Re: North Africans on Hadrian's Wall

From: Bob Keeter (rkeeter_at_earthlink.net)
Date: 06/14/04 

Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2004 22:35:40 GMT

"Dave Eadsforth" <dave@magnum.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:EOHy+WAY8UzAFwit@magnum.demon.co.uk...

Snippage. . .

> >"Families who have lived in the English-Scottish Borders for generations
> >could be descended from African soldiers who patrolled Hadrian's Wall
nearly
> >2,000 years ago."
>
> I believe Scythian archers had been identified as a more sure candidate.
> >

8-) And Id bet on a few Phoenecian and Greek mariners, maybe even some
Egyptian
and even Persian slaves/mercenaries. If you think of Europe 200 years
either side
of the time of Christ, and you have a very large melting pot with a Roman
agitator.

Not so sure that the central European horse-archers were still called
Scythians, but
the specific names dont change much. The Romans had a serious "skill
problem"
vs the Carthagians (who recruited a great deal of their cavalry from the
Iberian
penninsula), and would have accepted aid and abbetance from the devil
himself
if he could ride a horse and fire an arrow at the same time! 8-)

Regards
bk