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500BC too young for TMA? and McGrail

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FourWinds F
FourWinds Feb 7, 2003 08:39:27
Replying to elderford

Of course 'prehistory' ends later in Scotland and Ireland - and to an extent in Wales.

Aren't most accounts of England foreign ones until the times of the great monateries? This brings us to near the Viking raids as being 'locally' historical. I'm not sure how much you can trust the Roman version of history as there is no doubt a great deal of propoganda in there - the barbarian image etc.

Certainly Caesar's accounts differ greatly from Claudius' 100 (?) years later. Old Clavdivs seems to have been more honest, but then he brought f*cking elephants across! You can be honest when your charging at people on elephants!

J juamei
juamei Feb 7, 2003 08:51:32
Replying to FourWinds

I found Caeser's account to generally be him wandering around with lots of troups attacking anyone that didn't accept he could do what he liked. Interesting for the inter-tribe politics in Gaul / Britain though.

Has anyone read Tacitus, is that worth a punt?

E elderford
elderford Feb 7, 2003 12:05:25
Replying to FourWinds

ecclesiastical history of the british people

or some such, is one of the first englishman writing about the english in the 7 or 8 century.

wonderful opening chapter describing the british isles, gets a bit bogged down with the christianity bit, but there are some great miracles in it: saints hanging up their cloaks on sunbeams, etc.
there is a stunning passage where life is compared to a dark winter's night and a bird flies in through an open window into the warmth and light of a building before flying out thru another window back into the dark.

Gerald of Wales, 11th century, is of course the man for you Fourwinds, i think he wrote one of the first descriptions of Ireland (and of course Wales).