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 armies—these; 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 themes—war; 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.
#1379355 in Books 2014-01-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.21 x .63 x 6.14l; 1.25 #File Name: 0275987248248 pages
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. First RateBy Tony GreinerTill has written a fine book that will be of interest to general readers interested in military history and to the decision-makers in government and the military. He takes three battles and one campaign; and examines in detail the role of one specific ship in the engagement. The Belleisle from Trafalgar (1805); the New Zealand at Jutland (1916); the Repulse at Malaya; 1941) and the Glamorgan in the Falkland Islands War of 1982. In addition to having exciting descriptions of the action; each ship and battle is then examined from 11 different aspects; including strategy; leadership; technology; supply and intelligence.The results are fascinating and illuminating. The “fog of war†is well depicted; and some commonly-held assumptions about these battles are challenged. For example; the explosions that destroyed three British battle-cruisers at Jutland were as much a fault of the decision to keep munitions in the turrets to speed up firing as it was from any faulty design of the ships. Likewise; in Malaya; when Admiral Phillips took his two battle-wagons out to sea in hopes of fending off the Japanese landings in Thailand; he was well aware of the danger of attack from aircraft; but thought disrupting the landings was worth the risk. Although the loss of the ships was a disaster; the plan came closer to succeeding than is generally known.The book concludes with some observations about navies today; and has some cautions for those that think that modern technology has invalidated any lessons from the past. The only short-coming of the book is a lack of maps; and of photographs (or better; diagrams) of the featured ships. But don’t let that stop you from reading it. Like the H.M.S. Victory; it is first-rate.
