Crushed by the Romans in the 1st century AD, the ancient Druids of Britain left almost no reliable evidence behind them. For this reason, historian Ronald Hutton shows that subsequent generations in Britain had the freedom to redesign, interpret, and revolutionize the Druids. This fascinating book is the first to cover 2,000 years of Druid history and explores the evolution of English, Scottish, and Welsh attitudes towards these controversial figures of the ancient Celtic world. The Druids have been invoked at various times as patriots, scientists, philosophers, or priests. Sometimes they are depicted as corrupt, bloodthirsty, or naive, while at other times they are considered as revolutionaries. Hutton tracks how the Druids have been written in and out of history, archaeology, and public consciousness for about 500 years, with a particular emphasis on the Romantic period when the Druids fully dominated perceptions of Britain's prehistory. With legends and images, filled with new perspectives on ancient and modern times, this book is an intriguing cultural study of the Druids as catalysts in Britain's history.