Philippa Logan discovers that Oxford may have been the centre of the Celtic world

The phrase ‘minutely researched’ canstrike terror into the prospective reader, who may fear being imminently overwhelmed by far too much detail, or it may evoke a pleasurable expectation of intricate trustworthy knowledge.

The Ancient Paths falls into both camps, and indeed a third category. Yes, it is minutely researched, but this meticulous research is borne of an enthusiasm that is infectious. Robb admits he did not set out to write the book: the idea appeared, demanding to be written.

The book sets out the author’s quest to discover the lost maps of Celtic Europe. Oxford itself was an important centre in Celtic times. Robb, a prodigious walker, talks about walking home to Cumnor from Oxford station. By coincidence, he found that if you draw two lines through Britain according to Celtic navigation systems, using the equinox, the lines meet in Oxford.

And the dry hot summer of 1976 revealed traces of linear marks in the University Parks, which archaeologists identified as ‘a substantial ritual focus’, dating from the Bronze Age or earlier. Oxford features again in the book. There’s a lovely Welsh myth that dates back to the time of the ancient Celts, which tells of the King’s attempts to rid the country of the plague of two squabbling dragons. His brother, the King of France, advises him to measure ‘the length and breadth of the island’, and dig a pit at the exact centre. “In the pit, place a vat full of the best mead that can be made, and cover the vat with a silk sheet.”

And thus were the dragons captured, while unconscious through drink, and so were taken to the most secure place (Snowdonia) to be buried. And the place that was the exact centre of the whole of Britain, and where the pit was dug? Oxford.

We admire the ancient Egyptians for their pyramids, whose entrances are positioned such that the light falls onto the tomb on the exact date of the pharaoh’s death. Robb shows us that the ancient Celts too had their mathematical expertise on the passage of the sun and its solstices. Minutely researched, yes, but also fascinating in its level of detail, such as a description of the Celtic vocal telegraph network.

The Ancient Paths
By Graham Robb
Pan Macmillan, £20
Historian’s quest for the lost maps of Celtic Europe