Who were the druids, the mysterious religious elite of the ancient Celtic world?
Druids were religious leaders in what is now Britain and France. They were"philosophers, teachers, judges, the repository of communal wisdoms about the natural world and the traditions of the people, and the mediators between humans and the gods," Barry Cunliffe, an emeritus professor of European archaeology at the University of Oxford, wrote in his book"Druids: A Very Short Introduction " .
In a series of books collectively known as"The Gallic Wars," Caesar wrote that the druids"engaged in things sacred, conduct the public and the private sacrifices, and interpret all matters of religion." In addition to performing religious duties, the druids were often asked to settle disputes. Caesar may have actually become friends with a druid."During his sojourn as military commander in Gaul, he met Diviciacus, ruler of the Aedui — a powerful Burgundian tribe — and he and Caesar became staunch friends and allies, the Roman general commenting that he trusted the Aeduan chief above all the other Gauls," Miranda Aldhouse-Green, an emeritus professor of history, archaeology and religion at Cardiff University in the U.K.
There is no link in ancient writings between druids and stone circles."Classical authors referred to ancient druids worshipping only in wooded groves — there is no mention of any link between druids and stone [monuments] let alone Stonehenge," Mike Parker Pearson, a professor of British later prehistory at University College London, wrote in an article published in 2013 in the journal Archaeology International.
Whether druidism truly originated in Britain, however, is unknown, and it is possible that druids were found much farther afield. Druidism is often associated with a people known as the Celts, and Celt settlements have been found as far east as modern-day Turkey. Additionally, Celtic mercenaries served as far away as Egypt and Judaea. Did the druids practice human sacrifice?The druids may have been involved in human sacrifice.
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