Iron Age, Druid Religious Festival

Iron Age, Druid Religious Festival

A druid was a member of the educated, professional class among the Celtic peoples of Gaul, Britain, and Ireland during the Iron Age. Very little is known about the ancient druids. They left no written accounts of themselves, and the only evidence is a few descriptions left by Greek, Roman, and various scattered authors and artists, as well as stories created by later medieval Irish writers. While archeological evidence has been uncovered pertaining to the religious practices of the Iron Age people, no artifacts or images have been unearthed that can be connected with the Druids. In Greco-Roman accounts of the druids, it was recorded that they performed animal and even human sacrifice, believed in a form of reincarnation, and held a high position in Gaulish society. Next to nothing is known for certain about their cultic practice, except for the ritual of oak and mistletoe as described by Pliny the Elder. Image taken from page 18 of "A History of England for the Young" by Henry Tyrrell, 1872.

CELTIC

ILLUSTRATION • History: Ancient

Album / Science Source / British Library

? Model Release: No - ? Property Release: No
Rights questions?

3900 x 2894 px | 32.3 MB

33.0 x 24.5 cm | 13.0 x 9.6 in (300 dpi)