Constanze Witt wrote:
> Amazon.co.uk promptly sent over a copy of the Atlantic Celts, and I'm
> having a great time going through this rip-roaring good read. Hope others
> are doing the same ... So what parts did you want to discuss? ARE the
> modern Celts bogus? What do you think should happen when archaeologists
> and modern self-proclaimed ethnic groups are at cross-purposes? Is the
> idea of "ethnicity" even a useful concept in archaeology?
It is everyone's right to define themselves as they see fit.
Archaeology has no business denying anyone's ethnicity. This is a
direct violation of the UN charter on genocide. Having seen how
selective the evidence is that both condemns the existence of modern
Celts and tries to put forward such absurdities as the supposed
difference between Celts and Celtic speaking peoples, I have no doubts
whatsoever that archaeologists are being used -- as they were being
used more than half a century ago -- to further nefarious political
motives.
Setting aside such distasteful things, we might discuss how Celtic
culture has persisted, and how it has changed over the last two and a
half millennia.
The art historian generally has a better grasp on this than the
archaeologist, but the evidence really demands an interdisciplinary
approach. For those who can compare compositional devices in music,
art and poetry, there is no question. The alliterations of early Welsh
poetry can be seen in a visual sense in the best of La Tene art.
The difficulty for the modern art historian is in finding enough
examples of decorative art that can be attributed with any confidence
to specific individuals. There are so few artifacts that can be so
studied. For example, the few items that can be given to the
Waldalgesheim Master do not afford enough changes to construct a
decent chronology, let alone a reconstruction of this individual's
working methods and the tenets of his art.
Coins provide better sets. I spent about fifteen years studying and
writing about one tribe (Coriosolite) who have left us many tens of
thousands of coins. The pressures of my business and concerns for my
family and staff has delayed publication of my first book, but some
idea of it might be gleaned from my web site.
I find it ironic that the wandering Celts who practiced syncretism as
a workable way to align their belief structures with indigenous
populations are having that wonderful ability used against their very
existence.
John Hooker
--
Visit our Website at http://www.writer2001.com
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