461:
Rodway with the impression that Yeates "has lost interest in his subject entirely." Stating that Yeates' hypothesis was hidden within a "pseudo-Nennian heap", he chastises the author for failing to provide sufficient evidence to support his claims for an Iron Age/Medieval cultural continuity, and for failing to propose how such a continuity had been maintained; he highlights that Yeates' argument here is similar to
Nicholas Higham's "problematic" theory of a largely peaceful language shift from Celtic to Germanic. Although remarking that he was unfit to judge Yeates' use of the archaeological material, he did note that the author's use of historical sources was "adequate at best" while his use of onomastics was "woeful"; remarking that Yeates clearly belonging to "the 'sounds a bit like' school of etymology", he states that Yeates has also failed to understand the arguments of many of the onomasticians whom he is citing and that "ny novice historical linguist" could have told the author that his "tribe of witches" was a "phantom". Furthermore, highlighting that "very few pages are free of basic errors", he describes Yeates' thinking as "muddled" and ultimately considered
391:"Yeates brings into this discussion a variety of evidence, including material from archaeology, epigraphy, onomastics, imagery, folk tradition, religion, landscape studies and history of the Roman and early medieval periods. His principal foci are religion and landscape, and it is through intensive investigation of these two topics that he addresses the question of continuity from the earlier group to the later. As he explains, the beliefs and practices of the pre-Christian religions of Britain are difficult to ascertain but, in pulling together diverse kinds of evidence, the author attempts to draw connections between religious ideas in the late prehistoric Iron Age, the Roman Period and the early Middle Ages."
439:, he proclaimed that the work greatly resembled the sort of approach that he would have expected from a 19th-century antiquarian. Although applauding Yeates' extensive use of referencing, he stated that many of Yeates' basic arguments were wrong and that several of Yeates' statements were misleading. Noting that "whole chapters are little more than a repetition of possibilities", he condemned much of the book's argument by remarking that much of Yeates' sacred landscape consists of "nonexistent sites" that were "created by analogy with other sites which are not there either." Ultimately, he accepted that although a "colorful book",
423:, believing that another term may have been more appropriate. He also criticised the use of maps, believing that they were unhelpful, in particular for anyone not familiar with the regional landscape. Considering the text to be "very engaging", he noted that the bibliography was "extensive and valuable", with good use of illustrations. Nonetheless, Wells thought Yeates' primary argument to be unconvincing, highlighting the fact that depictions of females holding vessels were widespread across the Roman world, and not localised to the region of the
526:
become a religion until the 20th century, any attempts to derive it from a tribal religion of more than 1000 years previous are ultimately tendentious, and suggests that Yeates worked backwards from modern Wicca, "doing his damnedest to find a Triple
Goddess paired with a God of Hunting—and better it be if he’s horned." Posch holds that the book is of importance to modern pagans as mythic, rather than historic, history, and that Yeates' vision of a paganism grounded in the local landscape offers a template for contemporary pagan praxis.
