The World of Stonehenge

Neil Oliver, archaeologist and presenter of several BBC documentaries, has created a wonderful series that is highly entertaining and informative.  (It doesn’t hurt that he has a cute Scottish accent!) Highly recommended for anyone interested in the history of Great Britain, particularly Celtic history.

A History of Ancient Britain, Series 1, BBC 2 (2011)
aka The World of Stonehenge, Knowledge Network, USA

Tapping into the latest scientific detective work and experimental archaeology, Neil Oliver uncovers the story of prehistoric Britain in this fascinating four-part series. Investigating famous sites, as well as little known ones (which hold some of the biggest secrets), Neil travels to Brittany to discover Carnac, where farmers and hunter-gathers clashed 7,000 years ago, to Ireland, where he finds the world’s most extensive Stone Age system of fields and walls, and to Stonehenge, the sacred stone circle where the living could commune with the dead.

• Age of Ice – Neil Oliver travels back to ice age Britain as he begins the epic story of how our land and its people came to be over thousands of years of ancient history. This week sees a struggle for survival in a brutal world of climate change and environmental catastrophe.
• Age of Ancestors – Neil Oliver continues the story of how today’s Britain and its people were forged over thousands of years of ancient history. It’s 4,000 BC and the first farmers arrive from Europe, with seismic consequences for the local hunter-gatherers.
• Age of Cosmology – Neil Oliver continues his journey through the world of Ancient Britain as he encounters an age of cosmological priests and some of the greatest monuments of the Stone Age, including Stonehenge itself. This is a time of elite travellers, who were inventing the very idea of Heaven itself.
• Age of Bronze – Neil Oliver reaches the end of his epic tour of our most distant past with the arrival of metals and the social revolution that ushered in a new age of social mobility, international trade, and village life.

A History of Celtic Britain, Series 2, BBC 2 (2011)
aka The World After Stonehenge, Knowledge Network, USA

Neil continues his landmark investigation of how Britain and its peoples came to be. Over the course of four episodes, he tells the story of a developing nation, from a population of self-sufficient farmers in 500 BC through the Iron Age and the Roman conquest. He also addresses one of the greatest mysteries of history: who, what and where were the Celts? They may never have existed as a genetic people, but as a culture the Celts generated extraordinary riches – warriors, druids and the first kings.

• Age of Iron – Diving for 3,000-year-old treasure and pot-holing through an ancient copper mine he discovers how a golden age of bronze collapsed into social and economic crisis set against a period of sharp climate change… eventually to be replaced by a new era, of iron.
• Age of Warriors – Neil Oliver explores the age of Celtic Britain – a time of warriors, druids, and kings of unimaginable wealth. Neil encounters a celebrated warrior from 300 BC, owner of the finest Iron Age sword ever discovered. He tries his hand at divination in an effort to discover the power of Celtic priests and searches into his own DNA for clues to Celtic identity.
• Age of Invasion – Neil Oliver explores the remains of brutal Iron Age battles and Celtic rebellion as he reaches the moment when Celtic Britain was ripped apart by the world’s great empire – the Roman army.
• Age of Romans – Neil Oliver completes his epic journey through thousands of years of ancient history with the modern marvels of Rome. Digging beneath a London tower block, discovering building work from a massive stadium, and encountering the remains of an African woman who lived in York 1800 years ago – all evidence of the extraordinary multicultural modern world of Rome.

DocuWiki – A History of Ancient Britain Series 1, A History of Celtic Britain
Knowledge Network – The World of Stonehenge, The World After Stonehenge

The Celts: The Complete Epic Saga

The Celts: The Complete Epic Saga (DVD)

The Celts were the first European people north of the Alps to rise from anonymity. Wild and ferocious, they were also romantics and mystics and they shared a family of languages that are now the oldest living tongues of Europe. Their story is one of survival, defiance and creativity often in the face of oppression.

IN THE BEGINNING
Who were the Celts, and what made their culture so distinctive? The mysteries of the Celts are made more complex by the absence of ancient Celtic written records.

