2 Answers 2016-10-04
I was recently recommended a book about Sub-Roman Britain titled "Britain After Rome: The Fall and Rise, 400 to 1070", which apparently states that the Anglo-Saxons peacefully immigrated into Britain, instead of invading it. This theory seems to be becoming the accepted view of historians, from what I've read about it on this subreddit (if that's false, then please let me know).
However, in a review for this book, someone leaves a detailed comment on why this view may be inaccurate:
- Genetics. About 35% of the present male population of southeast England descends from Germanic stock (See Bryan Sykes, "Saxons, Vikings & Celts"), twice that of the Germanic input into the present South English female population. This points to a moderate "Genghis Khan" effect -- male conquerors killing or displacing the indigenous male population and impregnating the local females. As Sykes put it: "The gory chronicles of Gildas do contain a grain of truth. The roughly twofold excess of Saxon/Danish Y-chromosomes compared to their maternal counterparts hints at a partially male-driven settlement with some elimination or displacement of the indigenous males." (at 286) Since there has been considerable "internal migration" within Great Britain since the dark ages, the percentage of Anglo-Saxon male genetic input in the fifth and sixth centuries was probably even greater at that time. Fleming hardly mentions genetics and as far as I can tell does not even acknowledge Sykes and his DNA studies on English ancestry. Trying to do archeology without considering genetic input is like doing paleontology without mentioning DNA -- the needle is often more convincing than the spade. What Fleming needs are Saxon graveyards with a number of high-status burials of men with Celtic Y-chromosomes, and British cemeteries with some burials of low-status men with Germanic Y-chromosomes. To date, she does not have theses.
- Linguistics. Old English contains very little Celtic input, but is almost mutually comprehensible with, e.g., Old Frisian, the language of many Germanic settlers. If the Celtic and Germanic populations melded, rather than the latter assimilating the former, we would expect a more "Creole" type language, or at least heavier linguistic input, such as Norman French provided to Middle English.
- Literature. Gildas records the incursions of the "gallows crew" of Saxons in a manner consistent with the "fire and sword" narrative, noting that their conquests stopped about fifty years before at Mt. Badon. Gildas may have been alive at that earlier date, and certainly many of his parishioners were. It is hard to distort a history which substantially contradicts the living memory of one's contemporaries.
- History. Already by the fourth century the Romans had fortified the "Saxon shore" against Germanic invaders. It is hard to believe that Saxon pirates, who may have already settled in Southeastern Britain during Roman times, spawned harmless farmers in the fifth century. And it is difficult to imagine such a Saxon farmer saying to a Celtic indigene something like "Hi! I'm your new neighbor. I'll be taking over the fifty acres next to your homestead," nor that Celtic neighbor saying, "Glad to meet you." And why did the Western Celts (the proto-Welsh) uniformly consider the invaders to be Saxons rather than invaders of mixed pedigree?
- Demographics. For Fleming's thesis to work, the population of Southeast England in the fifth and sixth centuries must have been low relative time the periods before and after so that there was a lot of available land. Was it? And if so, why?
Do these points accurately refute the idea of a peaceful Anglo-Saxon invasion/colonization?
2 Answers 2016-10-04
How strong was it compared to other naval ships? What was it's strongest characteristic? How did it affect the outcome of war?
1 Answers 2016-10-04
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The Mongol empire covered nearly half of Eurasia. I understand its fall had something to do with political infighting and a fracturing of its territory, but what prevented each of these new countries to go out and conquer its own empire? And after the empire fell, what prevented it from recovering and once again conquering Europe and Asia?
1 Answers 2016-10-04
The natural guess, to a person from a modern Judeo-Christian background, would be wrongdoing of whatever sort the Egyptian religion defined. But we also say in English that a person with guilt or worry - deserved or otherwise - has a "heavy heart", that happy, carefree people - for cause or otherwise - have "light hearts", and that decisions can "weigh on" a person both before and after they are made. It seems unlikely that's what the Egyptians meant, but it highlights the ambiguity of the expression, and its ability to foster rich metaphorical language.
