DruidWisdom.org

Ancient Druid Civilization from Archaeological Texts

(Work in progress by David Olmsted, Illinois, USA)

(Updated May 20, 2025) The Pagan past has been suppressed which is why the information presented here will be new to most people. The suppression was first implemented by the Roman and Hellenistic empires against the cultures of their "barbaric" colonized subjects, and then by the Christian church against those "satanic" native Pagans. Fortunately for us we have tens of thousands of runic documents belonging to these suppressed people dating to between 1900 BCE (Minoan) to 1200 CE (Nordic). Until now these texts have remained either untranslated or pseudo-translated as name lists (names are not a translation because they can cluster any arbitrary set of letters). Most general European histories do not even acknowledge their European-wide existence. In a recent, surprising advance all these runic texts were discovered to have been written in Akkadian. They show that a common Pagan religious culture once existed all across Europe. Their continued production through the time when spoken native dialects were changing due to Indo-European influence indicates that a specialized class of priests was preserving this language. From classical source texts we know this priestly class as the Druids. Their Akkadian was the Latin of the Pagan world.

All Akkadian Translations are by David Olmsted.

This site is dedicated to those past Pagan lives who deserve to be remembered and respected for the civilization they built.

Page 8 from the Codex Runicus, the only book of runes which survived. It was untranslated until now. All claims that particular northern runic texts have been translated are fake history promoted by nationalists. Notice the erased line section showing even this text was subject to suppression.
The Codex Runicus was written in 1190 CE during the reign of Danish King Valdemar 1 according to the old Danish writing on its front page. This important book is the last testament of the Druids and is the most complete statement of their philosophy which has yet been discovered. The Codex Runicus is now a part of the Arnamagnæan manuscript collection University of Copenhagen in Denmark.
Photo from: University of Copenhagen's Interactive Online Scan: https://www.e-pages.dk/ku/579/

Exhibit A: All Runic Texts Are In Akkadian

(May 22, 2025) The existence of a suppressed European civilization is revealed by the language and subject matter of their surviving runic texts which exist all across Europe ranging from 1900 BCE (Minoan) to 1200 CE (Nordic).

Runic texts are identified by not using inner vowels. The shape of their letters all descend from Minoan Linear A in an ancestral tree having 3 main branches: Northern, Aegean, and Levantine (see the letter charts starting with the Bronze Age Rune Chart). These same letters are also used in early alphabetic texts having inner vowels which were adopted by the Greeks around 500 BCE.

The earliest European/Mediterranean Akkadian writings are the 1900 BCE Minoan Phaistos Disk and the 1700 BCE Minoan Linear A tablets. Writing formally labeled as Celtic, Tartessian, Etruscan, Phoenician, Punic, Paleo-Hebrew, Archaic-Greek, and Aramaic are all really in Akkadian. These texts show ancient Druid culture was the source for most classical philosophy and the authentic teachings of Jesus.

Map showing the results of the latest computer study comparing word similarities between modern European languages adjusted for known sound shifts. These studies continue to show that European languages have 2 geographic sources instead of the assumed 1. The northern source is Indo-European and the southern source is Akkadian. Yet incredibly, most European historical linguists continue to claim these are both sources for Indo-European contrary to the cuneiform text evidence which shows Anatolia/Northern Mesopotamia is the homeland of Akkadian. Map from: P. Heggarty et al., Science (2023).

Image above shows the spread of the Indo-Europeans coming out of the northern steppes. These invasions of Europe began around 3500 BCE. The Indo-European Bell Beaker culture did not reach Britain until around 2400 BCE just after the building of the last phase of Stonehenge. (Image from: (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Indo-European_expansions.jpg)

Exhibit B: Europe And India Have 2 Geographic Word Sources

(May 18, 2025) The main battle in historical linguistics over the past 60 years has been where the Indo-European languages originated because, for some reason, 1 source was assumed despite the data showing 2 sources.