HEROES IN DEFEAT
Celtic culture was to spread to cover an area stretching from the Mediterranean to the North Sea. Soon after 400 B.C. Celtic tribes erupted over the Alps and attacked Rome and Delphi.

THE SACRED GROVES
The Celts are surrounded by an aura of romance and mysticism, and echoes of the past still resonate today. Many of the traditional feast dates of Western Civilization have their roots in the pagan Celtic past.

FROM CAMELOT TO CHRIST
One man, Arthur, succeeded in repelling the Anglo-Saxon advance. But who was he, and did he even exist at all? The mystical Celtic world represented by Arthur is now linked with the Christian missionaries.

LEGEND AND REALITY
The year 1066 marks the coming of the Normans, the new enemies of the Celts. From the eleventh century the Celtic nations faced gradual absorption and assimilation by their powerful neighbors England and France.

A DEAD SONG?
The word ‘Celt’ first appeared in 1707, the year of the union of Scotland with England. Two conflicting forces drove the Celts wherever they settled to be absorbed or to retain their own identity .

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The Celts is a 2-DVD set covering the development of pre-Celtic and proto-Celtic cultures, to the eventual integration of the Celts into Roman, Viking, Norman and Anglo-Saxon cultures.  It discusses the Halstatt and La Tène periods, the religious beliefs of the Celtic people, the Roman invasion, the rise of Christianity, the Viking invasions, the struggle for power in the British Isles, the decline of Celtic culture, and the modern Celtic revival.

This scholarly work features interviews with famous figures in Celtic Studies, such as Barry Cunliffe, Anne Ross, and Miranda Green.  However maintaining its historical accuracy, The Celts is also enjoyable and interesting, featuring scenes of stunning scenery and magnificent artwork.  Although long, this DVD set is definitely recommended.

© The Celtic Journey (2013)

The Secret of Kells

The Secret of Kells (DVD, 2009)

Magic, fantasy, and Celtic mythology come together in a riot of color and detail that dazzle the eyes in a sweeping story about the power of imagination and faith to carry humanity through dark times.

Young Brendan lives in a remote medieval outpost under siege from barbarian raids. But a new life of adventure beckons when a celebrated master illuminator arrives from the isle of Iona carrying an ancient but unfinished book, brimming with secret wisdom and powers. To help complete the magical book, Brendan has to overcome his deepest fears on a dangerous quest that takes him into the enchanted forest where mythical creatures hide. It is here that he meets the fairy Aisling, a mysterious young wolf-girl, who helps him along the way. But with the barbarians closing in, will Brendan’s determination and artistic vision illuminate the darkness and show that enlightenment is the best fortification against evil?

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I had heard of this movie a while ago, but only got around to watching it recently.  It takes place at the Abbey of Kells during the 9^th century, fortified against the ‘Northmen’ invasions which are sweeping the country.  The curious young Brendan, nephew of the Abbot of Kells, gets caught up in all sorts of mischief by exploring outside the fortified walls, frolicking with the faery Aisling, and learning how to produce intricate illustrations in the Book of Iona, recently brought to the Abbey by Brother Aidan after fleeing the Vikings.

The Secret of Kells contains a lot of references to history.  Brendan meets a woodland faery called Aisling (Ash-lin), which is thought to reference the Aislings, or prophetic seeress.  Brendan also battles the evil Crom Cruach, a pre-Christian Irish deity.  Also, Brother Aidan of Iona brought his cat, Pangur Bán, named after an Old Irish poem written by a monk about his cat.

Some critics say that The Secret of Kells glosses over the religious aspect of history, noting that the Book of Kells is really a Bible, containing the Gospels.  However the movie avoids mentioning religion specifically, instead focusing on the Celtic mythology and legends prevalent at that time.  Plus the timing of the movie is wrong, in terms of the Book of Iona/Kells being written and the Viking invasions.

I think despite the historical accuracy, The Secret of Kells is a wonderful movie.  The vibrant hand-drawn animation is fabulous, and the whole movie has a 2D effect that makes it appear like the movie is taking place within the Book of Kells as illustrations.  Definitely recommended.

© The Celtic Journey (2013)