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Archiver > GENEALOGY-DNA > 2005-11 > 1131941549


From: ellen Levy <>
Subject: Re: [DNA] Red hair blue eyes etc
Date: Sun, 13 Nov 2005 20:12:29 -0800 (PST)
In-Reply-To: <410-22005111141576843@earthlink.net>


Bob:

Yes, but note the idea "a people were conquered."
This is not the current thinking surrounding the
Celts. There was no invading conqueror according to
the most popular idea right now about the genetic
ancestry of Celtic peoples in the British Isles. This
theory relies on the idea of cultural diffusion of
Celtic culture. Supposedly this diffusion was
accompanied by the Celtic languages which the
pre-Celtic people of the British Isles then readily
adopted when they adopted Celtic ornamentation,
pottery styles, etc.

Except that the archaeology of the British Isles going
back to 6000 BC shows both incredible conservatism in
culture and repeated invasions by outsiders.

I agree completely with you, Bob. A conqueror must
impose a language on a people for them to start
speaking something other than their native tongue.
But who were the conquerors of the British Isles who
imposed the Celtic languages if not continental Celts?

Ellen Coffman

--- robert mclaren <> wrote:

> Ellen,
>
> The basic process was the same. A people were
> conquered. Many were killed
> or fled. The new rulers replaced the language with
> theirs, whatever the
> mechanism. Land was owned by the conquerors or
> their vassels. Later, many
> were displaced off their lands (see the Highland
> Clearances).
>
> I really don't see any difference between this and
> what we infer happend
> thousands of years ago.
>
> Bob McLaren
>
>

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