Pliny notes that the oak was also sacred. He stated that the plant was sacred and always employed in rituals. In Natural History, Pliny described the prominence of mistletoe in Druidic ceremonies. Pliny the Elder is yet another first-century CE Roman author. Pliny the Elder Old druid man standing to front in a field, anonymous, 1712, The British Museum The last honorable position was that of the philosopher or druidai. The second position was that of Druids possessing specialist knowledge of the natural world and practicing divination known as the ovates. The first and most respected position was that of the bard or bardoi, comprising of singers and poets who retold tales and legends. Among the Gauls in particular, the Druids held three honorable positions. Strabo’s Geography, also from the early first century CE, discussed the roles the Druids played in Celtic society. William Overend Geller, 1830s, The British Museum These roles match those described by Caesar and those reiterated later by Strabo. Among these roles, Diodorus notes that the Druids were theologians and philosophers, bards, and singers. Writing in around 36 BCE, Diodorus described the Druidic order and their roles in Celtic society. Divitiacus knew much about the natural world and performed divination by reading auguries.Īnother less extensive account comes from Diodorus Siculus’ Bibliotheca Historica or Library of History. In his On Divination, Cicero states that he had met a Gallic druid from the Aedui tribe named Divitiacus. Marcus Tullius Cicero, a contemporary of Caesar, also recorded his experience with the Druids of Gaul. Less Extensive Roman Accounts Of The Druids The Bard, Thomas Jones, 1774, National Museum Wales Cicero Interestingly, recent archaeological discoveries have confirmed Anglesey’s status as the ‘ island of Druids.’ Tacitus provides a hostile account of the Druids, which later Roman writers also took up. The Druids also consulted their deities using human entrails. These groves, according to Tacitus, were devoted to inhumane superstitions, as the Druids saw it as a duty to cover their altars in the blood of captives. As the generals urged their troops forward, the island’s defenders were routed, and some soldiers were dispatched to destroy the sacred groves. The Roman troops stood motionless in front of the unfamiliar sight. The Druids were raising their hands to the skies and chanting dreadful imprecations which terrified the Roman soldiers. Tacitus writes that once the Roman infantry disembarked on the island, they were met by the opposing army, which included women dressed in black, and Druids. Paulinus prepared to attack the populated island of Mona (Anglesey). Tacitus’ account took place during the Roman invasion of Anglesey in Wales when Britain was under the control of the Roman Suetonius Paulinus. Tacitus’ Annals, written in the first century CE, is the only source for Roman Britain’s Druids as other Roman accounts mainly discussed Druids’ presence in Gaul and its surroundings. Tacitus’ Druids A Druid’s Ceremony, Noël Hallé, 1737-1744, National Galleries Scotland The victim would be sacrificed through burning in a wicker man. Caesar’s most disturbing recording is the practice of human sacrifice, for which the Druids used criminals. According to Caesar, they did not record their practices, but they did make use of the Greek alphabet in different spheres of their public and private accounts. Instead, they studied lore, medicine, astrology, and philosophy, among many other subjects. The Druids did not take part in war and were exempt from military taxes and enlistment. Caesar notes that the Druids who wished to undertake further druidic education often made pilgrimages to Britain to improve their knowledge which sometimes lasted over twenty years. They met at a sacred place in Gaul every year, while Britain remained the center of druidic studies. The Druids recognized a single leader who ruled the group until his death. But because the Druids did not document their own practices and religion, there was no way to dispute Roman accounts.Ĭaesar’s Druids Druids of Ole England, Joseph Martin Kronheim, 1868, George A Smathers LibrariesĪccording to Caesar, who had encountered druids in Gaul, they were an essential class of the Gallic society. It was not uncommon for Roman authors to describe unknown and foreign peoples in this way. Yet they all depicted the Druids and their practices as barbaric. Other popular Roman authors, including Cicero, Tacitus and Pliny the Elder also provided accounts. Penned by Caesar in the first century BCE, the work introduced the Roman world to the Druids. The oldest description of the Druids is Julius Caesar’s De Bello Gallico or the ‘Gallic Wars’.
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