Celts: Art and Identity

Stunning exhibition at the British Museum examining the concept of the Celts looking at whether they were a group of people linked by race concluding that they were not a single group of people but more a word for people non-Roman, non-Mediterranean people. They were brought together more by trade rather than genetics.

It was a beautifully displayed show with some wonderful objects. I really fell in love with two perfect wine ewers with a scene of hunting dogs on the top and a tiny duck on the spout. I also loved a reconstruction of a chariot based on one found in a grave of a middle aged woman in Yorkshire.

There was an interesting section on Roman Britain that pointed out that while in other countries the conquered people assimilated with the Roman in Britain the tendency was more to take on Roman idea and give them a British twist. There was also a section on the coming of Christianity to the different areas.

The show ended by looking at the Celtic Revival and thinking about how Celtic roots have been used by disparate groups to give them a national character with sections on the Welsh Eisteddfods also by groups of people who had emigrated to give them an identity aboard such as the Irish in America.

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