Druids: A Very Short Introduction
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.34 (751 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0199539405 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 160 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-05-10 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Barry Cunliffe is Emeritus Professor of European Archaeology at Oxford University.
About the AuthorBarry Cunliffe is Emeritus Professor of European Archaeology at Oxford University.
Brian said Short and perfect. The book is a great introduction to the mysterious and fascinating Druids. What I like about Cunliffe's take in the book is that he lays out all the sources of information we have about the Druids from texts, archeology and folklore. He explains the textual traditions and their sources and how they developed over time, which is vital. He also goes deep in the archeology and shows how there was a long. A good starting point TB I have mixed feelings about this book. First, like many of the Very Short Introduction books, it is well-written and has a nice physical design - I always appreciate having flaps on the covers, so I don't have to dog-ear pages. (I find the text a tad small, but that's my problem, not the author's.)The caveat, though, is this: About half of the book is devoted to a discussion of the various sources of. Short, but Dense with Important, Factual Information Tremendously helpful, authoritative, and although a "very short" book, dense with essential information that helps readers better differentiate between the fact and the fiction.
But few figures flit so elusively through history, and the Druids remain enigmatic and puzzling to this day. Sifting through the evidence, Cunliffe offers an expert's best guess as to what can be said and what can't be said about the Druids, discussing the origins of the Druids and the evidence for their beliefs and practices, why the nature of the druid caste changed quite dramatically over time, and how successive generations have seen them in very different ways.. The Druids have been known and discussed for at least 2400 years, first by Greek writers and later by the Romans, who came in contact with them in Gaul and Britain. In this Very Short Introduction, one of the leading authorities on British archaeology, Barry Cunliffe, takes the reader on a fast-paced look at the ever-fascinating story of the Druids, as seen in the context of the times and places in which they practiced. According to these sources, they were a learned caste who officiated in religious ceremonies, taught the ancient wisdoms, and were revered as philosophers