The course examines the Celtic-speaking peoples in the Iron Age and Roman periods at a time when Celtic languages were spoken throughout the British Isles but also extensively in Continental Europe, including parts of modern-day France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Turkey. The course will introduce students to the methodology of investigating ancient languages and cultures and offers an introduction to the grammatical structure of the Continental Celtic dialects as well as to the archaeological context of the inscriptions. On the other hand, ethnographic accounts by Greek and Latin writers are used alongside the evidence of archaeology, art, and language to explore the history of the Celts (e.g. contact with the Mediterranean world, migration, conquest by Rome), their religion, and society, and, indeed, the very nature of 'Celticity' in this period.
- Teacher: Wojciech Sowa