\'The myth of Celtic and Roman Britain\'

[LvpvsRomanvs]

I have been musing of late that I should look a liitle further in to Druids & such. So far I have mused on links with British Druids & Gaulish ones ...

Ceasar (Julius) has it that they were very important types who were consulted widely by society (though with some very unsavoury habits ...praise from Ceasar is praise indeed :wink: ) and that they met annually in the trerritory of the Carnutes, supposedly the centre of Gaul and that the religion originated in Britian, where young men woulds go to study. Some time later the Isle of Anglesea was raided and Druidic sacred groves were cut down along with as many Druids as could be laid low with a gladius. There was a Pope type Druid who headed them all so there appear not to be separate "chuches".

If indeed the Druids originated in Britain and that Anglesea was the Druidic Mecca and that Druids from both Britain and Gaul met within Carnutian territory annually, then maybe there was an overarching cohesion amongst the Iron Age folk of Gaul and Britain, a central identity based on religion?

This idea of unification through religion is a good theory. When Celtic tribes did unify in war it was the druids that selected the leader of the war-party. Examples could be Caractacus leading the British tribal resistance, and Vercingetorix leading the Gallic tribes. This was a theory put forward in Graham Webster in his 'Rome Against Caratacus'. I'll try and get the quote when I get home.

It is well known that the druids that resented Rome the most. Once the Romans had gained a foothold in Britain it was the druids that encouraged and unified the resistance. Perhaps what unified these tribes was the utmost respect that more or less every tribe shared for these religious leaders. Not only were the druids religious leaders, but they had a hand in politics as well. Could it be said that it was druids that wielded the real power?