Two particularly interesting periods in Greek history were the Archaic (between 750 B.C. and 500 B.C.) and the Classical periods (between about 500 B.C. and 336 B.C.), which comprise most of the era termed ‘Ancient Greece’ in the time line of western history. These periods of Greek history are notable because of the achievements in art, architecture, literature, and the socio-political developments that made Greek civilization unique. Prior to and during the Archaic period, formerly isolated Greek tribes began solidifying into more organized centers of government and population, forming what would become city-states, or ‘polis’, with their own authority but with strategic alliances defined among them.
Early in their evolution the city-states were frequently ruled by hereditary monarchies, called basileus, which then ceded to the oligarchic form of government, which was most typically a leadership of the wealthiest citizens. In oligarchies, political power was given to a council and only a select number of participants were designated by the constitution. If this form of government was overthrown, it was usually replaced by a tyranny, a form of usurping government through which wealthy leaders seized power unconstitutionally, although often with popular support. By the 6th century B.C., democracy as a form of government increased in popularity, though it remained rule by the few-only the free, male citizens of a state could vote to the exclusion of women, foreigners, and slaves.
After the power of Sparta was nearly extinguished by revolting Messeneans during the Messenean War, Sparta reformed its government implementing an authoritarian, military rule over its territory. Its strict militaristic government secured the rule of native Spartans while subjugating their conquests by a system of serfdom, where the subjects, called helots, would be essentially bound to a landowner’s property and forced to work the land in order to provide for themselves and their patrons. The military tradition of the Spartan, crucial to the strength of their government, was also remarkable. Spartans were very careful in creating a strong and able citizenry, which fueled the military. It was government policy to filter the weak elements from the society-a government body would be in charge of effectively deciding whether a child should live or die according to the physical strength it demonstrated at birth. Females were also affected by these policies and, though not raised to be part of the military, were raised to be physically fit, fairly independent members of society and strong representatives of their family units while their husbands and fathers were away on military duty.
Little authentic information regarding the ancient Celts’ priestly caste, better known to the world as the Druids, has survived to the modern age. The mysterious segment of the Celtic hierarchy is thought to have first arrived in the British Isles, along with the rest of their people, between the 5th and 6th centuries BC.
With a name that translates from Gaelic as “knowing oak tree,” the priestly sect was tasked with guarding the sum of their civilization’s theological, philosophical scientific knowledge. Some of their responsibilities were similar to those of shaman in Pan-American cultures and included calendar recordation, the dispensation of herbal remedies and seasonally oriented mystic rites in designated sacred groves.
The practice that has most heavily influenced the popular conception of the Druids, however, is human sacrifice. One of their victims was the so-called Lindown Man – the remarkably well-preserved corpse of a Druidic priest that was found in a Manchester bog in 1984. His throat had been slit and he had, apparently, willingly offered himself up for sacrifice.
Following the Roman occupation of Britain, however, the Druids’ predilection for outlandish rituals soon drew the ire of the Empire and the Emperor Claudius had the sect outlawed in AD 43. The final blow came during the battle that followed that decree, when a battalion of sixty Roman troops assaulted a Druid outpost on the island of Mona. No quarter was given and the majority of the Druid population – men and women alike – was wiped out, their sacred meeting groves razed in the aftermath.
This left the Romans left in advantageous of being the first to record the history of the Druids, albeit from a skewed point of view that saw them as little more than barbarians. In fact, Roman historian Pliny the Elder provides the very first recorded account of a Druidic ritual in his Naturalis Historia, wherein he provides an in-depth description of their annual mistletoe harvest – a ingredient they frequently utilized in the making of charms.
The fact that the Druids conducted their rituals in sacred groves and arbors, and not stone circles, rules out their long-suspected connections to the monoliths at Stonehenge. That notion was the product of an 18th century outsider cleric, Dr. William Stukeley, who theorized that the Druidic sect was the direct forbearer of a pure British religion – later to be embodied, in his view, by the Church of England.
Though it is the modern adherents of Stukeley’s view who continue to congregate annually on Salisbury Plain for solstice rites at Stonehenge, there is no archaeological evidence linking the Druids to the site in any capacity. Any definitive information as to their true beliefs and practices were lost the years following their extermination by Romans - leaving the tenets of their dark religion as intriguing and mysterious today as they were at the turn of the first millennium.
| History Collectors: We offer a wide selection of museum quality replicas and authentic items representing nearly every century of the Common Era and the most significant civilizations of ancient history. Once you browse through our online catalogue, we are certain you’ll find the perfect gift for yourself or a loved one with an interest in history. |
|
|||||||||||
Tags: 5th century B.C., 6th century B.C., ancient rome, Celtic Bronze Sword, Celtic Cross of Duplin, celtic herbal remedies, celtic history, celtic priests, Celtic Replicas, celtic shamans, druid calendar, druid human sacrifice, druid meeting groves, druid rituals, druid sacred groves, Gaelic history, history of druids, Isle of Lewis Celtic Chess Set (board and pieces), knowing oak tree, Lindown Man, mistletoe and druid charms, pagan religions, Pliny the Elder, priestly sect of druids, Roman occupation of Britain, Sacred Societies DVD, Salisbury Plain, stonehenge, the druids
