Graham Robb “The Ancient Paths” [Book Review]

Graham Robb “The Ancient Paths” is a neat little romp through a forgotten aspect of the Celts: how they mind mapped ancient Europe! I have to say Graham Robb’s conclusions are very compelling as a linguist, historian, and genealogist. What he has uncovered in this book, I would call ground-breaking. Read the full review below.

STAR RATINGS:

“THE ANCIENT PATHS” BOOK STATS:

• Published 2014
• 387 total pages
• 298 pages of text
• 16 chapters
• Numerous graphic insets
• 1 short Epilogue section
• 1 Chronology section
• 1 Notes section
• 1 Works Cited section
• 1 Geographical Index
• Hardcover available

GRAHAM ROBB “THE ANCIENT PATHS” BOOK REVIEW:

Graham Robb “The Ancient Paths” is a complex narrative about the how the ancient Celts conceived of their spiritual world and how those conceptions were translated into a physical mapping of that world in terms of place names, boundaries, and pathways.

The ancient Celts accomplished this incredible task across the vast expanse of their homeland across the temporal expanse of many thousands of years and across the vast human expanse that comprised the many tribes that made up the “Celts.” We are basically talking about hundreds of tribes across millions of square miles of area, yet all intricately connected via a line called the Via Heraklea. This is the gem that Graham Robb has uncovered.

Not only did Graham Robb discover this, he did it on his bike! Another amazing Celtic feat it would seem. The author of this book rode over 15,000 miles in search of history. He was really peddling his research, wasn’t he?!?

This Via Heraklea transept runs from the coast of Portugal beginning in the city of Sagres, running through the tiny country of Andorra, and ending up in the Matrona Pass right on the border between eastern France and western Italy.

Complicating Robb’s theory is the fact that the Celts apparently loved meridians and equinoxes! Not only do you have this sort of ley line that cross-cuts western Europe, you also have lines that follow the path of the sun at its shortest and longest day.

As a writer, I’ll always remember Graham Robb’s definition of solstice and equinox.

“Around 21 June, it [the sun] rises on the north-eastern horizon at what appears to be the same point for several days in a row – hence the term ‘solstice’ (the ‘stand-still of the sun’) . . . Halfway between the two solstices, the sun rises due east and sets due west. These two days are the equinoxes, when the night (‘nox’) is roughly equal (‘aequus’) in length to the day”

(Robb 2014: 12)

The Celts were incredible thinkers and through Graham Robb “The Ancient Paths” we are shown just how foundational their knowledge was, even to our modern civilization. Spanning these lines of solar activity are also energy centers that were built upon by the ancients and have produced a myriad of place names which Graham Robb refers to as a “Mediolanum” or “oppidum.”

While Graham Robb “The Ancient Paths” serves up a whole heap of data, what makes it nice for the uninitiated is that the book also features a TON of maps, images, charts, etc to validate his explanations. I have to say the book would have been a nightmare to read without them.

This is where I have to get to the some of the CONS of this book in the form of Graham Robb’s writing. Let me preface what I am about to say by stating that Graham Robb is a fantastic storytelling author! In fact, his book “The Debatable Land” was one of the best books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. If you read my review (linked just above) you’ll understand why.

That aside, I have one major detraction when it comes to “The Ancient Paths.” Ironically, it is that although Robb takes a very scientific approach to his research, he hardly writes like a scientist. In point of fact, writes like like a storyteller. This is not always conducive to data-driven analysis.

While not writing like a scientist / academic might seem like a good thing on the surface, it creates very rough expository transitions when trying to connect fact with folklore. His use of extremely flowery wording (primarily in his introduction and transition paragraphs) devolves the connection of the reader to the material to the extent that one tends to lose focus on the complexity of his underlying arguments. Plain and simple, Robb’s overly-verbose writing can be distracting at times.

It seems there may be a good explanation for all this. I noticed that MY COPY of Graham Robb “The Ancient Paths” is the January 2014 version entitled: “The Ancient Paths: Discovering the Lost Map of Celtic Europe” and I have noticed that there is a November 2014 publication by Robb titled: “The Discovery of Middle Earth: Mapping the Lost World of the Celts.”

I do not know if these two are the same book; however, this “newer” version may contain the edits I have been seeking. If anyone knows, please leave a comment in the comments section below.

In summary, Graham Robb “The Ancient Paths” is truly an exceptional publication which revitalizes the role of the Gauls and other ancient European tribes with respect to their sophisticated and mind-blowing knowledge! To get to know our ancient ancestors in all of their intricacy and glory is to get to know ourselves.

GRAHAM ROBB “THE ANCIENT PATHS” BIBLIOGRAPHY:

• Robb, Graham. 2014. The Ancient Paths: Discovering the Lost Map of Celtic Europe. London: Picador.
• ISBN-13: 978-0330531511.
• Amazon Link.