BACKGROUND
The Segui and Condrusi, of the nation and number of the Germans [Germani], and who are between the Eburones and the Treviri , sent embassadors to Caesar to entreat that he would not regard them in the number of his enemies, nor consider that the cause of all the Germans on this side the Rhine was one and the same; that they had formed no plans of war, and had sent no auxiliaries to Ambiorix. Caesar, having ascertained this fact by an examination of his prisoners, commanded that if any of the Eburones in their flight had repaired to them, they should be sent back to him; he assures them that if they did that, he will not injure their territories.
These tribes are referred to as the "Germani Cisrhenani", to distinguish them from Germani living on the east of the Rhine, outside of the Gaulish and Roman area. Whether they actually spoke a Germanic language or not, is still uncertain. The region was strongly influenced by Gaul, and many of the personal names and tribal names from these communities appear to be Celtic. But on the other hand it was claimed by Tacitus that these Germani were the original Germani, and that the term Germani as it came to be widely used was not the original meaning. He also said that the descendants of the original Germani in his time were the Tungri.[3]
The general area of the Belgian Germani was between the Scheldt and Rhine rivers, and north of Luxemburg and the Moselle, which is where the Treverii lived. In modern terms this area includes eastern Belgium, the southern parts of the Netherlands, and a part of Germany on the west of the Rhine, but north of the Moselle, which was Treverii territory.
The specific location of the Segni, as can be seen from the brief mention of Caesar, quoted above, was between the Eburones and the Treverii, somewhere in the region of the Ardennes. The Condrusi, mentioned as living in the same area and being part of the same embassy to Caesar, are thought to have lived in the Condroz region in the north of the Ardennes.
In the 19th century, it was sometimes claimed that the name of the Segni is preserved in a modern town of "Sinei or Signei", on the Meuse river, in the Belgian province of Namur.¨
The Sygnir were a tribe in Western Norway who settled in the area known as Sogn. It is most likely that this area was settled by migrants from North West Europe, of Gaulish-Germanic descent.
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
The tribe of Segni – Sygner
Monday, 26 September 2011
Norwegian DNA Results
Either because of late glacial or of more
recent migrations the Norway Y chromosome gene pool
appears to be very close to present day Germans. In fact
the Fst and the Fst data indicate Germans and a few other
Central European populations as being the closest to the
Norwegians. When we compare our results with those
based on different polymorphic systems,9,17 we can infer
that these conclusions are also valid for Swedish, while
Finns and Saami had a quite different genetic history with
a great impact of Uralic Finno-Ugric speaking population.
The mtDNA polymorphisms had previously shown the
genetic closeness of Norwegians with Germans, based on the statistic r.8
Our data are consistent with this finding
and support the Y chromosome representation of a strong
genetic influence from central European groups, although
it is less quantifiable.
(Different genetic components in the Norwegian population revealed by the analysis of mtDNA andY chromosome polymorphisms)
According to Cavalli-Sforza, the closest related populations (By genetic distance) are: Germans (13), Dutch (13), Danes (14), Swedes (15), English (16).
NORWEGIAN Y-DNA HAPLOGROUPS
The Norwegian R1a varies between regions. It ranges from 13% in the South, to 19% in the South East near Oslo. It’s maximum is at 31% in Trøndelag.
This type can be split in several undergroups.
R1b is another major haplogroup. This ranges from 26% in Eastern Norway, and the North, to 44% in the West and South. One noticeable thing is that it is a lot more common near the coast than far inland.
I1 is the most common haplogroup on average in Norway, but it varies regionally. It’s lowest percentage is found in the West, 30%. In the North it is 34%. In the South, South East near Oslo, and Trøndelag it is 39-42%.
Halogroup N3 is found at 10% in the North, and a very low percentage in the East and South East. This haplogroup is typical of Finnic-Ugric speakers.
MY SUGGESTION TO HOW THESE HAPLOGROUPS CAME TO NORWAY.
R1b is also most common in Norway, although most common in the West and South, and more found near the coast then inland. I suggest that early settlers brought this type with them. These tribes, who migrated from the Continent abt. 400BC, settled mostly in the West, South and South East. This is the most R1b rich area of Norway. It is likely that these Germanic tribes also brought haplogroup I1 with them. This is the most common haplogroup in Norway. It is noticeable that this type is more common inland than near the coast.
