Posidonius of Apameia also observed that Celtic religion and culture were the concern of three priestly classes. These were the druids, the bards, and between them an order best known by the Gaulish term vates, equivalent with the Latin vates "seers". Another early written account of the druids was by Julius Caesar in 59-51 B.C. He wrote it in Gaul, he described prestigious men that were divided into druids or nobles. In her book, Caesar’s Druids Miranda Aldhouse-Green argues that the druids were by priests, on the basis that in Caesar’s descriptions of the druids the functions he describes as being those who preside over ritual is essentially the behavior of priests (Aldhouse-Green 2010:11).
We often imagine druids as wise old men and this
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There is very little other reliable evidence for widespread human sacrifice among the Celts, as writers like Strabo and Caesar are not to be completely trusted due to ethnic bias. There are some who do attribute a human sacrifice ritual to the druids, such as some kind of wicker man ceremony involving human sacrifice but there is no archaeological evidence for this (HÓgáin 2006:114). Sacrifice may or may not have included human offerings, but because the druids wrote nothing down, the evidence for human sacrifice by the druids themselves is controversial. Some attribute the Bog bodies to the druids, where people were sacrificed by choking them with garrote and then throwing them into bogs. Due to there being little recorded archaeological evidence of human sacrifice that has been discovered most historians today consider human sacrifice as relatively rare within Celtic culture (Aldhouse-Green …show more content…
Rituals and practices in devotion to nature took the form of tree worship, sacrifices of goods to water, rivers and lakes, reverence to sacred springs and holy wells, and stone circles and burial mounds aligned with the path of the sun (Wood 2014:34-36). Anglesey is an island on the north coast of Wales, it is thought to have been a druid center of worship and stronghold. While the iron age is often short on evidence, in this case there is archaeology does however provide evidence for the religious expression of the Celtic people. The tradition of offering gifts to the gods is well documented by the archaeological record at the site of Llyn Cerrig Bach on Anglesey. Here, between 300 BCE and CE 100, chariots, weapons, tools and metal work items were thrown from the island into a lake. The site of Llyn Cerrig Bach today a marsh was once a natural lake, more 150 objects, many of which were martial in function, have been excavated from the site, dating within the period second century BCE - first century CE (Koch 2006 :1180). These items appear to have been deliberately cast into the lake as offerings to the Gods. The site of Llyn Cerrig Bach, which is located near the west coast of Anglesey, was discovered during World War II while building a military airfield. It was investigated by Sir Cyril Fox, Keeper
Have you ever considered what labors Eurystheus would have assigned Hercules if he lived in the modern world? Back then the labors Eurystheus assigned to Hercules was based on feats so difficult that they seemed impossible such as defeating the Nemean lion, defeating the hydra, and more. But what labors could Eurystheus assign Hercules if he lived in the modern world? In my opinion I think that Eurystheus would give Hercules these labors if he lived in the modern world.
The Golden Ass a novel written by Apuleius takes place during the Roman Empire. Throughout this story we meet a variety of characters who can be used to represent the Roman Empire. Specifically I 'll be looking a Pamphile the witch, Lucius and the boy who owns Lucius the ass. As I stated earlier they each have distinct characteristics which can be seen as staples of people during the Roman Empire.
A hero is someone who is confident and competent. They show that they are fearless and put others before them. A hero is alert and aware of the lives he or she lives. Heroes usually have a passion for what they do and they do it and finish it, no matter the consequence. Therefore sacrifice contributes more to heroism because heroes putting themselves before others shows that they are selfless.
Human sacrifice was a very common ritual in that time and area. But this is not enough to prove to the world that the answer to the mystery of the bog bodies is human sacrifice. However, I hope that the evidence I am about to show you is enough to convince you that human sacrifice is what killed the bog bodies.
The Odyssey, Phaedra and Things Fall Apart are works of art that have a common and important theme. These works have a single hero who is characterized by a personal strength, respect and highest moral obligations and ethics. As such, the theme of a hero is still attributable to the modern times because people value morality, ethics and individual strength. Another major theme is the burden that these heroes have to carry and in some cases, they have to take it without complaining to others of fate which has made them who they are. Those with strong principles in life will always stay heroes, even if they do not survive, their memory and legacy will be their mark to remember.
The role of gods and sacrifice in Greek Mythology has a prime role in everyday life. In the epic poem The Odyssey, written by Homer, the main character, Odysseus, has one major goal in mind. Throughout the poem, Odysseus has the objective of getting home to Ithaca. On this journey back home, he overcomes multitudinous obstacles, sacrifices his crew men, and has the help of the Greek gods like Athena, Calypso, Ino, and Zeus. Several major themes are portrayed through Odysseus’s return home. The role of gods, specifically in making direct contacts with humans, animal sacrifice, and human sacrifice are unquestionably common in Greek Mythology, but today, these particular concepts are not common in modern literature or daily life.