So please, historians, what did the Egyptians mean by this story?
1 Answers 2016-10-04
I can't find much information on this, so I'm curious. Was there any assigned work that was somewhat safer to do (as in to not be terminated)? Were all jobs essentially the same in this regard?
1 Answers 2016-10-04
*There not their
1 Answers 2016-10-04
In a port city like Boston in the 1770's, how often would a new ship arrive in port? Was it as common as several each day or week? When a new ship did arrive, was there a "registration" process and how did it get "assigned" a spot where it could unload? How long did it usually take to unload and re-load a ship full of cargo?
1 Answers 2016-10-04
East Germany along with the other Eastern Bloc countries are often referred to as communist but according to Marx communism is a state without government, money, or classes. These all existed in former East Bloc countries so why are they referred to as communist?
1 Answers 2016-10-04
Most artificial 'candy' flavors have some relevance to real things. E.g., kiwi strawberry, banana, lemon-lime. Blue raspberry however seems to have come out of the blue. Where did this flavor come from? Why is it so popular?
2 Answers 2016-10-04
While it doesn't get truly cold in the Natal it can get pretty chilly, as I write this it is 53 F in Ulundi. The weather in South Africa doesn't seem too different from California where I grew up and I wore sweaters, long pants, and close toes shoes during the fall and winter. What did the Zulu and other Africans wear when the weather got cold?
3 Answers 2016-10-04
Im looking for information about the history of tattoo, how arrived europe? When they started to put tattooed people on circuses and why?
Sorry for my bad english :(
1 Answers 2016-10-04
I understand that it was allegedly made from the Nails of the Crucifixion that St. Helena found, but from the wikipedia:
Blom (2002) stated that: "Constantine also understood the value of these objects in diplomacy"; several were sent off to various dignitaries, one of whom was Princess Theodelinda. She used her nail as part of her crown, the famous Iron Crown of Lombardy.
Theodelinda reigned around 600 AD, Constantine reigned c. 306-330. Is it a different Theodelinda? Or a different Constantine?
1 Answers 2016-10-04
I really enjoy film and have a casual fascination with Westerns, and I was wondering about the accuracy of things this genre portrays like:
Saloon culture
Duels at high noon
The community oriented criminal justice system
The concept of the "Cowboy"
Because of the predominance of the Western genre, these and many more common tropes have entered the public consciousness and became the way we see that era. If these ideas have been inaccurately portrayed by the film industry, was it simply due to research negligence, misunderstanding or something else?
1 Answers 2016-10-04
Assume that sometime between 1500 and 1700 I go to England or some other English speaking country and continue going back in time there.
1 Answers 2016-10-04
By this I mean, was the flame of the vestal virgins put out when Constantine converted to Christianity? And, if so, how did this go down with the pagans who believed the city would fall of it went out? Or was it abandoned before Constantine?
1 Answers 2016-10-04
I'm currently listening to the "Revolutions" Podcast with Mike Duncan, which I highly recommend, and I was just wondering why no other country made an attempt to invade their enemy, as in the case of England and France? Is it because the invading force knew that a country in turmoil would unite to defeat them or is there any other reason?
1 Answers 2016-10-04
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1 Answers 2016-10-04
Looking to see if anyone can tell what religion/empire/region this statue comes from. Someone once suggested it could be Zoroastrian or a combination of Zoroastrian or Bhuddist, but I am not sure. Any insights would be much appreciated!
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I understand there was tremendous displacement, and that the violence could have been avoided had Cyril Radcliffe been given more time, but why is the disgusting violence that followed blamed on the British Empire as well?
Note: I am impartial to the British Empire itself. I'm merely curious.
1 Answers 2016-10-04
I remember hearing a quote attributed to him about "You furnish the pictures and I'll furnish the war" is this a true quote by him? Which seems to make him seem a bit evil? Also I heard he started yellow journalism
1 Answers 2016-10-04