The Norway Y chromosome gene poolappears to be very close to present day Germans (Report by Cavalli-Sforza, 2007).
Tribes of the Goths came to Norway abt. 100AC. They brought the Norse religion (Asatrui). My thesis is that these people brought most of the R1a DNA (Particularly the M17 marker) to Norway.
The Raetians and Noricians
Cladius started building roads through the Alps to the Donau border 49AC. He deported the Norician leaders, a Celtic people also called Hades. The inhabitants of Noreia, Teurnia and several other cities were deported 41-50AC. The Romans did they same in the province of Raetia (Modern Switzerland).
Dio Cassius wrote ca. 200AC about the history of the Roman Empire:
- Raetia had a large population of men who could fight and carry weapons, so the majority of military aged men had to be deported in order to make the area safer to travel through. Large areas were empty of people after the deportations. Cassius does not tell anything about were these people were sent, but those who were too old for military service, were used as slaves. (12). It is likely that they were sent where the Romans needed them the most.
THE EINANG STONE
Einangsteinen is a stone located in Slidre, Valdres (Norway). It’s got an inscription on it, written like this (translated into the latin letters):
DAGARTHARRUNOFAIHIDO
The Raetians and the Venetians used almost the same alphabet, but they used different languages. The Venetians started using points in between the words to seperate them. The Raetians dit not. That’s how you can see if an inscription is done by a Raetian or a Venetian. They inscription on the Einang stone haven’t got any points, it could be Raetian.
Ratroromansch is a language used by a minority in Switzerland today. By using a dictionary, one can seperate the sentence into the following words:
DA GARTHAR RUNO FAINIDO
Translation:
Da Garthar (Eng. Do watch , look after)
Runo (Eng. Field)
Fainido (Eng. Hay crop).
So the inscription means : DO WATCH THE FIELD AND THE HAY CROP
Professor Dr. Helmut Rix writes “It is certain to anyone who knows the alphabets used in Northern Italy the last centuries BC, that they are the source of the Germanic Runs.
Dr. Sybille Haynes writes “The Etruscan alphabet originated in Greece and spread to Central and Northern Italy, and northwards to the Germanic people, who called it Runs. “
(Sybille Haynes. Etruscan Civilization. British Museum Press 2000.)`
The inscription tell us about a people who had to leave a safe life in the Alpine valleys. These people risked their lives by starting from scratch. If the crop failed, the cattle would die, and the humans would follow. That’s why they prayed to their gods for assistance.
DID THE RAETIANS SETTLE DOWN IN NORWAY?
The –ar ending in “Garthar”, suggests that the dialect is from Lower Engadin. The dialect and the valley is called Vallader, which sounds a lot like Valdres, the valley in Norway.
The Romans annexed Raetia and the kingdom of Noricium during the reign of Keiser Augustus 15AC. He had roads built through the Alps to the Donau border. To make this area safer to travel trough, the Romans deported most men who could carry weapons. (Dio Cassius Cocceianus: Historia Romana LIV, 22.)
These men were trained as soldiers and a lot of them were sent to the support troops in England. The Raetians were common members of these troops.
Soldiers retired after 25 years of service. They were given a Roman citizenship, and the choice of a lump sum of money or a piece of land. Those who chose the latter were given it, where the Romans wanted a Roman-friendly population. The Raetians settled down in England, Norway, West-Sweden, Jutland (Denmark), Northern Germany and Holland.
The inscriptions at Einang could have been made by a Raetian who, after finished millitary service got a piece of land there. After the work of clearing the land, he would inscript a prayer to the gods. He would know the latin alphabet, being a Roman soldier.
The inscriptions in the Furtharch alphabet are found all over Norway. That means that these soldiers where placed all over the country.
Archaeological discoveries of soldier graves with Roman weapons are found in Norway. The weapons are those of a Roman support troop. It is unlikely that they were native Norwegians. A Roman support soldier could not have been a slave, and a Roman citizenship was necessary in order to be recruited. The Romans would also avoid using a country’s native inhabitants as soldiers, fighting against their own people (21).
