Synopses & Reviews
Fifty generations ago the cultural empire of the Celts stretched from the Black Sea to Ireland and the Highlands of Scotland. In six hundred years, the Celts had produced some of the finest artistic and scientific masterpieces of the ancient world. In 58 BC, Julius Caesar marched over the Alps, bringing slavery and genocide to western Europe. Within eight years the Celts of what is now France were utterly annihilated, and in another hundred years the Romans had overrun Britain. It is astonishing how little remains of this great civilization.
Review
"Intriguing and stimulating . . . by an author whose previous works have been, one after the other, precise, self-aware, and enlightening." Jane Smiley
Review
"Presenting one of the most astonishing, significant discoveries in recent memory, Robb, winner of the Duff Cooper Prize and Ondaatje Award for T, upends nearly everything we believe about the history--or, as he calls it, 'protohistory'--of early Europe and its barbarous Celtic tribes and semimythical Druids.... Like the vast and intricate geographical latticework that Robb has uncovered, the book unfurls its secrets in an eerie, magnificent way--a remarkable, mesmerizing, and bottomless work." Harper's
Review
"[A] daring theory.... thrilling." Publishers Weekly, Starred Review and Pick of the Week
Review
"Upends nearly everything we believe about the history... of early Europe." Laura Miller Salon
Review
"Combines travelogue and historical detective story.... The work of a man to whom the past is vividly present." Gabe Habash Publishers Weekly
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"Fascinating...The historical value of Robb's vivid portrait of Celtic culture is unquestionable." Ian Morris New York Times Book Review
Review
"Raises intriguing questions about the relationship between tribe and empire, local identity and larger superstructure." Wendy Smith Los Angeles Times
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"[A] daring theory.... thrilling." Harper's
Synopsis
In this real-life historical treasure hunt, bestselling author Graham Robb--"one of the more unusual and appealing historians currently striding the planet (New York Times)"--reveals the mapping of ancient Gaul as a reflection of the heavens, demonstrates the lasting influence of Druid science and recharts the exploration of the world and the spread of Christianity. This "fascinating" (Los Angeles Times) history offers nothing less than an entirely new understanding of the birth of modern Europe.
Synopsis
A treasure hunt that uncovers the secrets of one of the world's great civilizations, revealing dramatic proof of the extreme sophistication of the Celts, and their creation of the earliest accurate map of the world.
About the Author
Graham Robb is the author of three prize-winning biographies, each one selected as New York Times Best Books. His most recent works, The Discovery of France and Parisians, have earned several awards and much acclaim between them. He lives on the Anglo-Scottish border.