Because the most reliable resources of evidence on Druidism, their own written scripts, cannot be found we can only make assumptions and Julius Caesar also spoke of this when stating “the Druids think it is not right to entrust their teachings to written script, though they use the Greek alphabet in almost all other matters, including public and private accounts.” (1) The real reasons for this are also unknown, but according to Julius Caesar, two assumptions can be made, “It seems to me that this (not writing their teachings down) is for two reasons. They do not want their teachings to be available to the general public and they also do not want those who are studying to rely more on writing than on their memories.”(1) However, despite the lack of reliable information, we can assume that Druids were ancient priests, who led Celtic Britain and other European regions into nature-based rituals. Among the ancient Celts, Druids were members of the highly respected ‘professional’ class, where the spiritual life of the Druids and their society’s religious life was incorporated. Among the Druids were doctors, judges, philosophers, priests, seers and other intellectuals of their culture who possessed the knowledge, both religious and philosophical. The meaning and the origins of the word “Druid” is not clearly known. In Old Irish, ‘drui’ was the singular form of ‘Druid’, and through the scholar Rudol Turneysen, a Druid was understood as a person with great knowledge. This was because, Turneysen derived the prefix ‘dru’ and ‘vid’ from old Irish, which meant ‘through’ and ‘know’. Other early classical writers had different ideas, such as Pliny, who related to ‘drus’ from the Greek word for ‘oak’ and through the word “Druid” became to mean a ...
Throughout Caesar’s account of the druids, Caesar seems to be more concerned with telling the facts and not providing much commentary on the things that he finds barbaric. By only writing about the facts he shows his bias as an author who really is more of a general concerned with numbers and strategy. Caesar starts his description by naming some of their jobs facets. According to Caesars description, druids “intervene in divine matters…look after public and private sacrifices…interpret religious matters” which made them very important figures in Celtic society. (Caesar, 21) From this description alone it can be inferred that they were very involved in every religious facet of the Celtic society. Caesar would have noted this particular aspect because in order for a general or emperor to understand potenti...
Ancient Greek Sacrifice In the Ancient Greek world, religion was personal, direct, and present in all areas of life. With formal rituals of animal sacrifices and libations, myths to explain the origins of man and to give the gods a face, temples which dominated the landscape, city festivals and national sporting and arts tournaments, religion was never far from the minds of the Ancient Greeks. Whilst every individual had their own mindset on their personal religious beliefs, there were three factors that were fundamental in Greek religion: 1) the gods existed, 2) the could influence human affairs, and 3) the welcomed and responded greatly to acts of piety and worship. The Ancient Greek ritual of animal sacrifice gives a clear view into the everyday lives of Ancient Greeks and reveals both their social and cultural identity.
The Iliad and the Fate Of Patroclus Throughout The Iliad Of Homer, the constant theme of death is inherently. apparent. The snares are not. Each main character, either by a spear or merely a scratch from an arrow, was wounded or killed during the progression of the story. For Zeus' son, a king.
Tacitus tells us in the introduction to his Annales that his intent is to “relate a little about Augustus, Tiberius, et cetera” and to in fact do so “sine ira et studio” -- without bitterness or bias.1 Experience, however, tells us that this aim is rarely executed, and that we must be all the more suspicious when it is stated outright. Throughout the Annales, Tacitus rather gives the impression that his lack of bias is evidenced by his evenhanded application of bitterness to all his subjects. But is this really the case? While Tacitus tends to apply his sarcastic wit universally – to barbarian and Roman alike – this is not necessarily evidence of lack of bias. Taking the destruction of Mona and Boudicca's revolt (roughly 14.28-37) as a case study, it is evident that through epic allusion, deliberate diction, and careful choice of episodes related, Tacitus reveals his opinion that the Roman war machine first makes rebels by unjust governance, and then punishes them.
Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound portrays a greek god detained by a superior for disobedience against the latter’s rule. On the other hand in Euripides’ Hippolytus portrays lust and vengeance of the gods and the extent that they can go to to avenge it.
made him kill his wife and children. In horror and remorse at what he did,
Across cultures, continents, and worlds, the majority of things within the scope of our very own humanity can be boiled down to two things: those who are dominant, and those who get dominated. Within these statuses lie stories of power struggles, rebellion, the rising and falling of those with influence, and the interconnection between a being with power and the people under his ruling. Through the visual works catered to this subject, we will discuss themes such as the power of immortalization, divinity amongst humans, what it really means to be a ruler, and many other details making up the ever-present, multifaceted relationship between rulers and their subject. With the assistance of the Blanton Museum of Art, I will be able to showcase
Basketball is a very complex sport that takes many years to fully grasp the Complete concept of. Basketball is for anyone who is willing to get a little physical, for you are running up and down the court with ten other players while playing defence and offence. There are just a few things you need to focus on when starting off. These include; dribbling, passing, shooting, and defence. You need to learn the rules and regulations in the game as well. Not only that, but, Always be in triple threat position, meaning you have your elbows are out and you are balanced. This assures that the ball is protected and you are in the position to either pass, shoot or dribble.