364:– while making reference to any evidence for ritual activity along them. The fourth chapter, "The Gods of Tribes and Folk Groups", considers the long-term developments of communities in the area, and the connections that might exist between Iron Age and Early Medieval settlements. Proclaiming that Medieval sources record the existence of two local Iron Age gods, Weogonera and Salenses, he uses this as evidence for his belief that there was a cultural continuity from prehistory into the Medieval, and that the
297:
223:
344:, Yeates then briefly discusses the manner in which scholars have previously approached the study of pre-Christian religion in Britain. The second chapter, entitled "The Deity and the Landscape", looks at the various shrines and temples from both the Pre-Roman and Roman Iron Age that have been archaeologically identified within the
525:
website. James believed that the book should be read by contemporary Pagans, and that it "significantly increases our understanding of the social and religious structures of our ancient forebears and is worthy addition to any bookshelf." Linguist Steven Posch writes that since witchcraft did not
503:
criticised Yeates' book, labeling it a "bold attempt" but opining that it lacked sufficient evidence for many of its conclusions. Arguing that his arguments were "intriguing but unproven", Hooke felt that it was "unwise" to publish Yeates' conclusions in a "popular concise form" where they would
460:
to be filled with "wild claims", he was surprised that these claims were "merely hinted at" most of the time; he found it difficult to describe the book as "an ambitious work" due to the fact that while a broad swathe of material is dealt with, most of it is examined only perfunctorily, leaving
375:
Chapter seven deals with the local hunter god and sacred groves or nemetons. Arguments concerning the hunter god in local "Dobunnic" religion are not new and have their origins in a series of publications by Boon, Henig and
Merrifield. Chapter eight looks at tree shrines. Chapter nine the
355:
Chapter three, "The Sacred Rivers", explores the deification of rivers in the
British Iron Age, and the archaeological evidence for votive offerings within them. Yeates proceeds to look at the multiple rivers within the region being discussed – including the
516:
Writing on The Druid Grove website, a reviewer going by the pseudonym of
Kestrel referred to Yeates' work as "a most interesting book" but expressed reservations about his theories regarding the mother goddess with her tub being symbolic of the valley. Another
372:. Chapter five, "Mining and Minerals", explores evidence for mining in the region, highlighting the connection between this activity and religious belief in prehistoric society. Chapter six deals with aspects of war.
335:
and
Religion", offers an introduction to Yeates' argument, noting that his study is multidisciplinary in nature, making use of history, archaeology and onomastics. Offering a brief background to both the
348:
region. Using etymological evidence, he puts forward propositions for the existence of previously unknown prehistoric deities who were localised to the region, namely an Iron Age goddess of the
276:
from a linguist Baker stated that we should now recognise Cuda and that she is the root of place-names using *Cod. Some of the
Cotswold river-names have been discussed in an article in the
352:
known as Cuda. Yeates attempts to present a picture of the regional landscape, and the manner in which it was viewed as being "spiritual and imbued with the divine" by its inhabitants.
27:
376:
significance of burial in the landscape. Chapter ten considers the sacred horse. Chapter eleven looks at the tribal deities. Chapter twelve the influence of
Christianity.
896:
272:. His theories regarding the goddess Cuda had been published in peer assessed academic journals both locally, and internationally. A review of the 2006 publication
198:. The former were predominantly negative, arguing that Yeates' arguments were farfetched, lacking sufficient evidence and that he suffered from a poor grasp of
265:, and the assessors Dr. Ray Howell and Prof. Chris Gosden. Though certain ideas, such as that concerning Cuda, had already been formulated before this period.
936:
Religion, Community and
Territory: Defining Religion in the Severn Valley and Adjacent Hills from the Iron Age to the Early Medieval Period Vol. I
202:; in contrast, many also praised his writing style and his extensive use of references and images. Yeates expanded on the theories put forward in
1134:
1009:
Yeates, Stephen J. (2010). "Still living with the
Dobunni". Oxford: British Archaeological Report International Series 2103. pp. 78–93.
171:
Religion, Community and Territory: Defining Religion in the Severn Valley and Adjacent Hills from the Iron Age to the Early Medieval Period
952:
Yeates, Stephen J. (2007). "Religion and tribe in the Northwest Provinces: a goddess for the Dobunni". In Haussler, R.; King, A. (eds.).
1144:
280:. His arguments for cultural continuity in the region were also published in a peer assessed paper in Lewis and Semple (2010)
1023:
999:
961:
176:
Throughout the book, Yeates explores a number of different archaeological and geographical features located in the region of
1159:
169:
in 2008. Yeates had previously published his theories in a three-volume British Archaeological Report monograph entitled
943:
Yeates, Stephen J. (2006b). "River-names, Celtic and Old English: their dual medieval and post-medieval personalities".
980:
126:
411:
185:
1129:
492:
1154:
1080:
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to be a "shallow, muddled and thoroughly underwhelming book" of no use to the scholarly study of either the
508:
took their name from an Iron Age witch stirring a sacred cauldron, claiming that it "verges upon fantasy."
308:
234:
32:
855:
Henig, Martin (1996). "Sculptors from the West in London". Vol. 38. Oxford: Oxbow. pp. 97–103.
