Brooching the subject...(Or, The Celts, La Tene and mythology)

The term 'Celts' is a much used phrase. It neatly sums up a race that we are very familiar with from mythology. Unfortunately, there is little history to follow the myth. Who were the 'Celts'? Well, nobody unfortunately. It's a catch-all phrase to group together many disparate and unique ethnicities and tribes, but it loosely covers the inhabitants of pre-Roman Britain, and especially Ireland. Even though the people in Ireland had nothing at all to do with the people in Pre-Roman Britain...

So why 'Celts'? Is this a Roman thing? Not really, the Romans talked about the 'Britons' but they meant the tribes inhabiting the South of modern England, not Ireland, Scotland or Wales so much. Their catch-all term was 'barbarian' which applied to anyone who didn't speak Latin. The phrase was actually Greek in origin, a 'barbarian' was someone who didn't speak Greek (i.e. his language was gibberish to Greek ears and sounded like 'bar bar bar'.) Ironically, Greeks once applied the term to the native inhabitants of Italy, including the Romans themselves.

So why 'Celts'? Well, here is why:

In the 3rd Century BC, a powerful cultural force swept through the peoples of Northern Europe. It seems to have had as its epicentre a small but rich settlement on the banks of a Swiss lake. It is known to have traded with the Mediterranean world. It has come to be called 'La Tene'. La Tene is an elusive concept, but at its heart it's an artistic movement that influenced the development of even the most basic items, like this lovely bronze brooch from around the 2nd Century BC found in Wiltshire. Its flowing lines, loops and zoomorphic styles have come to define what we think of as 'Celtic', but we have assigned it a race of its own, and a fairly strict geographic location. We should not. La Tene was more like the hippy revolution of the sixties than a group of people. And who knows what people in 2,000 years time will make of that...

Archaeology Show at Old Sarum this Saturday and Sunday.

Come and see the museum at the Archaeology Show at Old Sarum this Saturday and Sunday. 

We'll be showcasing some new material, including the Neolithic flint working study group seen below. There will also be a collection of Roman coins, and some recent battlefield finds from the First World War.

Neolithic people were more cultured and skilled than many people think. As well as creating a range of tools, they crafted jewellery and statuettes and engaged in trade and religious activity.

This collection explores the process of ‘flint knapping’, where everyday tools were made from locally found flint. These items are from West Surrey and date to c. 10,000 BC

For event details see http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/events/archaeology-weekend-os-27-jul

eye, claudius... (or, roman slave tatoos)

I have seen quite a few Latin tattoos recently. Some lamentably mis-spelt... In fact I read one newspaper describe them as 'Roman tattoos'. No, no no no.... Tattoos did exist in the Roman world, but for quite a different purpose. To paint one's body was really very 'barbarian'. the term 'Picts' to describe the Scots comes from the Northern tribes' habit of tattooing and painting pictures on their bodies. Romans would have no such thing! Tattoos were, however, a useful was of marking one's property and there was no greater commodity that slaves. Various tattoos were invented, perhaps the most famous and tragic was 'FVG' which was stamped above the eye of a slave (having no letter 'U' the Romans used 'V' instead, so it read FUG) and stood for FUGITIVUS. Unsurprisingly, this meant FUGITIVE. Thus, if a slave ever escaped, he would automatically be identified as a runaway and handed in. Other motifs were used in the East, where the trade flourished, and there were markers which essentially meant 'Tax Paid' which were also stamped onto the skin of slaves. A brutal reminder of the dehumanisation of entire races in the ancient world. Roman's didn't just decorate pottery you know... 

A note on the Suez War (Or, British Armed Forces Bank Notes 3rd issue)

After the end of the Second World War, the British army decided it was rather unwise to ship large amounts of hard cash into hostile environments abroad. From 1946 onwards, they began to issue their own banknotes that could be spend by soldiers in the canteen and later the NAAFI (Navy, Army, Air-force Institute). They were only redeemable at British army shops by British soldiers, so it was pointless to try and steal them. There were 6 issues (including a very rare 5th issue which seem only to have been released in tiny numbers). Well done if you have one of those, they are worth a mint! But, as usual, at the Mobile Museum we measure value in terms of interest. So my favourite of them all is this one:

Wonderful. It's third series, which was issued in 1956 for the Suez War, a much under-studied and forgotten war. You rarely see anything in terms of artefacts turn up for this conflict, so I'm very chuffed that we have this. In fact, the Suez War is a key conflict in our 'Helping History' project (find out more on our website: http://www.strange-old-things-the-mobile-museum.co.uk/helping-history-project/) Anyway, this note was one of four that we were very kindly given mid-show at a WW1 exhibition we did for a Armed Forces event on July 17th. £1 was the highest denomination available in this series.

THE SUEZ WAR

Rather a fiasco I'm afraid. Perhaps why it has been swept under the bulging carpet of forgotten fights. Basically in July 1956 Egypt rather rudely decided to nationalise the Suez canal, lifeblood of European trade from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean. Without the canal, you have to sail all the way around Africa, which quickly becomes tiresome. Nasser, the Egyptian President, was a bit too cosy with the Communist powers for Britain's liking, who teamed up with France and Israel to launch an invasion. Despite achieving the limited military objectives, the attack was almost universally condemned as a quasi-imperialist venture (which it probably was) and pressure from the USSR and US forced the occupation to end. Israel, who gained concessions elsewhere, was really the only net winner. The war was not popular in Britain, and cost the Prime Minister, Eden, the next election.

BRITISH FORCES MONEY TODAY

To this day British Forces use the same principal to manage hard currency in operational environments. Although the Dollar is the near-universal currency on Allied camps in Afghanistan, bizarre little cardboard tokens have been issued as small change substitutes. They are affectionately known as 'pogs' after the '90s collectors game. But they're not nearly as pretty...   

Helping History: Forgotten Fights

The museum is beginning an oral history project to explore aspects of Britain's forgotten conflicts. For the next year, we will be collecting personal memories from veteran's lesser known wars by email, interview and snail mail. I will be fascinated to learn what men thought of the mission in Aden, how the jungles of Malaysia became home, what Northern Ireland was really like during the troubles. I hope it will interest you as well.

If you have a story to tell, or if you know someone who might be interested in sharing with us, please let us know. The recollections will be posted throughout the year on this blog, on our Facebook page, on twitter and via the website and, of course, they will be displayed at the museum's shows. We can post anonymously as well.

Help history and keep the past alive.