Lost Civilizations: The Celts

by Allison Lassieur

Book Overview

Examines the history, culture, and artistic contributions of the ancient Celts from 600 BC - 600 AD, in Europe and in the western Atlantic regions where the Celtic influence is still felt today.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 156006756X
• ISBN13: 9781560067566
• Release Date: March 2001
• Publisher: Lucent Books
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 7.3" x 9.2"
• Age Range: 10 to 13 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 8

Customer Reviews

A fascinating look at the Celts as the first Europeans

On the one hand it is hard to think of the Celts as a lost civilization on the same order as the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. But one advantage of this particular volume in the Lost Civilizations series is that the Celts do not receive the same sort of in-depth consideration as any of those peoples, or the ancient Mesopotamians, Mayans or Vikings for that matter. Allison Lassieur makes the case that of all the ancient peoples it was the Celts who most inspire the imagination because of their fierce fighters and mysterious druids. However, where Lassieur justifies the study of the Celts is in the fact that they were one of the first great civilizations north of the Alps, whose reach extended from Ireland to Spain and even into Russian and the Ukraine. Consequently, young readers will appreciate the idea that the Celts where "the first Europeans" after reading this informative volume (and understand how the image of the Celts has been perverted by the skewed and inaccurate view of the Romans). This look at "The Celts" differs from other volumes in this series in that the chapters follow an approach that is more topical than chronological; after all, we are not dealing with the rise and fall of a Celtic empire with distinct stages. Instead Lassieur establishes the Celts as "The First Europeans" and then devotes chapters to their social organization, uses of science and technology, the religion of the druids, the golden age of Celtic art, and their reputation in war. A final chapter looks at how the lack of tribal unity would result in the Romans conquering the Celts, as well as how Christianity and the Vikings would both impact Celtic culture. An epilogue reminds young readers that the Celts did not entirely disappear in the regions of Scotland and Ireland that avoided Roman occupation.The idea is that each volume in the Lost Civilizations series examines the history, works, everyday life, and importance of ancient cultures. These books stress the use of archaeological discoveries and methods to uncover the past, but also include quotes by the ancients themselves as well as those by later historians, archeologists, and other experts. The book is also illustrated with black & white contemporary photographs of Celtic artifacts and there are also detailed sidebars on interesting topics such as the Book of Kels and whether King Arthur was really a Celt. Our living room is done in an Irish motif, which has many strong Celtic elements in it, so I appreciated having a historical and cultural understanding of some of these things to go along with my aesthetic appreciation. The story of the Celtic civilization should be fascinating to any young student who comes across this book, but I suspect those of Irish descent will find it especially interesting.