Book finished: The Ancient Paths
13/11/2014
At last! A book which has something I have not heard of before. I was pleased to find this book pleads a case for an original idea of the author's, backed by a reasonable amount of research, rather than pure conjecture.
The older I get, the more I have learned, the more sophistication I am prepared to allow earlier cultures, and also, for that matter, modern "primitive" cultures. I believe History and Anthropology have had a hard time shrugging off the cloak of Victorian presumptions they inherited. Thus I was receptive to the author's proposal of concepts I had not encountered before in my reading about European history. It has always seemed to me incredible that historians have been so sceptical about "Ancient Knowledge" which allowed historical cultures to produce things aligned with astronomical objects. They have seemed to presume that astronomy cannot be done without giant telescopes and precision theodolites, as though you need a maths degree to put a stick in the ground and mark the shadow every day for a year. As the author points out, an ancient Greek, Eratosthenes (276 BC– 195 BC), in Egypt produced a reasonably accurate figure for the size of the Earth, (already presuming it to be round) simply by measuring angles of shadow down two widely-spaced wells. See "Hellenistic World" section here at Wikipedia. |
His assertion that Celtic culture included the ability to follow solar alignments over great distances, and that they used this ability in determining cultural sites, migrations and battle plans doesn't seem too far-fetched to me. Nor that the much-vaunted straightness of Roman roads often arises from simply building on the path of earlier Celtic routes.
He also seems to be able to take a step back and not believe everything and anything should be explained by his insights. I liked how he was not afraid to relate finding a "Camelot" marked on a map under one of his solar alignment lines, only to find on further investigation that it was the name of a modern theme park only a few years old!
I found myself resenting when my train commute ended each day and I had to put my Kobo away to alight. I recommend this to anyone with an open mind and an interest in history.
He also seems to be able to take a step back and not believe everything and anything should be explained by his insights. I liked how he was not afraid to relate finding a "Camelot" marked on a map under one of his solar alignment lines, only to find on further investigation that it was the name of a modern theme park only a few years old!
I found myself resenting when my train commute ended each day and I had to put my Kobo away to alight. I recommend this to anyone with an open mind and an interest in history.
Read as an e-book borrowed from Auckland Libraries via Borrowbox, on my Kobo Touch e-reader.
Below is an interview with the author on YouTube.