Jul
23
2008
Pic: Bridgman Pottery |
Wales Online reports that the allure of the Holy Grail has fascinated writers and ensnared knights for more than 1,000 years.
From Malory to Monty Python, the eternal chalice – said to be the very cup from which Jesus drank at the last supper – has become enshrined as one of popular culture’s most spiritual icons.
But while Scotland has been given the credit for being the Grail’s final resting place – thanks largely to Dan Brown’s hugely-successful novel The Da Vinci Code – a new book by a Welsh academic says Wales’ claim to the relic is stronger. |
Continue Reading »
Jul
20
2008
Pic: BBC |
The BBC reports that a team of archaeologists in Leicestershire has uncovered several ancient bodies at the site of a new park-and-ride development.
Excavations are continuing in Enderby after what are thought to be four skeletons from the Iron Age - dating from before 43AD - were discovered.
The team from the University of Leicester said there were probably more bodies buried at the site.
A further four-week excavation in now under way. |
Peter Liddle, keeper of archaeology at Leicestershire County Council, said:
We seem to have a track way that runs across the landscape and buried next to that track way are a series of bodies. It’s nice as Iron Age roads and tracks are not that common. Iron Age burial is elusive - you don’t see a lot of dead Iron Age people, you can’t generally find them.
Read the full story here.
Jul
18
2008
As Grand Bard, I sense that I am speaking on behalf of both the College of Bards and a wide cross-section of Cornish society in asking that the interim executive reconsider its decision and commission a new modern rendition of the traditional crest, including the fisherman and miner and the Cornish language, and with the addition of an evocation of the symbol of St Piran.
The Gorsedd of Bards, which upholds Celtic traditions in Cornwall, promotes Cornish language, literature, music and history. While the not-for-profit group recognised the proposed logo was well-designed and, “in a benign way”, sympathetic to Cornish culture and its Celtic roots, it felt it was insufficient in portraying the depth or range of Cornish identity and heritage.
Source
Jul
09
2008
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Welcome to the first in what we hope will become a regular feature. We are providing a mirror or an opportunity for bloggers to extend their audience and to provide our readers with some fascinating views on Celtic Mythology. If you have something to say, or have said something that you feel ought to be said about the world of the Celts, then let us know! All copyright rights will remain with you and full credit will, of course, be given.
This is a blog by Kirsten Campbell, a student of Archaeology and Celtic Civilisation with a gift for the creative. Kirsten is an aspiring writer of historical fiction and here she speculates about the possibilities of ancient prosthetics - artificial limbs. Her home on the web is Kirsten’s Scribbling Corner.
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Ancient Prosthetics 101
I mentioned in my post on character names that Aelius, the Roman protagonist of my Severan novel, will later gain the epithet “Argentocoxos” (Silver Foot), the name of a Caledonian referred to once in passing in Cassius Dio’s account of Septimius Severus’ campaigns in northern Britain. The big question was: how do I get from “Aelius” to “Argentocoxos”? It was going to have to be a nickname of some sort, but why was Aelius going to end up being called “Silver Foot”? Continue Reading »
Jul
04
2008
Pic: BBC |
Archaeologists have found the site of what they believe is one of England’s oldest houses.
The Stone Age house was unearthed at Kingsmead Quarry in Horton, close to Windsor Castle, and is thought to be more than 5,000 years old. |
Dr Alistair Barclay of Wessex Archaeology, said it was a rare discovery. Continue Reading »
Jul
02
2008
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A replica Viking longship has set off on a 2200km return journey from Dublin to Denmark.The Sea Stallion of Glendalough began the six week trip from the mouth of the River Liffey after almost a year on display in Collins Barracks museum.
More than 1,000 people turned out to wish the vessel and its 65 crew a safe journey. |
Continue Reading »
Jun
30
2008
Pic: BNPS.CO.UK |
This London reports that the Cerne Abbas Giant has suffered as a result of the increase in wet weather we are getting here in the UK. As you can see from the picture to the left, the archetypal image of the Dagda (if that is who he represents), has almost disappeared under the rapidly growing grass.
And thanks to a decline in sheep farming in the surrounding area, the flock that traditionally graze on the site have been unavailable to provide the giant figure with its annual trim. |
Continue Reading »
Jun
27
2008
Pic: BBC |
Archaeologists and volunteers working at a Perthshire forest claim to have uncovered a “very exciting” find.
Excavations have revealed a stone entrance to the Black Spout enclosure, which workers believe indicates an important local person lived there.
Radiocarbon dating has also shown the site dates back to about 200 BC - it was originally though such homesteads were from the early centuries AD. |
It is thought a large extended family would have lived there. Continue Reading »
Jun
20
2008
Pic: Haggis hurling |
The Chicago Daily Herald tells us that on June 20-21 the Highland Games will be in full fling in Chicago. When it comes to celebrating Celtic culture around Chicago, people of Scottish descent always seem to be overshadowed by the Irish.
There’s no national holiday like St. Patrick’s Day when “everyone is Scottish for one day.” It would also be impossible to dye the Chicago River plaid.
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Yet Scottish culture and traditions strongly persevere locally, thanks to efforts of the Illinois St. Andrew Society, a nonprofit charity organization dating back to 1854. The society’s biggest and highest-profile event is the annual Scottish Festival and Highland Games, now celebrating its 22nd year.
Continue Reading »
Jun
18
2008
Pic: Farm
One of Iceland’s oldest Viking ruins sits just
behind this farm house near Lake Myvatn. |
I found this article about the worrying climate change effects on Iceland’s landscape. It not only tells us much about our Viking cousins and their early relationship with the Celts but also highlights the environmental impact of Sheep farming in Iceland.
It’s easy to see how Iceland’s history could be shaped by its climate, once you experience its fickle weather.
On this September afternoon, Unnsteinn Ingason steps out of the inn he runs in northern Iceland and looks up to see whether it’s sunny or snowing. In this land of frequent rainbows, it could be both. |
As he crosses the family farm’s rolling, grassy hills in a four-wheel-drive SUV, he’s not just watching the road. He’s also scanning the landscape for clues about Iceland’s deep history — its Viking history. Continue Reading »
