>>20517794Known for their great wisdom and knowledge of traditions, druids were repositories of the community's history, and this they passed on to novices who spent some 20 years acquiring the skills and know-how of druidism. Instruction was done orally, and this may have reflected a desire to keep the druids' knowledge exclusive to the initiated rather than because of a lack of literacy. Druids gave counsel to rulers, presided over courts of justice, deliberated on community conflicts, and made medicinal potions. They may also have been required to cast taboos (or, less accurately, spells) on people, ensuring compliance to the society's rules. These rules could be quite mundane such as not eating the meat of a particular animal but failure to obey them led to exclusion from the community’s religious ceremonies. Not being able to participate in rituals made that person unclean and an outsider within the community.
The druids were so important to Celtic society that the Romans eventually considered them enemies of the state. It is perhaps no coincidence that the regions which most strongly resisted Roman control were also noted centres for druids. Several Roman emperors made attempts to eradicate the druids altogether, notably, Tiberius (r. 14-37 CE) and Claudius (r. 41-54 CE). In 59 CE, the druid centre on Anglesey, Wales was systematically attacked by a Roman army and druidism was banned.
