ABSTRACT
In just the same way as it is impossible to isolate the Celts, so it is to determine a specific kind of agriculture which might be described as ‘Celtic’. That agriculture formed the basic economy of Europe and the Mediterranean zone by the first millennium Bc is not in question. However, outside the classical world our knowledge of the nature of agriculture is severely restricted by the lack of any significant documentary sources. A few tantalizing references occur in the works of Greek and Roman commentators but they are barely enough to construct any kind of coherent picture. The practice of agriculture, probably more than any other industry, is constrained by the nature of the soil and vicissitudes of climate. It is, therefore, important to recognize that agriculture in Europe and particularly in Britain is quite different from the agriculture of the Mediterranean zones. In consequence the classical works on agriculture cannot be used to provide any kind of generalized insight into what happened in northern Europe. This applies equally to soil preparation and treatment and to the particular crops cultivated. Bearing in mind that agriculture in the sense of food production probably began in the latter part of the seventh millennium Bc in the fertile crescent at the eastern end of the Mediterranean and gradually spread throughout Europe to include Britain and Ireland by the fourth millennium Bc, specific Mediterranean practice would have been adapted and changed quite significantly as man responded to soil and climate change. Similarly within the Celtic world of the first millennium Bc, arguably the land area stretching from the Pyrenees to the Rhine and from Ireland to Romania, contemporary farming practice would have varied quite considerably from one zone to another: differences would have been dictated by the varied climatic zones and soil types. Until quite recently, with the advent of agrochemicals, farmers have been able to grow only those crops which any particular landscape will allow them to cultivate. The ability to influence the natural prevailing conditions was extremely limited.