RAETIAN VERSUS NORWEGIAN LANGUAGE
A language and place names can tell a lot about where a people has got its origins. The spelling and pronunciation do vary a lot between countries and even regions. But with a little bit of local knowledge, connections can be found. Here are some examples of similar sounding words in Raetian Romansch and Norwegian.
| Raetian / Romansch | Norwegian | Meaning |
| Schliere | Slidre | Where two valleys meet |
| Baito | Beito | Cabin |
| Lej Ra | Leira | Where a lake ends |
| Bagno | Bagn | |
| Ble | Blefjell | Ble – moor |
| Godbrenta | Gudbrandsdal | Forest valley |
| Lescha | Lesja | Entrance (door) |
| Tovre | Dovre | Windy place |
| Ota | Otta | Upper |
| Sel / Sil | Sel | Forest |
| Vaugod | Vågå | Where you cross a river |
| Sio-ch | Skjåk | Upper or highest |
| Vriun | Fron | Place of defence |
| Vintsra | Vinstra | Area – Val Venosta |
| Laugen | Lågen | River |
| Vaz | Vats | Place in Graubunden |
| Savogn / Sogn | Sogn | Sacred place |
| Peis | Peis | Fireplace |
| Vad / Vau | Vad | Where you cross the river |
| Bläss | Bless | White spot to mark the animals |
| Brascha | Brasa | Fire |
| Buordi | Byrde | Burden |
| Cherin | Kjerring | Wife / woman |
| Korv | Korp | Raven |
| Crösch | Krok | Crook or latch |
| Fliar | Fli | Getting dressed |
| Ingün | Ingen | Nobody |
| Maugliar | Maule | Eating |
| Muoch | Møkk | Dirt |
| Mort | Mørkt | Dark |
| Rar | Rar | Funny |
| Regla | Regle | Rime |
| Dret | Rett | Straight |
| Ria | Ri | Ride |
| Sön | Søvn | Sleep |
| Squit | Skvett | A little of milk or water |
| Cratschlar | Skrasle | Laugh |
| Stachar | Stakkar | Poor person |
| Tagliar | Telje | Axe |
| Trev | Trev | Beams |
| Truoch | Tråkk | Path |
| Ovazun | Ofsen | Overflow |
| Biestga | Beist | Animals |
| Vurdar | Vurder | To think |
| Trel | Træl | Someone who struggles |
| Scurv | Skurv | Hill |
| Schmievler | Smuler | Crumpets |
| Stizi | Sti | Path |
| Rond | Rondane | The big mounains |
| Fil | File | A mountain with a road through |
| Egga | Egga | Edge |
| Juf | Juv | Very narrow valley |
| Fly | Flya | Mountain Plateu |
| Eng | Eng | Field |
| Quinda | Kvinda | River name (Amden, St. Gallen) |
| Seere | Sire | A place with two farms |
| Grut | Grøt | Place name |
| Windeg | Vindegg | Place name |
Sources:
Bok a. : Oscar Peer: Dicziunari rumantsch ladin – tudais-ch.
Lia Rumantsch, Chur, Sveits. 1968.
Bok b. Reto Bezzola u. Rud. Tönjachen.
Dicziunari tudais-ch – rumantsch ladin. Lia Rumantscha 1944
Bok c. Bernardi, Decurtins, Eichenhofer, Saluz, Vögeli :
Handwörterbuch des Rätoromanischen.
Societa Retorumantscha und Verein f. Bündner Kulturforschung.
ISBN 3-907-495-57-8.
Thursday, 8 September 2011
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
The Limburg connection – The Eburones
The Eburones (Greek: Ἐβούρωνες, Strabo), were a Belgic people who lived in the northeast of Gaul, near the river Meuse and the modern provinces of Belgian and Dutch Limburg. Eburo means Yew Tree and perhaps the suffix onna = "divine" meaning "The people of the Sacret Yew. It was tabu to damage the sacred trees and assemblies were held under them. The Eburones played a major role in Julius Caesar's account of his "Gallic Wars", as the most important tribe within the Germani group of tribes east of the Rhine. The name of the Eburones was wiped out after their failed revolt against Caesar's forces during the Gallic Wars, and whether any significant part of the population lived on in the area as Tungri, the tribal name found here later, is uncertain.
Ancient stone carvings
Carvings of yew trees and ships are found several places by the Norwegian coasts. This example is from Skjeberg. The ships carved into the stone are the same kind as used by the Rhine and Meuse appr. 500 BC. The yew tree was the tribal tree of the Eburones.
