Reconstructing Poseidonios' Celtic Ethnography: Some Considerations

Abstract

Poseidonios (c. 135—51 B.C.) has for long been regarded as the most important and influential source on the Celts writing before Caesar, and even as the most important ancient source on that subject without qualification. In order, however, to evaluate his contribution it is necessary to obtain an accurate reconstruction of his text, since no manuscript of his original work exists. Professor Tierney's monograph on Poseidonios's Celtic ethnography has for a long time been the fullest guide in English to this subject. It is valuable both as an introduction to Greek ethnography on the Celts and as a collection and translation of the main texts necessary for a reconstruction of Poseidonios's work. But it suffers from two major faults, which will be examined below. The first is the weakness inherent in the method of textual reconstruction by means of comparing texts thought to have drawn on the lost author; the second is the un-historical approach adopted by Tierney to his subject, which prevents him both from offering a realistic assessment of what Poseidonios could have known about the Celts, and from accepting Caesar as a source independent of Poseidonios. These two points of criticism of Tierney's article will be considered under separate headings.

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