The Celts And The Celtic World - 1720 Words

Knowledge of the Celts and the Celtic world has been acquired and accumulated through a variety of mediums such as archaeological evidence, geographical markings and most importantly, the testimonies left by Greek and Roman writers. Without these writings, developing an image of the nature of the Celts would be extremely difficult. Comparing two authors, Roman emperor, Julius Caesar to Greek writer, Athenaeus, it may reveal some of the prejudices and biased views held against the Celts, but more importantly by contrasting the views of these particular authors, it also offers a well-rounded account of the history and culture of these Celtic-speaking people. Athenaeus was a Greek writer, who wrote around the time of 200AD. He is the author of Deipnosophistae, a piece of literature all about eating and dining traditions. Athenaeus is writing during a time known as The Poseidonian Tradition; Poseidonios inspired a lot of Greek writers to write and keep record of the Celts and their culture. Athenaeus quotes Poseidonios in his Deipnosophistae as he has first hand experience of the Celts, having travelled around studying the Celts. Poseidonios’ work only survives through the work of later authors, such as Athenaeus. Athenaeus speaks of how Poseidonios observed the Celts during a feast, taking note of their customs, Athenaeus’ discourse is written in such a way that the impression left is that the Greeks may have considered themselves more evolved than the Celts they wereShow MoreRelatedInteraction Between The Roman And Celtic Civilizations1343 Words   |  6 PagesInteraction between the Roman and Celtic civilizations Between 750 BC and 12 BC the Celts were the most powerful people in Northern central Europe. 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