Comparative philology (historical linguistics) was developing fast near the end of the 1700's. Many noticed that Sanskrit from India bore a number of striking resemblances to Greek and Latin. In 1787, Sir William Jones put forward the hypothesis that all three languages must have “sprung from some common source, which perhaps no longer exists.” Around this time, a number glossaries of the older Germanic languages (Gothic, Old High German, and Old Norse) had been published. This led Thomas Young (1773 - 1829) in 1813 to introduce the term "Indo-European" for this "common source."

So from the beginning the cause for the common words in Indo-European languages was assumed to be singular. This assumption turns out to be false and that has huge consequences for history.

Locating the homeland of Indo-European in the steppes north of the Caucus mountains was first put forth by Otto Schrader in 1883. It was further supported by V. Gordon Childe in 1926, then systematized in the 1950s by Marija Gimbutas, who used the term to group various prehistoric cultures, including the Yamnaya (or Pit Grave) culture and its predecessors. Its most recent proponent in the 2000s has been David Anthony.

Locating the homeland of Indo-European in Anatolia was put forth by British archaeologist Colin Renfrew in his 1987 book Archaeology and Language: The Puzzle of the Indo-European Origins. He separated Anatolia from northern Mesopotamia (Akkadian) even though that would make for an unrealistically sharp division between primary language groups.

References

19th century Linguistics in Encyclopedia Britannica online at: https://www.britannica.com/science/linguistics/The-19th-century
P. Heggarty, and all (2023) Language trees with sampled ancestors support a hybrid model for the origin of Indo-European languages. Science, 28 July 2023. Online at: https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.abg0818
Press Release from the the Max Plank Institute: New insights into the origin of the Indo-European languages. Online at: https://www.mpg.de/20666229/0725-evan-origin-of-the-indo-european-languages-150495-x
Robinson, Andrew (2007). The Last Man Who Knew Everything: Thomas Young, the Anonymous Genius who Proved Newton Wrong and Deciphered the Rosetta Stone, among Other Surprising Feats. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-13-134304-7.

This map shows the spread of farming from the fertile crescent as determined by archaeology. These farmers started migrating around 9600 BCE and reached Britain by 4100 BCE. Akkadian is the native language of fertile crescent as revealed by ancient local cuneiform texts. The 2 branches of migration (north and south) through Europe is often reflected in the differing etymologies of the same word (example "cinder").
Map from Gronenborn, D., & Horejs, B. (2023). Online at: https://www.academia.edu/9424525/Map_Expansion_of_farming_in_western_Eurasia_9600_4000_cal_BC_update_vers_2023_1_?email_work_card=title

Exhibit C: Southern Word Source Was Akkadian Speaking Neolithic Farmers From The Fertile Crescent (Gobekli Tepe)

(July 19, 2022, updated May 19, 2025) Recent genetic evidence shows that Neolithic farmers started migrating out of Anatolia / Northern Mesopotamia starting around 9600 BCE (see images). This area is traditionally called the fertile crescent. Gobekli Tepe (9500 BCE to 8000 BCE) was a part of this culture. In contrast, the Sumerian culture and language developed further south in the flood plains of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers.

References

Spread of Farminghttps://scholar.princeton.edu/sites/default/files/bogucki_1996_spread_farming_europe_american_scientist.pdf
Genetics of Early Farmers at: https://www.eupedia.com/europe/origins_haplogroups_europe.shtml
Booth TJ, Brück J, Brace S, Barnes I. (2021) Tales from the Supplementary Information: Ancestry Change in Chalcolithic–Early Bronze Age Britain Was Gradual with Varied Kinship Organization. Cambridge Archaeological Journal. 31(3):379-400. https://doi:10.1017/S0959774321000019
Curry, Andrew (August 25, 2022) ‘Phenomenal’ ancient DNA data set provides clues to origin of farming and early languages. Online at: https://www.science.org/content/article/phenomenal-ancient-dna-data-set-provides-clues-origin-farming-early-languages
Gronenborn, Detlef and Horejs, Barbara (2021) Expansion of farming in western Eurasia, 9600 - 4000 cal BC (update vers. 2021.2. Online at: https://www.academia.edu/9424525/Map_Expansion_of_farming_in_western_Eurasia_9600_4000_cal_BC_update_vers_2021_1_
Haak, Wolfgang and all (2010) Ancient DNA from European Early Neolithic Farmers Reveals Their Near Eastern Affinities. Online at: https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.1000536)
Hamon, C. and Manen, C. (2021) The Mechanisms of Neolithisation of Western Europe: Beyond a South/North Approach. Open Archaeology Volume 7 Issue 1. Online at: https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2020-0164

