Featured: Ark of Secrets - Neolithic spirit alive in the Middle Ages

Ark of Secrets - Neolithic spirit alive in the Middle Ages

Prehistoric Cumbria

Prehistoric Cumbria

Who's Online

There are currently, 291 guests and 0 members online.

You are a guest. To join in, please register for free by clicking here

Sponsors

<< Books/Products >> The Tribes of Britain

Submitted by Thorgrim on Saturday, 13 August 2005  Page Views: 10431

Reviews
Tribes of Britain
Tribes of Britain submitted by Thorgrim : See review (Vote or comment on this photo)
“Who are we? And where do we come from?” That is the sub-title of David Miles’ new book – "The Tribes of Britain". Informed by recent developments in genetics and molecular biology, David shows how these new techniques combine with archaeology and historical patterns to reveal more about the developing populations of Britain and Ireland from the end of the Ice Age to today.

Above all else, this book is about people rather than pots. It is very well written and laced with amusing anecdotes and examples. Beginning with the Palaeolithic “Red Lady of Paviland” who was actually a man who lived about 26,000 years ago, the book comes bang up to date with today’s immigrant New Britons. Along the way he gives a wonderful overview of life in Britain illustrated with specific examples. There will be some readers dismayed to learn of long cherished fallacies being tumbled, but others will enjoy the insight that science is now bringing to uncertain theories.

Older textbooks always explained new technological changes like farming and metalworking by imagining vast hordes of invaders sweeping in from elsewhere. Then those theories were discredited and the new orthodoxy was that populations were static, no folk migrations took place and new skills were learned through trade. Extreme views are never right and this book strikes a good balance. Yes – the indigenous British population contributes 80% of our genetic inheritance and so they were never exterminated by Celts, Romans, Saxons or Vikings. But there has always been significant immigration. The old idea was that farming was brought from the east by a wave of invading Beaker Folk. Then that was ridiculed and it was said that the Britons learned to farm by watching others. The weakness in this idea is clear. None of our domesticated farm animals with the possible exception of the pig are indigenous. So they must have been brought in from elsewhere – Europe. So either our indigenous hunter/gatherers went over to the mainland on a day trip to buy livestock, or mainland farmers brought their animals and know-how in and settled here. Then, of course, the locals soon took up this new way of life.

The author, who is a former Chief Archaeologist of English Heritage, also gives a balanced view of the non arrival of the Celts, shows that the Roman soldiers on Hadrian’s Wall were actually Germans from Batavia and shows how most Icelandic Viking women were not Scandinavian, but descended from Scottish and Irish slaves. Black people were living in Roman Britain too, as were many others from all over the Roman Empire. There is a wonderful story about how an enslaved British woman was first bought by and then married a wealthy Syrian merchant. Just how many Anglo-Saxon immigrants came into the land that was to become England? What happened to the Britons? Were they really all exterminated or exiled to Wales, Cornwall and Brittany? No – of course not and most of us can claim direct descent from them.

Perhaps many visitors to this website may only be interested in the early chapters up to the Roman occupation or the Norman Conquest. It is well worth reading the rest of the book too. It’s all about continuity and change through integration – something we are very good at and are still doing

Published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, Order from Amazon.co.uk at a substantial discount.

<< From Sickles to Circles: Britain and Ireland at the time of Stonehenge

Introducing the September/October issue of British Archaeology magazine >>

Please add your thoughts on this site

Callanish, Gerald Ponting

Callanish, Gerald Ponting

Sponsors

Auto-Translation (Google)

Translate from English into:

"The Tribes of Britain" | Login/Create an Account | 2 News and Comments
  
Go back to top of page    Comments are owned by the poster. We aren't responsible for their content.
Re: The Tribes of Britain by Anonymous on Thursday, 05 July 2007

As I glanced through your article I noticed that you still did not isolate the original inhabitants of Britton. You spoke of the people groups who moved into the island and married into the original occupants but did not identify who the original people group was.

Do you know this now.

root.race@yahoo.com
[ Reply to This ]

Re: The Tribes of Britain by astronomer on Monday, 22 August 2005
(User Info | Send a Message)
This is one heck of a tome. I bought a copy last week after reading Thorgrim's review and wholeheartedly support his enthusiam for the book.

It's up to date and although a big read at upwards of 450 pages is well worth the effort. No piccies or maps...I would have liked some maps...but this doesnt detract.

List price £20. Get it from Amazon for about £14 inc pp.
[ Reply to This ]

Your Name: Anonymous [ Register Now ]
Subject:


Add your comment or contribution to this page. Spam or offensive posts are deleted immediately, don't even bother

<<< What is five plus one as a number? (Please type the answer to this question in the little box on the left)
You can also embed videos and other things. For Youtube please copy and paste the 'embed code'.
For Google Street View please include Street View in the text.
Create a web link like this: <a href="https://www.megalithic.co.uk">This is a link</a>  

Allowed HTML is:
<p> <b> <i> <a> <img> <em> <br> <strong> <blockquote> <tt> <li> <ol> <ul> <object> <param> <embed> <iframe>

We would like to know more about this location. Please feel free to add a brief description and any relevant information in your own language.
Wir möchten mehr über diese Stätte erfahren. Bitte zögern Sie nicht, eine kurze Beschreibung und relevante Informationen in Deutsch hinzuzufügen.
Nous aimerions en savoir encore un peu sur les lieux. S'il vous plaît n'hesitez pas à ajouter une courte description et tous les renseignements pertinents dans votre propre langue.
Quisieramos informarnos un poco más de las lugares. No dude en añadir una breve descripción y otros datos relevantes en su propio idioma.