1139:
435:
published a review authored by the folklorist Jeremy Harte. Taking a largely negative attitude towards
1149:
447:
500:
886:
Merrifield, R. (1996). "The London hunter-god and his significance in the history of Londinium".
518:
195:
402:
188:. These include the temples built in the area, sacred rivers, mines and defensive features.
184:, looking at how the landscape evolved throughout the Iron Age, Romano-British period and
8:
452:
36:
446:
Another largely negative review, this time written by the Celticist Simon Rodway of the
257:
as part of a D.Phil. project from 2001 to 2005. The supervisors of the study were Prof.
268:
Several of Yeates' arguments and theories had seen publication prior to the release of
149:
is a historical and archaeological study of pre-Christian religion among the Iron Age
1019:
995:
976:
957:
254:
121:
956:. Journal of Roman Archaeology Supplementary Series. Vol. 67. pp. 55–69.
925:
Yeates, Stephen J. (2004). "The Cotswolds, the Codeswellan, and the goddess Cuda".
504:
reach a larger non-academic audience. She furthermore attacked his theory that the
194:
was reviewed in both peer-reviewed academic journals and by a number of practicing
162:
833:
Boon, George C. (1989). "A Roman sculpture rehabilitated: the Pagans Hill dog".
415:
in 2009. Wells criticised Yeates' use of the word "tribe" to refer to both the
262:
1056:
1016:
Myth and History: Ethnicity and Politics in the First Millennium British Isles
1123:
1111:
Posch, Steven (2011). "The Thinking Witch (or Hobman)'s Top Reads for 2009".
431:
357:
258:
496:
282:
Perspectives in Landscape Archaeology: Papers presented at Oxford 2003–05
166:
165:. It was written by the archaeologist Stephen J. Yeates and published by
1039:
Transactions of the Birmingham & Warwickshire Archaeological Society
482:
Transactions of the Birmingham & Warwickshire Archaeological Society
296:
222:
1092:
199:
40:
26:
361:
349:
208:
A Dreaming for the Witches: The Recreation of the Dobunni Primal Myth
105:
848:
Time and Mind: The Journal of Archaeology, Consciousness and Culture
432:
Time and Mind: The Journal of Archaeology, Consciousness and Culture
992:
A Dreaming for the Witches: A Recreation of the Dobunni Primal Myth
881:. Vol. 104. York: Council for British Archaeology. p. 53.
443:
resembled "historical romance" more than historical scholarship.
151:
157:
253:
The book was the result of research carried out by Yeates at
20:
The Tribe of Witches: The Religion of the Dobunni and Hwicce
973:
The Tribe of Witches: The Religion of the Dobunni and Hwicce
146:
The Tribe of Witches: The Religion of the Dobunni and Hwicce
888:
Interpreting Roman London: Papers in Memory of Hugh Chapman
905:
Britannia: A Journal of Romano-British and Kindred Studies
453:
Britannia: A Journal of Romano-British and Kindred Studies
476:
Other peer-reviewed journals to publish reviews included
954:
Continuity and Innovation in Religion in the Roman West
873:Hooke, Della (January–February 2009). "Review of
456:. Admitting that from the back cover he expected
1121:
31:The first edition cover of the book, depicting
850:. Vol. 4, no. 1. pp. 123–126.
25:
945:Journal of the English Place-name Society
938:. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports.
826:Journal of the English Place-name Society
278:Journal of the English Place-name Society
16:Archaeological study by Stephen J. Yeates
722:
720:
379:
137:A Dreaming for the Witches (2009)
1122:
368:were therefore the descendants of the
717:
521:, D. James, reviewed the book on the
1135:Academic studies of ritual and magic
291:
217:
35:in the background, with a relief of
912:Wells, Peter S. (2009). "Review of
384:
13:
890:. Oxford: Oxbow. pp. 105–113.
511:
274:Religion, Community, and Territory
14:
1171:
920:. Vol. 19. pp. 283–284.
907:. Vol. 40. pp. 397–398.
860:Henig, Martin (2008). "Review of
842:Harte, Jeremy (2011). "Review of
837:. Vol. 20. pp. 201–217.
