Pagan Celtic Britain (Paperback)

~ Anne Ross (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

For a people that at one time dominated much of Europe, very little is known of the Celts and their religion, yet many flimsy theories and fanciful relationships have grown up over the years based on the scant evidence available. In a scholarly and systematic study, Anne Ross draws on all of the available evidence--archaeological sites in Europe and the British Isles, ancient Greek and Roman writers and early British vernacular literature--to separate the grain of what we know from the chaff of accreted misinformation and loose interpretation.

Product Description

Although some aspects of pre-Roman and pre-Christian beliefs remain shrouded in mystery, the author of this volume contends that neither the Roman invasion of Britain nor the coming of Christianity eliminated pagan religious practice. This is a piece of historical and archaeological reconstruction. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 540 pages
• Publisher: Hutchinson Radius (January 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0897334353
• ISBN-13: 978-0897334358
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #500,165 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Still recommended reading!, November 29, 1999

By	Francine Nicholson (New England) - See all my reviews

A great deal of research and archaeological findings have taken place since this classic was first published. Nevertheless, I recommend this comprehensive volume for its wealth of description of Celtic iconography and other evidence. Scholars may justifiably differ with some of Ross' conclusions, and her work is not popular with those who believe that the Celts did not have a culture distinct from their Indo-European neighbors. However, she remains a careful scholar who shares her evidence and insights in a fashion that even newbies will find interesting and highly readable. To learn about more recent findings, also take a look at the works of Barry Cunliffe.

17 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For the more advanced Celtic scholar, November 8, 1999

By A Customer

Definately not for the beginner in Celtic studies, while the book is archaic in some of its terminology and scholarism, it still offers a fairly good resource for those wshing to learn more about the Ancient Celts.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A recommended read for those studying pagans and Celts, September 12, 2007

By	Siobhan Olaoghaire Sannes "Art Does Not Apolo... (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Pagan Celtic Britain is an exhaustive study of the archaeological and mythic evidence of pagan Celtic practices specifically in Britain. Filled with maps, drawings and photographs, the author charts the locations of cult sites, especially springs and wells, and then covers certain themes in pagan worship such as the veneration of heads, and explores the prominent horned and warrior gods, the various goddesses, and the significance of animals such as the boar, horse, and especially birds. Ross concludes by examining these themes as evidenced in a particular region, northern Britain.

At times this is a bit of bore to read, as there are pages that can go by where you feel you are reading nothing more exciting than a museum catalog. The limited analysis at times seems hesitant, leaving me to wish that the author was less concerned about saying the wrong thing and offending academia, and instead had the courage to state bold opinions about possibilities of what some of these things mean. For instance, there is the recurring image of the ram headed serpent. It is minimally described as being a fertility symbol but this is never explained. For instance, is it because the horns are associated with the horned god who symbolizes fertility? Why do horns symbolize fertility in the first place? And why is this image combined with a serpent? I realize there are some things we can't know without getting into someone's head (obviously an impossibility) but at the same thing a lot can be inferred and more ideas can be presented, with the caveat that the theories are inferential and stated as such to give the reader food for thought.

Reading this I also realized how important it is to study the Gaulish material since it equates with the insular studies and specimens are much more numerous and analyzed. I am also further reminded of the fact that the Celts have over 300 named god/desses which we know of, most of which are named only once. This is apparent in this study with the huge amount of material which is catalogued. Also included are numerous gods and goddesses for which we have names but no epic. It is curious to contemplate these and wonder what their "stories" were.

However, speaking of ideas, I did like the theory that the Druids were perhaps attempting, in their last years, to codify and perhaps homogenize Celtic pagan ritual and belief. This allows for interesting speculation about what kind of networking they might have done, what institutions or systems they might have created. This impetus was stopped by the Romans, leaving you to wonder what might have happened otherwise. And, lastly, I was somewhat bothered by the author's slight contempt for the Druids. She rather looks down on the whole idea of Druids as philosophers, putting it off as classical author's romantic ideas towards the "noble savage", and in fact savage and barbarian are terms she uses for them. I thought this was a bit of the old imperialist and colonialist attitudes of the British, still vaguely coming through.

In the end though, I thought this was a very worthwhile read (despite the negatives I have written about here.) It provided depth and detail regarding the pagan Celts of Britain that would certainly be worthwhile for the student to read. A bit on the dry side, but with useful information and knowledge.