Are the palestinians an invented people?

[rudeguy]

Horrible and interesting are not mutually exclusive, in fact they go hand in hand when you look at history.

The whole trading companies thing is really fascinating, there isn't really a modern counterpart.

History in general is horrifying. Its one the constants you will find no matter how far back you go. Hussein, Stalin, Hitler, Mao, the slave trade, Irish slums, Black Death...the list goes on ad nauseum. The battles that it took for the US to be free from the tyranny of the king are horrifying. The battles that the US fought in the Civil War are even more horrifying. Events that we consider crucial to history generally were horrifying.

The trading companies need their own thread. That is a subject I would love to learn more about.

 

[Fern]

Okay you sound more reasonable and open-minded than I do, but I am going by mitochondrial DNA.
-snip-

Much of the info I've seen over the years tracing ancestral lineage has been based on linguistic characteristics. I find the DNA angle very interesting, but am a bit dubious of mitochondrial DNA. If I understand correctly it only tells you something about the mother. E.g., my father's side is from Scotland, my mother's side is from Germany. So I assume my mitochondrial DNA would indicate Germanic roots. However, in trying to determine why my body/blood absorbs so much iron (the opposite of most people) my doctor had a genetic test done and found I have a rare Celtic gene that dates back 8,000 years. (Apparently back then their diet was iron poor so they developed a gene to maximize iron absorption.) Kinda conflicts with the whole mitochondrial DNA thingy, no?

I've seen several 'Discovery- like' programs on tracing heritage and they used DNA tests. E.g., they found many Peruvians living in small villages near Machu Picchu have about 50% Celtic DNA (proving some Celtics migrated there a very long time ago). I'm not sure what types of tests, but it had to include more than mitochondrial DNA. Mitochondrial DNA would obscure the Celtic origin with the inclusion of one indigenous wife.

Fern