Myths Of British Ancestry

[Virgil61]

Although this risks another 'origins' debate I'd rather not see the article was to interesting not to show here at UNRV.

 

Stephen Oppenheimer is an expert in the field of DNA studies and the author of The Real Eve: Modern Man's Journey Out of Africa.

 

The Myth of British Ancestry.

Excerpt:

 

Everything you know about British and Irish ancestry is wrong. Our ancestors were Basques, not Celts. The Celts were not wiped out by the Anglo-Saxons, in fact neither had much impact on the genetic stock of these islands

 

The fact that the British and the Irish both live on islands gives them a misleading sense of security about their unique historical identities. But do we really know who we are, where we come from and what defines the nature of our genetic and cultural heritage? Who are and were the Scots, the Welsh, the Irish and the English? And did the English really crush a glorious Celtic heritage?

 

Everyone has heard of Celts, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. And most of us are familiar with the idea that the English are descended from Anglo-Saxons, who invaded eastern England after the Romans left, while most of the people in the rest of the British Isles derive from indigenous Celtic ancestors with a sprinkling of Viking blood around the fringes.

[Pertinax]

Now I understand myuncontrolablle desire to drink high qaulity Belgian beer

[phil25]

This might be additional evidence, but i don't think there is a "revelation" here.

 

Historians have long argued that it was unlikely that the indigenous british population (certainly after the Romano-British period) just disappeared. The old idea that the "celts" migrated, or were driven into Wales, has - I think - long been superceded.

 

Logically, it would have taken far more Angles, Saxons and Jutes, Danes or Normans to completely replace (or geneticallt change the make up) of a population so quickly.

 

What seems to have happened is that the vast majority of the ordinary people stayed in their villages throughout and simply received new masters in the villa/hall/manor house/castle. Some inter-breeding would then have gone on.

 

In places of the densest occupation by immigrants - the Danelaw for instance - I suspect that the replacement of the population was perhaps more severe.

 

I read recently about a theory that the new overlords would have eaten better, had better chances of surviving disease and been stronger, had better living conditions, and thus might, eventually survive better than the original conquered people.

 

Maybe all these things were going on in parallel??

 

Phil

[Primus Pilus]

I didn't read the entire article, but simply the excerpt. Is reference made to the indigenous Picts as an example... of whom nobody seems to know their true origins?

[M. Porcius Cato]

Thanks, Virgil, for posting this fascinating article. Oppenheimer corrects quite a few misconceptions about the so-called Celtic diaspora, but I was disappointed that he didn't provide any evidence for the notion that the original inhabitants of Britain were Basque immigrants.

[P.Clodius]

When I was younger and dumber I used to buy into all that nationalist crap. Now, after having travelled, aged, lived in a few countries, etc, I can echo Socrates in saying "I am a citizen of the world." Human history is little more than a series of migrations..So what's the dilema?

[Virgil61]

Thanks, Virgil, for posting this fascinating article. Oppenheimer corrects quite a few misconceptions about the so-called Celtic diaspora, but I was disappointed that he didn't provide any evidence for the notion that the original inhabitants of Britain were Basque immigrants.

 

The evidence and any reference to Picts (PP's post) may be in the book.

[DecimusCaesar]

Great article Virgil!

 

We Britons are quite a deverse genetic group then...or maybe we aren't...or maybe we are . Either way P. Clodius is right by saying that we are all citizens of the world. All this talk of who belongs to which genetic group is rather bizzare when scientists are saying there's no such thing as 'Race'. It doesn't matter which race or group you are we are all human beings.

[Ursus]

I have little use for genetics and racial theories, but I'm also a bit cynical about lumping everyone together in one happy human race. I think culture is the real dividing line among different peoples.