I found the audio version of The History of Wales on Chirp and decided to grab it while it was on sale. For obvious reasons I’m trying to learn more about that region in general, and in the past I’ve enjoyed books written by History Nerds.
Part of the World History series and relatively short at 103 pages, the book provides an overview of Welsh history from the earliest known inhabitants through today.
I know next to nothing about pre-roman history so I was kind of blown away hearing of everything from neanderthals to the bronze age to all the various inhabitants of the region through today. There were many warring tribes and tough chieftains. I didn’t know the Tudors were Welsh. I did learn more about the need for castles and defensive structures on the regional lines; apparently the Welsh were extremely hard to subjugate throughout history.
There were lots of interesting notes about cultural diffusion vs conquest. Lots of warfare and tough people being pushed further into tough climates. I learned that modern day rugby stemmed from a game involving up to 1,500 naked men on a field 🤷♀️
The big issue with the audiobook, and with Welsh in general, is that with names and places I never know if I need to hand someone a Kleenex or offer them a salt water gargle after they say it. It’s literally impossible for a non Welsh speaker to listen to Welsh and have any idea what’s being said, so you have the option of 1) getting the text to follow along and viewing a map, or 2) letting the places and names (that you won’t remember anyway) wash over you and being totally lost for part of the time.
For me, I learn history and dry better through stories and anecdotes. A lot of information went in one eye & ear and out the other, but overall I feel like I did learn a lot about the general cultural tide of Welsh history and the proud, independent nature of the nation in general.
I totally recommend World History and the History Nerds for general historical overviews!
Theodore Zephyr seems like a proficient Welsh speaker but I’m not one to judge. He’s perfectly dramatic and fun to listen to as a narrator. The audio is through AM publishing, 2022.
OneReadingNurse.com 