The fierce warriors and skilled artisans, the Celts were famous throughout the Ancient Mediterranean World. They were the quintessential barbarians from the north and inspired fear in both Greeks and Romans. For two and a half thousand years, they continue to fascinate those who encountered them, yet their roots remain a mystery and to this day are a subject of intense debate among historians and archaeologists.

The classical study of the ancient Celtic world by Barry Cunliffe was first published in 1997. Since then, there have been tremendous advances in our knowledge: new discoveries, new ways of using genetic records to understand the origins of the Celts, new ideas about the proto-urban nature of early powerful leaders. All of these developments are part of this fully updated and completely redesigned edition.

Cunliffe explores the archaeological reality of these daring warriors and skilled artisans of barbarian Europe who inspired fear in Greeks and Romans. He examines the texts of classical writers and compares their view of the Celts with current archaeological findings. He follows the emergence of headquarters and migrations from the fifth to the third century to Bosnia and the Czech Republic, assessing the difference between the traditional narrative and the most recent historical and archaeological evidence regarding the Celts.

Other aspects of Celtic identity, such as the cultural diversity of tribes, their social and religious systems, art, language, and law, are also examined. From the resulting image, we are - critically - able to distinguish the authentic Celts and those tribes that became "Celticized," offering us an invaluable insight into the true identity of this ancient people.