Graham Macdonald RobbFRSL (born 2 June 1958) is a British author and critic specialising in French literature.[1] Historical biography has been his main form of non-fiction.
Robb married academic Margaret Hambrick in 1986.[5]
The Discovery of Middle Earth:Mapping the Lost World of the Celts
In The Discovery of Middle Earth:Mapping the Lost World of the Celts (2013),he argues that the ancient Celts organized their territories,determined the locations of settlements and battles,and set the trajectories of tribal migrations by establishing a network of solstice lines based on an extension of the Greek system of klimata;as evidence he presented his interpretations of artistic geometries,road surveying,centuriations and what he saw as pre-Roman alignments.[citation needed]
Referring to Robb's discussion of meridians,Sean Rafferty said that "There are of course many problems with this interpretation. Robb’s evidence is either pure speculation or cherry-picking from ambiguous textual sources. There is no reason to suppose any direct ideological connection between the Greeks and the Celtic tribes of Europe,though the two cultures did interact in Eastern Europe. Assuming that mythological stories are true relations of history is highly problematic but regrettably quite common."[6]
In a New York Times book review,historian Ian Morris describes the book as "engaging" and combining "travelogue and historical detective story". He also says it lacks discipline and that "shows little hesitation about going with whatever works and ignoring what doesn't. From the three or four possible sites for the home of the Parisii tribe,he picks the one that falls closest to a meridian. He also rejects the most popular scholarly suggestions for where the Ambiani built their capital and Julius Caesar fought one of his most important battles in favor of less-popular locations that are closer to his lines. Similarly,pointing out that no single place has emerged as the favorite for the location of Mons Graupius,where Rome fought its northernmost battle,Robb puts it where two of his lines intersect." Morris quotes Rafferty who said " At the Euston Road entrance to the British Library,a voice proclaimed the 'druid network' to be nothing but a huge and complex system of personal reference,a testament,not to the druids' genius,but to the ruthless ingenuity of the unconscious mind.[7]
The Ancient Paths: Discovering the Lost Map of Celtic Europe, ISBN0-330-53150-6; US title: The Discovery of Middle Earth: Mapping the Lost World of the Celts, ISBN0-393-08163-X
↑Morris, Ian. "Secret History." The New York Times Book Review, 24 Nov. 2013, p. 28(L). Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A350192803/ITOF. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.
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