Bronze Age migration.
Around 1200 bc. Either as a result of the volcanic eruption of Thera in the Agean, or a volcano in Iceland, the climate in Northern Europe cooled. Evidence from the Danish Bronze Age shows climate cooling and a southwards migration.
Germanic swords are found as far as Ancient Egypt. Jurgen Spanuth identifies the Sea Peoples attacking Egypt known as the “Danuna” as Danes. He does this on four counts
1, The boats of the Sea Peoples have prows at either end as shown on the Egyptian carvings at Medinet Habu. The only other cultural region in Europe at that date that has this boat design is in Scandinavia.
Stylised boats from Scandinavia.
2, The sea Peoples have horned helmets. Again the only people with horned helmets in the Bronze age are Danes.
Bronze Age helmet from Denmark.
Above: Horned helmeted figure from Denmark.
Bronze Age, horned Scandinavian warriors on a rock carving.
Nuarghic figurine from Sardinia of a Danish warrior.
Nuarghic figurine from Sardinia showing Danish warrior with circular shields, flange hilted swords and horned helmet.
Bronze Age horned figure from Sardinia.
3, The Sea peoples are depicted at Medinet Habu as having Crested helmets. red hair and blonde hair. Again exactly as in denmark of the Bronze age.
Sea Peoples as depicted at Medinet Habu. Again the only European Bronze age cultural area with circular shields is in Northern Europe.
These Sea Peoples then are the Northern European ancestors of the Etruscans, the Dorians, the Spartans and the Indo European Philistines.
Sea Peoples are charcterised by circular shields.
Danish circular shields from the Bronze Age.
Similar shields from Scotland.
From New Deer
And Yetholm
coincide with traces of gene flow from Scandinavia.
The above migrations also coincide with the tales of the Tuatha de Danaan. The destruction and rebuilding of round barrows according to a new design. Skulls from the Orkney chamber tombs also shown brachycephaly amongst the females and long skulls among the males. The suggestion is that the broad skulled males were killed off by the incomers and the females enslaved.
The mixed population resulting had high frequencies of death in child birth owing to incompatible skull/ pelvic ratios. This took centuries to disappear.
[...] The earliest consistent known acts of what we consider piracy happened in the late Bronze age, 13th Century BC, by the Phahroh Merneptah, he simply refered to them as “the foreign peoples of the sea” and drawn in the Medinet Habu with feathers. Whilst not the traditional view of pirates with cannons and galleon ships they made many inventions which aided sailing helping to keep them ahead of the local authorities and are still in widespread use today. Such innovations include the loose-footed or ‘free’ lower yardarm which greatly improved sailing under unfavourable wind conditions, the crows nest for early warning alarms and the reintroduction of the eastern use of ashlar (dressed and mortar-less brick) which was first seen 2700 years earlier! The sea peoples were also had origins of many ideas we have of Vikings, having horned helmets and identical prows at stern and aft. [...]
Everything on Pirates: Origins | Caramel Whistle said this on June 16, 2009 at 7:49 pm |