 Certain scholars have argued that the Celtic Druids of the West and the Hindu Brahmins of the East were survivors of an ancient Indo-European priesthood. Who were the Druids? Put simply, the Druids were a privileged class that played a religious, legal, ceremonial and educational role in ancient Celtic civilization. They were also philosophers and were said to have ancient knowledge about the natural world and the gods. The earliest record of the Druids comes from the 3rd century BC, but they are thought to be much older than this. In relation to the word Druid, it may come from an old Celtic word meaning noor of the oak tree. To become a Druid, it was not uncommon to spend 20 years in training, with Julius Caesar writing in his time that the Druids were often educated in Britain. The Druids enjoyed many advantages in Celtic society, including being exempt from military service and not paying taxes like other citizens did. Furthermore, the Druids tightly guarded the secrets of their order, preferring to speak and memorise their knowledge rather than write it down. On occasion when they did have to write, however, they apparently used the Greek alphabet. Famously, the Druids were known to practise animal and human sacrifice. The potential remains of a Druid sacrifice were uncovered in Cheshire, England in 1984, called the Lindo Man. Additionally, the Druids organised and officiated many Celtic seasonal festivals, which were usually inspired by important dates in the lunar solar calendar, where the Druids connected to India. Certain scholars have argued that the Celtic Druids of the West and the Hindu Brahmins of the East were survivors of an ancient Indo-European priesthood. One scholar who argued that the Druids and the Brahmins were connected was Thomas Morris, an Oriental scholar and historian. In an 1801 volume of his book, Indian Antiquities, he argues that a group of Brahmins once settled in the high northern latitudes of the Caucasus region, then mingled with the Scythians of Central Asia, before migrating west to eventually reach Gaul in the British Isles, connecting with the Celtic Druids. Amongst other similarities, Morris writes that the Druids, like the Brahmins, constituted the first order of nobility, were the hereditary counsellors of the king and the sole educators of the youth. Whether the Druids and the Brahmins were ever connected is difficult to say, but it's still an interesting thought and they do share some similarities. The fall of the Druids. Ancient Druidism declined in influence due to various factors, including the decline in power of Celtic civilization as a whole. The Romans suppressed the Druids, for instance, beginning with the reign of Augustus in 27 BC, as Rome feared the level of power they had in Celtic society. In 60 AD, the Druids joined a rebellion against the Roman forces on the island of Monet, modern-day Anglesey, in Wales. However, the rebellion was suppressed by the Romans. Ancient Druidism continued up until around the 8th century AD, when it was gradually replaced by Christianity. Druidism did have a later revival, yet how connected this practice was to the ancient ways is debated. Pliny the Elder, the Roman author and philosopher, said that the Druids valued mistletoe as they believed it could cure infertility and serve as an antidote to poisons. Unfortunately, due to the Druids' dislike of writing, much of their traditions and knowledge has been lost, and most of what is left is from biased Roman sources.