The Celtic Gauls: Gods, Rites, and Sanctuaries
Author: Jean Louis Brunaux (Translated by Daphne Nash)
Copyright: French 1987, English 1988
Publishers: French – Editions Errance, Paris. English – B.A. Seaby Ltd, Great Britain.
Pages: Including index 154
ISBN 1 85264 009 X
Synopsis: This fascinating account of the Celtic Gauls, their religion and rites of life and death, war and peace, brings alive these fearsome people, whose greatest honor was to die in battle and yet who produced some of the most sensitive and spectacular works of art in European history.
Review: I managed to finish the book in one sitting. It was that enjoyable because it was very straight forward and simple. And unlike the previous book by Jean Louis Brunaux, this translation was done so artfully that the text just seemed to flow.
The book itself is divided into twelve chapter discussing the territory that the Gauls occupied, their sacred spaces, how they perceived time, how their society was structured, their priests, their Gods, their rites and cults, their weapons and wars, and their public cults.
The book covers all the main things that you would want to know about a people and it explains it in a very simple way. I’m not sure if that is due to the fact that not much is known about the Gauls or if this was the intent of the author. The point is, when you are done reading this book you are left with a general idea of who the Gauls were, how their life was, how they worshiped, what they worshiped and how they were in both war and peace time. A very enjoyable book.
- Posted in: Book Reviews
- Tagged: Gaul, History, rites, Rites of battle, Sanctuaries
Hopefully there will be more up-to-date English books on the Gauls in the near future. I’m still surprised there isn’t more books on the subject, considering the Gauls are arguably the most famous of the ancient Celtic peoples – this no doubt due to a certain French comic book character called Asterix.
I will have to look out for this one, as it seems to be an out of print book.
I got it from a seller on Amazon used, but it is like it has never been read really. Yeah, I wish there are more English books on the subject.
That’s probably where I’ll get a copy too.
Probably yeah.