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Feb 11, 2020 · The Druids-in-America hypothesis purports that people from the Old World explored the Arkansas River long before either Columbus or Ericson. This all seemed to start with an accomplished marine biologist from Harvard University, Dr. Barry Fell. He became increasingly interested in rock carvings.
- A Brief History
We discover that the Celts had developed a highly...
- A Brief History
Druid, member of the learned class among the ancient Celts. They acted as priests, teachers, and judges. The earliest records of Druids date from the 3rd century BCE. Very little is known for certain about the Druids, who kept no records of their own. Julius Caesar is the principle source of knowledge about the Druids.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
A druid was a member of the high-ranking priestly class in ancient Celtic cultures. Druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no written accounts.
- Julius Caesar's Descriptions of The Druids
- Druids and Stonehenge
- Mistletoe and The Moon
- How Widespread Was Druidism?
- Did The Druids Practice Human Sacrifice?
- The End of Druidism
- Additional Resources
Julius Caesar, who conquered Gaul in 58 B.C. to 50 B.C. and invaded Britain in 55 B.C. and 54 B.C., is among the principal sources of information about druids. In a series of books collectively known as "The Gallic Wars," Caesar wrote that the druids "engaged in things sacred, conduct the public and the private sacrifices, and interpret all matters...
People today often associate Stonehenge with druidism. However, Stonehenge was constructed mainly between about 5,000 and 4,000 years ago — around 2,000 years before the earliest-known records of druids. So, the question remains of whether druidism existed when Stonehenge was built — and, if so, in what form. Scholars that Live Science reached out ...
Ancient sources provide some tantalizing hints about what druids valued. The Roman writer Pliny the Elder (who lived in the first century A.D.) discussed the importance of both mistletoe and the fifth day of the moonto druids. He wrote that mistletoe "is gathered with rites replete with religious awe. This is done more particularly on the fifth day...
Scholars are uncertain how widespread druidism was in the ancient world. It certainly flourished in the British Isles and Gaul. Caesar claimed that druidism originally came from Britain and that those who wished to study it in depth traveled there. "This institution is supposed to have been devised in Britain, and to have been brought over from it ...
The druids may have been involved in human sacrifice. The first-century Greek historian Diodorus Siculus wrote that although the druids were always present during a human sacrifice, it was another group known as the "vates" that carried out the sacrifices. How widespread human sacrifice was among the cultures the druids served is another mystery. M...
As Christianity spread throughout Europe, druidism gradually faded. Cunliffe noted that druids were still present in Ireland in the eighth century A.D., but in a much-reduced form. "Druids are now seen to be the makers of love-potions and casters of spells but little else," Cunliffe wrote. "The mood is captured by one 8th-century hymn that asks for...
Learn more about druids in Wales from Amgueddfa Cymru, a group that represents seven museums in Wales. Read an article from Cronkite News that discusses modern-day druids. Read Caesar's "The Gallic Wars," a major ancient source on the druids, via MIT's website. Originally published on Live Science on May 20, 2014, and updated on Sept. 23, 2022.
We discover that the Celts had developed a highly sophisticated religious system, with three types of Druids: the Bards, who knew the songs and stories of the tribe, the Ovates, who were the healers and seers, and the Druidswho were the philosophers, judges and teachers.
Nov 15, 2019 · Why do we know so little about the Druids? The powerful Celtic social class posed a threat to the Roman Empire before being subsumed by Christianity, but their origins remain shrouded in...
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Mar 14, 2023 · The druids were an ancient class of people within Celtic cultures. They were counted as scholars, priests, and judges. To the societies they served, their insight was deemed invaluable. Leading up to the Gallic Wars (58-50 BCE), the druids were fiercely outspoken against Roman rule and became a thorn in the Empire’s side.
