: My source (National Geographic) has the Celts coming orignally
: from Turkey, traveling through Europe, leaving people along
: the way (Spain/Basque) and puting down major roots in Ireland
: & Scotland.

Technically, the Celts arose in middle Europe, between the Danube and the Harz mountains of southern Germany. Their ancestors did come from the area around the Black Sea (along with the ancestors of the Greeks, Latins, Germans, and other Indo-European peoples).

: However, I thought that the Druids, a religious organization,
: pre-dated the Celt invasion.
:
: I guess I get mixed up when you try to separate Ethnic
: peoples, Picts, Celts, Saxons.... from religious groups that
: might have spanned several peoples.

Ellis' argument is that the Druids were more than just a religious order, or that they were only part of a larger intellectual class. He is very definitely pushing the idea of a literate Celtic civilization which was gradually crushed by Rome.

His ideas are controversial, and his interpretations of some of the key points of Celtic history and pre-history are most likely on the fringe of accepted Celtic theory.

: My take on Druids is this: "Never argue religion or politics"

A good philosophy many people follow. :)

Me, on the other hand....

To get back to Ellis, however. I think if someone wanted to write stories about an idealized Celtic ciilization, without regard for how close the picture actually comes to what really happened, Ellis provides a pretty solid picture. His arguments have the air of conviction. But he has been criticized for not providing a clear trail back to his sources. That's the sort of pop history that can draw some serious fire, and he has drawn his share from non-historians (or perhaps I should say, from amateur historians).
------------------
Xenite.Org: Science Fiction and Fantasy