Overview

Ancient Ireland and Britain were large Celtic territories on the northwest edge of Europe. They were subject to myth and speculation by the early Greeks and Romans, but they later became the focus for trade, exploration and partial conquest. Dr Raoul McLaughlin presents the ancient sources for the Atlantic Celts in chapters covering the resources, commerce, warfare and beliefs of the oceanic Celts. This book contains updated translations of ancient sources concerning the lands known as Ivernia and Britannia. These accounts reveal what the Greeks and Romans knew about the origins, culture, and social practices of the insular Celts. The evidence begins in 600 BC when Carthaginian merchant ships explored the Atlantic coasts of western Europe searching for metal alloys. Then, in 325 BC, a Greek mariner named Pytheas explored the northern limits of the Atlantic territories and returned with accounts of Bretannike, Ierne and Thule. But it was Rome that led armies across the northern seas to conquer Britain. This book includes the campaign reports of Julius Caesar, along with accounts of conquests by the Emperor Claudius. These ancient texts reveal the ambitions, conflict and compromises involved in establishing the Roman province of Britannia, which by AD 60 encompassed most of southern Britain. This book therefore provides a unique resource for future scholarship and a fascinating insight for anyone interested in the distant Celtic past. AUTHOR: Dr Raoul McLaughlin obtained his primary degree in Archaeology and Ancient History before completing a Master's Degree in the same subjects. He completed a PhD in Ancient Economics and Eastern Trade at Queens University Belfast in 2006. In 2010 he published his research as a monograph, Rome and the Distant East. This was followed with publications by Pen and Sword that advanced a new model for the Ancient World Economy. In 2014, The Roman Empire and the Indian Ocean, was published, followed in 2016 by, The Roman Empire and the Silk Routes. His most recent works are the first two parts of a trilogy on ancient Germany, published by Pen & Sword Books in 2025: Germania: The Ancient Germans in Greek and Roman Sources and The Ancient Germans and Rome: 120 BC to AD 68; Records of Contact and Conflict. 20 colour illustrations

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9781036141998

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Dr Raoul McLaughlin obtained his primary degree in Archaeology and Ancient History before completing a Master’s Degree in the same subjects. He completed a PhD in Ancient Economics and Eastern Trade at Queens University Belfast in 2006. In 2010 he published his research as a monograph, Rome and the Distant East. This was followed with publications by Pen and Sword that advanced a new model for the Ancient World Economy. In 2014, The Roman Empire and the Indian Ocean, was published, followed in 2016 by, The Roman Empire and the Silk Routes. His most recent works are the first two parts of a trilogy on ancient Germany, published by Pen & Sword Books in 2025: Germania: The Ancient Germans in Greek and Roman Sources and The Ancient Germans and Rome: 120 BC to AD 68; Records of Contact and Conflict.

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