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 Celtic Journey 