Rome's Enemies (2): Gallic and British Celts (Men-at-Arms) (Paperback)

~ Peter Wilcox (Author), Angus McBride (Illustrator) "colonised Greece. Thracians had moved into areas north of Greece; Italic and Celtic tribes were in Italy; Celts were in the British Isles, Spain and..." (more)
Key Phrases: bronze scabbard, mail corselet, cheek guards, British Museum, Iron Age, Middle Ages (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In 390 BC a Gallic army marched on Rome. A confident Roman army of about 15,000 men sent to bar the way was destroyed. Three days after the battle the Gauls entered Rome, much of which they burnt, and demanded a huge bounty of gold to leave the city. During the weighing procedure, Brennus, the Gallic leader, is said to have thrown his sword on to the scales with the words 'Vae victis' - 'Woe to the defeated'. A sentiment the Gauls were soon to experience first hand. This fascinating work by Peter Wilcox explores the history, dress and equipment of Rome's Celtic enemies.

From the Publisher

Packed with specially commissioned artwork, maps and diagrams, the Men-at-Arms series is an unrivalled illustrated reference on the history, organisation, uniforms and equipment of the world's military forces, past and present.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (March 28, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0850456061
• ISBN-13: 978-0850456066
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #536,928 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource for Wargamer's not historians, March 30, 2000

By	Big Mike 0311 "NRA Instuctor" (Nevada United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

Osprey's Men-At-Arms seriesmay be the greatest source for depicting how historical warrior's dressed and may give you a good pallette for painting wargames miniatures, but the facts they quote as history leave alot to be desired. The illustrations are wonderful and the b&w photos of artifacts are interesting but a serious student of history can find better sources other than this book. I give them 5 stars on the pictures but only 1 on the subject matter at hand.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good summary and illustration of Celts/Gauls in Roman times, April 5, 2006

By	Red Harvest (Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews

This work is of the usual Osprey format for use by wargamers and those interested in military history. The author opens with a chronology, then an introduction defining the Celts/Gauls and the associated archaeology and sources. From there the text expands into discussion of the warriors and culture, then arms and armor, followed by warfare, and finally a discussion of the plates.

The plates by Angus McBride are of high quality--vivid, properly proportioned, with well-chosen poses. They illustrate an appropriate variety of Celtic/Gallic warrior styles and equipment. The only negative is that there are only eight plates in total.

Unfortunately, the ancient Celts/Gauls did not use written language so their story is necessarily told to us largely from Roman and Greek perspectives, supplemented by what has been discovered through archaeology. Celtic culture was one of small fort communities and farmsteads, rather than the developed metropolitan centers of Greek, Roman, and various Eastern cultures. While this put the Celts at a disadvantage, it was made worse by the tribal, non-centralized government that was characteristic of the ancient Celts. Strong "federal" governments like Rome gradually and eventually subdued the Celts/Gauls (as Rome had done to other disunited cultures, including the Greek world.)

The Celtic/Gallic army and warrior were to be feared. While lacking Roman organizational structure and engineering capabilities, the warriors proved more than a match for Rome on many occasions. Gauls sacked Rome ca. 390 BC and it was nearly 350 years before Rome conquered all mainland Celts. Along the way Celtic/Gallic forces were a severe threat to Rome on many occasions, especially in the army of Hannibal. Rome owed a number of its military advances to assimilation of Gallic/Celtic equipment.

I highly recommend this work to those interested in Celtic warfare of the classical period (and those interested in learning what the Romans were up against in their early history.)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars McBride does it again, March 30, 2007

By	K. Murphy "Fortune favors the Bold" (The thriving metropolis of Masury, OH) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

Overall, the text of this book is not worth much (the information on the helmets, swords, etc. can be found just about anywhere, and often in greater detail, while the section on 'Celtic' history is just plain weak), but McBride's beautiful artwork, if nothing else, could make it a worthy purchase. Some of the plates in this book,, notably 'D' showing a chieftain in a chariot beign followed by a pack of curious local children and dogs, are simply spectacular.

If you are looking for a good Osprey-style intro to the warriors of the proud, disparate tribes of Gaul and Britannia, try Stephen Allen's 'Celtic Warrior 300 BC - AD 100', it is better-researched, has more material, and the artwork is almost as good. But, if you are a devoted fan of Angus McBride, buy this book!