21 - 27 June 2027 - Broad Chalke, Salisbury

Festival

Join the Chalke History Club

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Membership

Enjoy Chalke year-round by joining the Chalke History Club, with access to past talks, exclusive online events and festival benefits. (2026 talks added in the autumn)

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Henge

Included

17:30 - 18:15
Thu, 25 June
64. Understanding the Celts
Henge

Archaeologist Rachel Pope unpicks the Celtic knot to reveal the mystery of the ancient Celts. Far from originating in Britain and Ireland, the Celts emerge here as a matrifocal Early Iron Age culture from central Gaul, deeply connected to the wider ancient world: the Austrian salt trade, the cities of Greece, and especially the Etruscans of northern Italy. At the heart of their power lay control of the western tin routes that fuelled the Bronze and Iron Age economies. Tracing the transformation of Celtic society across Europe, Rachel follows how their descendants became known around the Mediterranean as Europe’s fierce “brave fighters” — the same warriors who once humiliated early Rome — while older Celtic beliefs and traditions endured in the west.

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The Festival will return in 2027! 21st - 27th June, 2027. Keep up to date on all the festival news, including the latest line up announcements.

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