Year: 2007
Author: Harding D.W.
Genre: Archeology
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0-203-69853-3
English language
Format: PDF
Number of Pages: 300

Interesting work for the archeology of Celtic art

Tempering the much adopted art-historical approach, Harding argues for a broader definition of Celtic art. Contrary to recent attempts to deconstruct the Celts as an ethnic entity altogether, he argues that there were communities in Iron Age Europe that were identified historically as Celts, regarded themselves as Celtic, or who spoke Celtic languages, and that the art of these communities may reasonably be regarded as Celtic art. Though the La Tène styles represent the summation of achievement of Celtic art, the origin and geographical distribution of Celtic art extend well beyond the La Tène culture zone.
Though art-historical considerations remain essential, Harding shows that Celtic art should also be viewed within its broader archaeological context. From Central Europe to the Atlantic west, Celtic art was essentially a social and political art, as well as a religious art, and a medium through which identity could be asserted. It was funda- mentally embedded in Celtic society, custom and belief. This new study will be indispensable for anyone wanting to take a fresh and innovative perspective on Celtic art.
Dennis W. Harding is Abercromby Professor of Archaeology at the University of
Edinburgh. His most recent book The Iron Age in Northern Britain was published in
2004.

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