(May 27, 2024) The most recent and detailed genetic study of Otzi the iceman shows he had darker skin and was mostly bald. This also means his language was Akkadian. Image from: https://www.trendradars.com/uk/article-643683-is-this-what-otzi-the-iceman-really-looked-like-scientists-say-europes-oldest-mummy-was-dark-and-bald-when-he-roamed-the-alps-5300-years-ago-and-not-fair-and-hairy-as-previously-thought-2

Latest Genetic Info Shows Ötzi the Iceman Had Neolithic Farmer Genetics 3300 BCE

(November 9, 2023) Ötzi was found murdered in 1991 on the Southern slopes of the eastern Italian (Ötztal) Alps. He is the world's oldest glacier mummy. Radiocarbon dating and stable isotope analysis date him to between 3350–3120 BCE. Based on the dating he could have been killed by some Indo-European invaders. Here is a quote from the Max Plank Institute Press Release dated August 16, 2023:

Ötzi's genome was decoded for the first time more than ten years ago. This was also the first time the genome of a mummy had been sequenced. The results provided important insights into the genetic makeup of prehistoric Europeans. Advances in sequencing technology have now enabled a research team from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and Eurac Research to reconstruct Ötzi’s genome more accurately. The results of this recent analysis refine the Iceman’s genetic picture: compared to other contemporary Europeans, Ötzi’s genome has an unusually high proportion of genes in common with those of early farmers from Anatolia. And, contrary to previous findings, at the time of his death, Ötzi had advanced hair loss and may have even been bald. Furthermore, his skin was darker than previously thought. Ötzi’s genes also show a predisposition to diabetes and obesity.

This is interesting linguistically because the Alpine region and Eturia just south of the Alps continued to speak and write Akkadian until conquered by the Romans.

References

Max Plank Institute Press Release dated August 16, 2023: https://www.mpg.de/20711365/0804-evan-dark-skin-bald-head-anatolian-ancestry-150495-x

Ke Wang, Kay Prüfer, Ben Krause-Kyora, Ainash Childebayeva, Verena J. Schuenemann, Valentina Coia, Frank Maixner, Albert Zink, Stephan Schiffels, Johannes Krause. (1923) High-coverage genome of the Tyrolean Iceman reveals unusually high Anatolian farmer ancestry. Cell Genomics, 2023; 100377 DOI: 10.1016/j.xgen.2023.100377

First Agricultural Domestications Occurred In The Fertile Crescent

(May 20, 2025) These domestications were all done by Akkadian speakers. Sumerian speakers inhabited the southeastern fertile crescent. Indo-Europeans domesticated the horse.

Image from 2005 slide show by Clifton Little. Online at: https://slideplayer.com/slide/13686958/

Akkadian Language Homeland Was The Fertile Crescent

(May 20, 2025) This map shows the location of Gobleki Tepe (9500 BCE to 8000 BCE) along with other important Neolithic sites which define the fertile crescent as the highlands surrounding the Tigris and Euphrates river. The Sumerians lived on the lower reaches of the Tigris and Euphrates. Map online at: https://labrumadelolimpo.blogspot.com/2020/07/gobekli-tepe-el-primer-templo-de-la.html

Map showling the location of surviving European megaliths. Tombs having inner stone passages (dolmens) had an even greater distribution throughout Europe. Many were probably destroyed throughout history for their stone. The builders of Stonehenge would have spoken Akkadian. Stonehenge was built in several stages starting around 3000 BCE and continuing until about 2400 BCE. The Indo-European bell-beaker culture arrived in Britain around 2400 BCE.

