Britain's DNA Journey by Alistair Moffat

Britain's DNA Journey by Alistair Moffat

Author:Alistair Moffat
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Birlinn


There is clear evidence that they also migrated in numbers across the Channel to Britain. From c 175 BC Gallo-Belgic gold coins began to be minted for use not as currency but as gifts, and these found their way quickly to the south-east, probably via trade up the Thames. It seems that an entire kindred invaded, perhaps during the first century BC, and occupied the territory around Winchester, extending their control from the Severn to the Channel coast around Southampton. Caesar commented that the Belgae ‘came to raid but stayed to sow’.

When the Romans later attached placenames to the map of their province of Britannia, what would become Winchester was labelled Venta Belgarum, the Market-Town of the Belgae. Historians also believe that other kindreds were taken over and governed by a Belgic warrior aristocracy and that the federation of the Catuvellauni, the Cantiaci and others had cultural as well as political and military links. Diviciacus, King of the Suessiones (who gave their name to Soissons) also had dominions in Britain, and Commius, who changed sides at least once, fled from Caesar’s conquest of Gaul ‘to return to his own people in Britain’. And kindreds with the name of the Atrebates lived on both sides of the Channel.

Archaeologically and historically the links are clear, and DNA also shows that people with Germanic markers had crossed the southern North Sea and the English Channel from at least the first century BC onwards. It was the beginning of a long period of genetic traffic.



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