Bücher von Philip Freeman

The author of Hannibal: Rome's Greatest Enemy delivers a comprehensive, unbiased portrait of the ancient Celts using Greek and Roman primary sources. ';The ancient Celts capture the modern imagination as do few other people of classical times. Naked barbarians charging the Roman legions, Druids performing sacrifices of unspeakable horror, women fighting beside their men and even leading armiesthese, along with stunning works of art, are the images most of us call to mind when we think of the Celts,' observes Philip Freeman. ';And for the most part, these images are firmly based in the descriptions handed down to us by the Greek and Roman writers.' This book draws on the firsthand observations and early accounts of classical writers to piece together a detailed portrait of the ancient Celtic peoples of Europe and the British Isles. Philip Freeman groups the selections (ranging from short statements to longer treatises) by themeswar, feasting, poetry, religion, women, and the Western Isles. He also presents inscriptions written by the ancient Celts themselves. This wealth of material, introduced and translated by Freeman to be especially accessible to students and general readers, makes this book essential reading for everyone fascinated by the ancient Celts. ';I know of no other work that pulls this sort of material together and groups it by such helpful categories (war, feasting, poetry, religion, women, etc.). I will certainly value it in my library and... as recommended reading for several of my courses. It will be a nice companion to Freemans Ireland and the Classical World.' Patrick K. Ford, Professor and Chair of Celtic Languages and Literatures, Harvard University

';Intriguing... This volume explores the evidence regarding Greek and (mostly) Roman knowledge of Ireland during the classical period.' Bryn Mawr Classical Review On the boundary of what the ancient Greeks and Romans considered the habitable world, Ireland was a land of myth and mystery in classical times. Classical authors frequently portrayed its people as savageseven as cannibals and devotees of incestand evinced occasional uncertainty as to the island's shape, size, and actual location. Unlike neighboring Britain, Ireland never knew Roman occupation, yet literary and archaeological evidence prove that Iuverna was more than simply terra incognita in classical antiquity. In this book, Philip Freeman explores the relations between ancient Ireland and the classical world through a comprehensive survey of all Greek and Latin literary sources that mention Ireland. He analyzes passages (given in both the original language and English) from over thirty authors, including Julius Caesar, Strabo, Tacitus, Ptolemy, and St. Jerome. To amplify the literary sources, he also briefly reviews the archaeological and linguistic evidence for contact between Ireland and the Mediterranean world. Freeman's analysis of all these sources reveals that Ireland was known to the Greeks and Romans for hundreds of years and that Mediterranean goods and even travelers found their way to Ireland, while the Irish at least occasionally visited, traded, and raided in Roman lands. Everyone interested in ancient Irish history or Classics, whether scholar or enthusiast, will learn much from this pioneering book. ';A work of rigorous scholarship based on meticulous research, but the author's prose is as effortless as it is enthusiastic.' American Journal of Archaeology

This book is a facsimile reprint and may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages.

RUNNING THE VOODOO DOWN

Early in the first century B.C. a Greek philosopher named Posidonius began an ambitious and dangerous journey into the little-known lands of the Celts. A man of great intellectual curiosity and considerable daring, Posidonius traveled from his home on the island of Rhodes to Rome, the capital of the expanding empire that had begun to dominate the Mediterranean. From there Posidonius planned to investigate for himself the mysterious Celts, reputed to be cannibals and savages. His journey would be one of the great adventures of the ancient world. Posidonius journeyed deep into the heart of the Celtic lands in Gaul. There he discovered that the Celts were not barbarians but a sophisticated people who studied the stars, composed beautiful poetry, and venerated a priestly caste known as the Druids. Celtic warriors painted their bodies, wore pants, and decapitated their foes. Posidonius was amazed at the Celtic women, who enjoyed greater freedoms than the women of Rome, and was astonished to discover that women could even become Druids. Posidonius returned home and wrote a book about his travels among the Celts, which became one of the most popular books of ancient times. His work influenced Julius Caesar, who would eventually conquer the people of Gaul and bring the Celts into the Roman Empire, ending forever their ancient way of life. Thanks to Posidonius, who could not have known that he was recording a way of life soon to disappear, we have an objective, eyewitness account of the lives and customs of the ancient Celts.

The most authoritative modern biography of the patron saint of Ireland, an engaging account of a fascinating historical figure and the tumultuous times in which he lived.