Language
Limburgs is today a German dialect, spoken in the Limburg province. It is a two-toned language. Two-toned languages are rare in Germanic languages, only used in Swedish, Norwegian, and Limburgs.
Place names
Swulgen is situated in the Meuse-valley near Venlo. In Norway, you will find Svelgen in Sogn on the western coast.
Names ending in -lo, like Almelo, Venlo, Baarlo. -lo names are found in Norway, such as Oslo, Byrkjelo, Varlo.
Hasselt is a city in Limburg. Norway has got Hassel in Nordland.
Names ending in -beek, like Spaubeek, Neerbeek. -Beek (English: grove, river) are found all over Norway.
Names ending in -Holt are very common both in Limburg and Norway.
Worm is a river that runs between Aachen and meets the Ruhr by Heinsberg. Norway has got the river Vorma by Eidsvoll.
Dremmen is a place situated near Heinsberg. Norway has got the town Drammen.
Porselen is situated near Dremmen (Limburg). Norway has got Porsgrunn in Grenland.
Ringselven is situated near Weert. Norway has got names like Ringerike. Names ending with -elven (English: River) are extremely common in Norway.
Lier is situated south of Antwerpen in Flanders. Norway has got Lier near Drammen.
Laukdal is situated near Westerlo in Flanders. Names ending with -dal are extremely common in Norway. Bergom and Asberg are also found in the same area. Names ending in -berg are also extremely common in Norway.
Koll. Kollenberg is situated near Maastricht in Limburg. Names containing –Koll are very common in Norway.
Roa. This name is common in Norway, sometimes pronounced Roi in old-Norwegian. Limburg has got Kinrooi, Roermond.
Son is a town near Eindhoven. Norway has got Son, a river and town in the south east near Oslo.
The migration of Gallia-Belgic tribes
The Belgae were a group of tribes living in northern Gaul, on the west bank of the Rhine, in the 3rd century BC, and later also in Britain, and possibly even Ireland. They gave their name to the Roman province of Gallia Belgica, and very much later, to the modern country of Belgium.
Julius Caesar describes Gaul at the time of his conquests (58 - 51 BC) as divided into three parts, inhabited by the Aquitani in the southwest, the Gauls of the biggest central part, who in their own language were called Celtae, and the Belgae in the north. Each of these three parts were different in terms of customs, laws and language. He noted that the Belgae, being farthest from the developed civilization of Rome and closest to Germania over the Rhine, were the bravest of the three groups, because "merchants least frequently resort to them, and import those things which tend to effeminate the mind".[6]
Ancient sources such as Caesar are unclear about the things used to define ethnicity today. He describes the Belgae as both Celtic (or at least Gaulish) and Germanic (at least some of them, and at least by descent).
A map of Gallia Belgae
MigrationsA Focean sea captain wrote this about the abandoned areas by Schelde and Mösa (550BC) :
..." Because of Celtic tribes who are constantly in war, the land is abandoned. The natives, migrated to the places where they settled most densely. These areas are mountainous, naked cliffs and mountains that raises towards the sky"...
Pomponius Mela wrote 41AC about a sailing route from Gibraltar northwards by the Atlantic Ocean. Furthest north is Thule and Mela. He wrote:
"... Thule is situated north of the Belgian coasts. The nights are extremely short here during the summer because of the late sunset. These areas are close to Asia, and the people here are almost exclusively of Belgian stock. In the far north of this country, the sun is completely absent during the winter. It’s also constantly light during the summer. The country is narrow, quite sunny and quite fertile. The inhabitants are civil and live long and happy lives. They enjoy festivities and they neither quarrel nor fight…
Plutharch tells abt. 100AC about Camillus, the Roman king (446-365 BC). He writes about a migration northwards:
..."The Gauls are of the Celtic race, and are reported to have been compelled by their numbers to leave their country, which was insufficient to sustain them all, and to have gone in search of other homes. And being, many thousands of them, young men and able to bear arms, and carrying with them a still greater number of women and young children, some of them, passing the Riphaean mountains, fell upon the Northern Ocean, and possessed themselves of the farthest parts of Europe
The Riphean mountains mentioned, could be the west coast of Norway.