822:Religion, Community and Territory
161:, two tribal groups who lived in
918:Cambridge Archaeological Journal
412:Cambridge Archaeological Journal
295:
221:
947:. Vol. 38. pp. 61–81.
820:Baker, John (2008). "Review of
807:
792:
780:
768:
756:
744:
732:
705:
693:
681:
669:
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493:Council for British Archaeology
487:In a short review published in
1145:History books about witchcraft
1115:. Vol. 7. pp. 26–27.
633:
621:
609:
597:
585:
574:
563:
552:
540:
495:, the landscape archaeologist
1:
929:. Vol. 37. pp. 2–8.
529:
213:
68:English Iron Age archaeology,
934:Yeates, Stephen J. (2006a).
534:
7:
1160:History books about England
1014:Yeates, Stephen J. (2012).
990:Yeates, Stephen J. (2009).
971:Yeates, Stephen J. (2008).
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39:and his consort found in
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1113:The Crooked Path Journal
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1078:
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501:University of Birmingham
1018:. Oxford: Oxbow Books.
994:. Oxford: Oxbow Books.
975:. Oxford: Oxbow Books.
155:and the Early Medieval
70:Anglo-Saxon archaeology
1130:2008 non-fiction books
1065:Twisted Tree Bookshelf
1041:. Vol. 112. 2008.
895:Rodway, Simon (2009).
523:Twisted Tree Bookshelf
491:, the magazine of the
403:University of Missouri
401:Peter S. Wells of the
393:
396:Peter S. Wells, 2009.
389:
1155:Anglo-Saxon paganism
1083:The Tribe of Witches
1059:The Tribe of Witches
1035:The Tribe of Witches
914:The Tribe of Witches
899:The Tribe of Witches
875:The Tribe of Witches
862:The Tribe of Witches
844:The Tribe of Witches
714:. pp. 105–113.
690:. pp. 201–217.
678:. pp. 107–116.
463:The Tribe of Witches
458:The Tribe of Witches
441:The Tribe of Witches
437:The Tribe of Witches
407:The Tribe of Witches
380:Review and reception
270:The Tribe of Witches
204:The Tribe of Witches
192:The Tribe of Witches
879:British Archaeology
702:. pp. 97–103.
666:. pp. 90–101.
489:British Archaeology
206:in his later book,
21:
1055:James, D. (2008).
654:. pp. 59–89.
642:. pp. 30–58.
606:. pp. 78–93.
594:. pp. 63–81.
519:Contemporary Pagan
450:, appeared within
327:Chapter one, "The
307:. You can help by
233:. You can help by
43:in the foreground.
19:
1140:Archaeology books
1089:The Druid Network
1025:978-1-84217-478-4
1001:978-1-84217-358-9
963:978-1-887829-67-0
775:Kestrel (undated)
630:. pp. 9–29.
325:
324:
255:Oxford University
251:
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186:Early Middle Ages
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93:Publication place
52:Stephen J. Yeates
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1095:on 14 April 2013
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1081:"Review of
1057:"Review of
1033:"Review of
897:"Review of
751:Rodway 2009
676:Yeates 2008
664:Yeates 2008
652:Yeates 2008
640:Yeates 2008
628:Yeates 2008
616:Yeates 2008
604:Yeates 2010
592:Yeates 2006
570:Yeates 2007
559:Yeates 2004
547:Yeates 2006
497:Della Hooke
167:Oxbow Books
78:Oxbow Books
33:Cleeve Hill
1124:Categories
866:Oxoniensia
799:Posch 2011
787:James 2008
763:Hooke 2009
739:Harte 2011
727:Wells 2009
700:Henig 1996
581:Baker 2008
530:References
478:Oxoniensia
261:and Prof.
214:Background
200:onomastics
41:Gloucester
1079:Kestrel.
927:Glevensis
835:Britannia
688:Boon 1989
535:Footnotes
405:reviewed
362:River Wye
350:Cotswolds
316:July 2012
242:July 2012
106:Paperback
75:Publisher
419:and the
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