Akkadian Speaking Neolithic Farmers Built the European Megaliths Including Stonehenge

(May 20, 2025) A total of 17,409 megaliths have been recorded throughout Europe.

Reference

Johannes Müller, Clemens Krucken-berg, Ralph Großmann, Julia Luckner (2023) A map of European megaliths. JNA 25, 2023, 165 – 173. Online at https://doi.org/10.12766/jna.2023.6

Sacred oak groves are not just Celtic. Lithuania was the last Druid region in Europe to be forcefully converted to Christianity meaning we have a good number of Christian texts about their Druid Pagan past. Additionally, many Druid Akkadian place names and traditions seem to have survived.
This photo shows one of the last sacred oaks having a place label of Alko or Gojus as seen from the west near Šventragiai village in Lithuania. More than 500 forests and former forest sites have the word gojus in their name. Beginning in the 1500's the number of locations called Gojas grew rapidly with the word gojus replacing alka. Photo by V. Vaitkevičius, 2008 (in Vaitkevičius 2016).

Gojus is the Druid Akkadian phrase G'.G.UṢ meaning "Breaking-through with the energy of the Originator." The "Originator" in this case is an epithet for the source of the astrological fate powers which is the dark new moon god Su.

Past Is Pagan - Comparison of Ancient Druidry Of The Runic Texts With Modern Nature Pagan Practices

(May 24, 2025) Guided by feelings involving nature spirituality and generalizations about known past Pagan practices, the philosophical core of much of past Druidry has been unknowingly reconstructed by modern Pagans. A big difference is however, is in the assumptions about reality (metaphysics).

Differences

Metaphysics (Nature of Reality) - With the success of the natural sciences, most today believe that reality is divided into 2 realms, the material and spirituals realms. Each realm has minimal effects on the other. Ancient Druidry had no such division and believed all the changes on the earth were due to spiritual powers originating above the earth plane (as above so below). This belief was one factor which led to its replacement by Christianity because ancient Druidry had a hard time explaining why their magical rituals were not always effective. They ended up just blaming fate. (the Pagan equivalent of "will of God.")

Similarities

Metaphysics (Life After Death) - After death, ones energy or spark of life is reincarnated (recycled) in an eternal cycle of time. This is not the soul representing memory.
Axiology (What is the right way to live) - The purpose of human life is to align with the divine powers as revealed in nature. These are connection, balance, and growth. These nature virtues (ethical goals) were first listed by the classical era Stoics. The main examples of nature out of balance in the runic texts are drought and the propagation of fear leading to violence. An intense form of human connection is love. Growth also implies decay because life cannot exist without death given a finite space.
Epistemology (Community Knowledge Source) - Community knowledge comes from nature and cultural traditions (sacred texts did not yet exist). The cultural tradition of the ancient Druids established a public pantheon of deities reflecting how physics was understood by them at the time.
Epistemology (Personal Knowledge Source, Perceptheism) - Spiritual influences/powers are felt allowing for various personal models and labels for those powers. Deities were not forced to be personified but could just represent powers. No separation existed between spirits and deities. Prominent was nature mysticism in which groves, springs, and high places were felt to be places of divine power. Divine communication was with feelings not with words. The idea that all conscious beings were emotionally/spiritually connected (logos) resulted in emotion magic rituals but with the caveat that such emotional energy will tend circle around in society and come back at you. (so love others for your own good).

What a Statement of Faith Would Be For Druidry As a Religion Today

Reality is divided into 2 realms, the material and spiritual, each having their own purpose and powers.
After death the spirits of all conscious beings are reincarnated to the maximum complexity possible given their past lives.
Authoritative knowledge for the community comes from nature, not from sacred texts.
Each person's model of the divine is unique to them.
Spiritual powers can be felt in nature.
Everyone is spiritually/emotionally connected
Divine communication is accomplished with emotional rituals, that is magically, and is not done with words alone.
The overall life-purpose of Druids is to align with the divine powers as revealed in nature. This alignment is based upon applying the deep organizing principles of nature which are connection (love), balance, growth and decay.

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