrograde movements of the Danubian Celts into Britain and what is now Belgium, some interesting things on the Celtiberians etc. Its an excellent addition to anyones library on the Celts.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LORDS OF BATTLE: THE WORLD OF THE CELTIC WARRIOR, November 17, 2010

By 

Robert A. Lynn "Militaryhistorywriter" (Orlando, Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lords of Battle: The World of the Celtic Warrior (World of the Warrior) (Hardcover)

LORDS OF BATTLE: THE WORLD OF THE CELTIC WARRIOR
STEPHEN ALLEN
OSPREY PUBLISHING, 2007
HARDCOVER, $29.95, 224 PAGES, ILLUSTRATIONS


The Celts were an indigenous people whose cultural influence spanned from parts of ancient Anatolia to Ireland. Throughout the course of their existence, the Celts developed their own distinctive style of warfare which would serve them well in their internal struggles and their wars against foreign invaders. To say there was a "typical" Celtic warrior maybe a bit of a misnomer, as they would have been equipped by themselves and their families there would have been little uniformity amongst the ranks. In as much as a standard emerges, Celtic warriors probably would have gone to battle with one to four spears of varying weights for varying purposes. The long "Lancea" was designed for more traditional spear fighting, while the shorter "Gaesum" was used more as a javelin. Others would have carried the infamous Celtic broad sword (a long slashing type sword. Most warriors would have a large leather-covered wood shield with a metal boss. Among the rank and file, there would be little armor in evidence as only the most prosperous nobles could afford a bronze or golden helmet, in extremely rare cases a mail coat may have been worn by more well-off nobles. Historical sources indicate that Celtic warriors were organized less around formal "armies" than as "war bands" who would congregate around a particularly strong leader or a certain religious cult. Certain bands seem to have enjoyed high status in Celtic society for their heroic deeds in battle, members of the Gaesates were known to fight naked in battle (stated reasons for this vary: possibly it was as a display of courage or maybe it was motivated more by the practical concern of not wanting the risk of infection caused by clothing being forced into the body if they were stabbed.) Covering the period from the first mention of the Celts by ancient Greek writers to the Roman conquest of Britain, author Stephen Allen examines the Celtic warrior, his society, and his place within it, and the conflicts that would eventually destroy his world. Beautifully illustrated with many examples of Celtic artifacts and craftsmanship, LORDS OF BATTLE: THE WORLD OF THE CELTIC WARRIOR provides a fascinating insight into a culture whose legacy has endured to the present day.


Lt. Colonel Robert A. Lynn, Florida Guard
Orlando, Florida

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent starting place, July 4, 2009

By 

Alexokerry "Alexokerry" (BFE South Dakota) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lords of Battle: The World of the Celtic Warrior (World of the Warrior) (Hardcover)

This book is a great starting place for someone who is interested in learning about the Celts and their starting point. The narrative is easy to read and yet still in depth. A lot of the sources quoted in this book are avalible from Amazon. The photographs of the various artifacts are wonderful and both in black-and-white and color.

The only problem that I have with the author is that the book could be a little longer and go even deeper into the subject. But all in all, this is a great book.