THE LIFE AND DEATH OF A DRUID PRINCE: The Story of Lindow Man, an Archaeological Sensation

by Anne & Don Robins Ross ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 1990

An archeologist (Ross) and a solid-state chemist (Robins) collaborate in a valiant effort to solve the mystery of Lindow Man. In 1984, an English peat-cutter in the Midlands unearthed parts of a male body that turned out to be nearly 2,000 years old. Archeologists rushed to study the well-preserved remains--the oldest human remains ever found in England, and officially known as Lindow Man. Authors Ross and Robins were among the scientists invited to collaborate on a book about the find for the British Museum. Reading each other's contributions, which helped reveal Lindow Man's identity as an aristocratic Celt ritually sacrificed around 50 A.D., they were sufficiently intrigued by a lingering sense that there was more to this stow to continue searching for the precise circumstances of his death. Analyzing the minute contents of Lindow Man's small intestine, Robins concluded that his presacrifical meal was of princely quality. Ross noted that the lack of battle scars indicated that Lindow Man was most likely a Druid priest. Other clues led the authors to believe he had come from Ireland shortly after Roman invaders had blocked off the Celtic trade route from England to Europe, that his arrival was a momentous event, and that his voluntary sacrifice in a hidden clearing near the Roman encampment was made as a last-ditch effort to persuade the Celtic gods not to allow the Romans to attack Ireland--the font of Celtic wealth and culture. If such is the case, Lindow Man was successful in his mission. Fattened on Celtic gold, the Romans stayed in England, while the Celts lived on in the Druid prince's story, preserved in half-forgotten English rituals and legends, and in the form of Lindow Man himself, whose discovery has sparked renewed scholarly interest in the Celts' misty past. An engrossing archeological tale, especially worthwhile for its window into the scientific-detection process.

Pub Date: June 1, 1990

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Summit/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1990

Categories: NONFICTION