Authorities do not all agree about the definition of civilization. Most accept the view that “a civilization is a culture which has attained a degree of complexity usually characterized by urban life.” In other words, a civilization is a culture capable of sustaining a substantial number of specialists to cope with the economic, social, political, and religious needs of a populous society. Other characteristics usually present in a civilization include a system of writing to keep records, monumental architecture in place of simple buildings, and an art that is no longer merely decorative, like that on Neolithic pottery, but representative of people and their activities. All these characteristics of civilization first appeared in Mesopotamia.
Celtic Mythology 7: The Life of Cuchulainn: Epic Hero of Ireland With his divine connections, supernatural powers and a short but brilliant life, Cuchulainn was the epic hero par excellence. His mother, Dechtire, was the daughter of the druid Cathbad. …
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Celtic Myth 5: Finn and the Salmon of Knowledge The turning point in the life of the great warrior Finn Mac Cumhaill came at the age of seven when he apprenticed himself to a bard called Finnegas to learn poetry. …
Celtic Myth 4, The Washer at the Ford: Creepy and Gruesome Tales One common theme of Celtic myth is that of the Washer at the Ford. The war goddess who waited at the ford, sometimes in the form of …
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Celtic Myth 3: Taliesin and Elphin The nobleman who was said to have rescued the infant Taliesin was Prince Elphin, the nephew of Maelgwyn, king of Dyfed. Later, when Taliesin had become the prince’s court bard, he was able to …
Celtic Myth 2: the Birth of Taliesin, or Gwion Defeats Ceredwen and Afaggdu Taliesin was to become the greatest of all Welsh bards. In his famous work The Boast of Taliesin, the poet laid claim to omniscience. This Legend, which …
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