Pagan Celtic Britain : studies in iconography and tradition

Although some aspects of pre-Roman and pre-Christian beliefs remain shrouded in mystery, the author of this comprehensive, profusely illustrated volume contends that neither the Roman invasion of Britain nor the coming of Christianity eliminated pagan religious practice. Dr Anne Ross, who speaks Gaelic and Welsh, writes from wide experience of living in Celtic speaking communities where she has traced vernacular tradition. She employs archaeological and anthropological evidence, as well as folklore, to provide broad insight into the early Celtic world. She begins by examining Celtic places of worship, the shrines and sanctuaries in which sacred objects were housed and from where they could be ritually displayed with various rites and sacrifices were conducted before the people. Dr Anne Ross describes the divine warriors with their aquatic, therapeutic and fertility connection. Dr Anne Ross is truly gripping as she leads the reader through her evidence from ritual pits and cult sites, votive wells, sacred precincts and monuments. This is a brilliant piece of historical and archaeological reconstruction.