This first episode of THE CELTS had Neil Oliver and Alice Roberts tramping around various areas of Britain and northern Europe in search of the origins of the Celtic race. They visited archaeological sites, fingered various finds and talked to those responsible for discovering them, interviewed historians of varying degrees of reliability, some of whom offered fanciful theories as to the Celtic race, while others inclined towards greater plausibility.
In short, this was a typical BBC documentary of ancient history, relying on the expertise of two youngish presenters (age is important here, to show that archeology is not the preserve of gray-haired boffins) plus interviews with various experts, interspersed with computerized technology. The narrative of the program is straightforward enough, but some of the descriptions offered about the Celtic race could equally well apply to other races - the Saxons, Romans or Norsemen, for example.
In short, what we are offered here is not necessarily a culture- specific history but a transhistorical reconstruction of ancient times, emphasizing a combination of barbarism and civility. Celtic peoples were at once different from yet similar to ourselves; through the program we can understand where we came from while feeling quietly complacent that our civilization has developed to such an extent that we do not have to follow their primitive lifestyles.
THE CELTS is a good program of its kind, but left us wishing that the BBC and other television companies could find alternative ways of presenting ancient history.
In short, this was a typical BBC documentary of ancient history, relying on the expertise of two youngish presenters (age is important here, to show that archeology is not the preserve of gray-haired boffins) plus interviews with various experts, interspersed with computerized technology. The narrative of the program is straightforward enough, but some of the descriptions offered about the Celtic race could equally well apply to other races - the Saxons, Romans or Norsemen, for example.
In short, what we are offered here is not necessarily a culture- specific history but a transhistorical reconstruction of ancient times, emphasizing a combination of barbarism and civility. Celtic peoples were at once different from yet similar to ourselves; through the program we can understand where we came from while feeling quietly complacent that our civilization has developed to such an extent that we do not have to follow their primitive lifestyles.
THE CELTS is a good program of its kind, but left us wishing that the BBC and other television companies could find alternative ways of presenting ancient history.