Augustus Posted January 18, 2005 Report Share Posted January 18, 2005 Does anyone know in what writings the Vascones (Basques) are discussed? Any information would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonlapse Posted January 18, 2005 Report Share Posted January 18, 2005 I find the Basques very interesting as well, but have never found a very good resource on them. I do know that they are remnants of Mesolithic Europeans, so I've been focusing on that topic. Right now I'm reading a book called 'After the Ice' by Steven Mithen. Its basically a study of the rise of humans in all world regions from before the Younger Dryas and I'm finding it incredibly interesting. Right now I'm reading about the beginning of agriculture in the Middle East, but if I find anaything about Basques, I'll post it here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pantagathus Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 Bit of a Necro but in honor of the new forum I'll give an answer. There are anecdotes to be found in Strabo and a few other places (Diodorus? Pliny?) to name a few that come to mind: 1. They went into battle bareheaded 2. The Romans respected them as soothsayers 3. When the women went into labor, it was actually the men who buckled over and howled like they were feeling the pains (Corsicans apparently did this too) 4. Ate mostly meat & dairy products Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Dalby Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 3. When the women went into labor, it was actually the men who buckled over and howled like they were feeling the pains (Corsicans apparently did this too) I believe that in some countries of the modern world men now demand maternity leave just like women. Plus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pantagathus Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 (edited) I believe that in some countries of the modern world men now demand maternity leave just like women. Plus Edited March 28, 2006 by Pantagathus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docoflove1974 Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 4. Ate mostly meat & dairy products Still do, as a rule. Few veggies/fruits truly grow well in the mountainous Basque country (I'm thinking of Spain, mostly). Lamb, in particular, is huge in the diet. This is 'modern' and 'rural' Basque gastronomy...cities on the coast will have a large fish compliment to their diet--Basques fashion themselves as big-time fishermen, and say their fishing/whaling boats got to North America before Columbus (who knows). Also, the big cities like Bilbao, San Sebastian, and even Pamplona, have a mix of cuisines and customs. The Basque History of the World by Mark Kurlansky is a good start for 'modern' Basque history, although I did find it a bit pro-Euskara biased (say it ain't so!). But it put into place a large chunk of why the Spaniards (in particular) won't let them have their own country--financial reasons play into it, which is what I long expected. The relationship between the Castilians/Leonese, the Aragonese and the Basques is a very interesting one, even today, in cultural and linguistic aspects. But I would love to hear what else the ancient sources say! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaius Octavius Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 Heard an interesting snippet on the BBC the other day: Half of today's Irish have Basque DNA. I can't remember where I read this bit: Basques have a language similar to one found in ancient Iberia (near or in the Caucaus). Georgia? And maybe they came from that region. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pantagathus Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 Heard an interesting snippet on the BBC the other day: Half of today's Irish have Basque DNA.I can't remember where I read this bit: Basques have a language similar to one found in ancient Iberia (near or in the Caucaus). Georgia? And maybe they came from that region. Oh boy... Well, it's a little more than half and it's not fair to call it Basque DNA... Y-Chomosome haplogroup R1b. Highest concentrations radiate out from the Basque area in Spain (~90%) and in Ireland, close to 80% carry the marker. Just proves that migrations after the Mesolithic didn't have much effect on Spain & Ireland genetics. Euskara is completely unique within modern languages (Right Docoflove?) the whole 'Iberian' thing near the Caucauses in ancient times is true, but I don't think they were linked liguistically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docoflove1974 Posted March 29, 2006 Report Share Posted March 29, 2006 Euskara is completely unique within modern languages (Right Docoflove?) the whole 'Iberian' thing near the Caucauses in ancient times is true, but I don't think they were linked liguistically. Very much so. It's a linguistic isolet--as in, we can't group it with any other known human language. There are rumors of it being linked to the Caucaus languages, but I believe those were proven to be false. I know the work of Dr. Luigi Cavalli-Sforza has been noted on here before...and he did work with the Basques and their bloodwork--is this what you're referring to, Pantagathus? I can't remember what, if any, links were made there, either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pantagathus Posted March 29, 2006 Report Share Posted March 29, 2006 (edited) I know the work of Dr. Luigi Cavalli-Sforza has been noted on here before...and he did work with the Basques and their bloodwork--is this what you're referring to, Pantagathus? I can't remember what, if any, links were made there, either. I don't know if that was the researcher, my info came from a scientific journal on genetics. Also here is a snippet about the Eastern 'Iberia': "IBERIA INDIAE (Ib Edited March 29, 2006 by Pantagathus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaius Octavius Posted March 29, 2006 Report Share Posted March 29, 2006 (edited) You all are going to love this bit. In "Manual of Foeign Languages"; G.F. von Ostermann, Ph.D. (1952), (Foreign Language Editor, U.S. Government Printing Office), he shows the Basque language as an offshoot of the 'polysynthetic' or 'incorporating' branch of the language tree. This is at the same point where 'Aboriginal Tongues of America' branches off! One, therefore, may easily conclude that the Indians 'discovered' Europe, before Europe, America! No wonder why the Basques had cod fishing outposts in the northwestern Atlantic so early. Edited March 29, 2006 by Gaius Octavius Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docoflove1974 Posted March 29, 2006 Report Share Posted March 29, 2006 You all are going to love this bit. In "Manual of Foeign Languages"; G.F. von Ostermann, Ph.D. (1952), (Foreign Language Editor, U.S. Government Printing Office), he shows the Basque language as an offshoot of the 'polysynthetic' or 'incorporating' branch of the language tree. This is at the same point where 'Aboriginal Tongues of America' branches off! One, therefore, may easily conclude that the Indians 'discovered' Europe, before Europe, America! No wonder why the Basques had cod fishing outposts in the northwestern Atlantic so early. *giggles* One might ask if Dr. von Ostermann had some Basque blood in him somewhere! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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