Dio Cassius writes the following 200AC :
"... The Belgae lives in several tribes by the Rhine and areas by the sea opposite Britain".¨
NORWEGIAN REGIONS
Trøndelag. This name can be seperated into Trønde-lag. Trønder is a germanistation of the latin Treueri, Treu-eri. The Treueri were of the largest tribes in Gallia-Belgae. They dwelled between the Rhine and the Meuse (Mosel). Their capital, Trier by the Meuse, was a roman city. The second part in Trøndelag, -lag, (English: Law) means that the Treueri's laws were used. Trøndelag was a colony settled by the Treueri.
Møre. Møre might come from Latin Mare, meaning ocean. The Morini were a tribe in Gallia-Belgica dwelling by the coast. In Norwegian it is spelled Møre. The Morini could have settled in Møre on the West coast of Norway.
Gulen is situated on Norway's west coast. Locals pronounce the name as "Gaulen". The name suggests that this was a Gaulish country.
Hadeland. This region is in the South-East of Norway, with Gran in the centre. The Hadui were one of the major tribes in Gallia-Belgica. The name Hadeland suggests that the Hadui settled here.
Grenland is situated in the South-East of Norway by the sea. This region could be named after the Gallia-Belgae god Gran. The old name on the sea here was Gran-Marr, named after the Gaulish god. After the Christianisation of Norway, his name became a taboo.
River names
The Mösa or Meuse as it is spellt today, springs out west of Vogese and continues through France, Belgium and Holland before it ends in the North Sea. The Norwegian river Mjøsa is pronounced the same way as the ancient Mösa.
The Vair river is an offshot of Meuse (Near Neufchateau). The name Vair sounds like the Norwegian Vær. Vær-dalen is a valley in Trøndelag.
The Chieur river runs westwards and ends up in the Meuse south of the Belgian border. Chieur is pronounced like the Norwegian Stjør. Stjørdalen is a valley in Trøndelag.
The Nied runs eastwards, it's source is east of Neufchateau by the Meuse. In Trøndelag, the Nid ends in the sea by Trondheim.
These rivers are all located in the Meuse-valley in the old Gallia-Belgica. That the same river names exists in Trøndelag is not likely to be a coincidence.
Gaulish gods in Norway
Gran (Roman: Grannus) was one of the gods of ancient Gaul. He healed the sick and was a sun-god. A pine tree was his symbol (Pine = Gran in Norwegian). He was worshipped near rivers, and he's main place of worship is today called Grand and is situated 20km north-west of Neufchateu by the river Meuse. Another place of worship was called Aqua Granni and was situated near Aachen.
In Norway Gran exists in place names such as Granvin, Gransherad and Grenland.
Teutates used to be a Gaulish tribal god who was involved in all of the tribes activites, wether it was trading, fertillity or war. The Gaulish pronounciation is thought to be Tota or Tot. Tot expected live sacrifices, usually animals, but in extreme cases, humans were sacrificed. Toten is the name of a region in South-Eastern Norway.
Mösa (Meusel) was personified and worshipped as a female godess by the Gaulish people who lived by the river with the same name. After christianisation in Norway, the word "Mös" became a taboo, since it was the name of a heathen godess.
Language: The Gallia-Belgae spoke dialects that resemble modern Flemish. Flemish is spoken in the Flanders region of Belgium.
Y-DNA profile R1b is the major haplogroup of the male population in Flanders, and the nearby region of Limburg, and North-West Germany. About 30% of Norwegian men are of the R1b haplogroup. This supports the hypothesis of an immigration from the Meuse-valley to Norway. This group may have migrated abt. 600BC.
A Roman presence in Norway:
The book Brittania (Tacitus) tells about a journey where Julius Agricola travels with his millitary troops northwards to the Orkneys and further northeast. He tells:
"... We could see Thule in the distance, where our mission leaded us. The winter was approaching. They say that the ocean here become stiff and impossible to travel on by boat. But I will tell you, that in no other place is the ocean so wide and carries so many streams in all directions. The ocean streams in between mountains and cliffs as if it was a part of it." (11).
Where was Thule located?
Ptolemaios in Alexandria writes the following:
The Northern border (of the inhabited world) is by the degree 63 north of the equator, through the Island Thule (12, 13).
Ptolemaious writes that the summer is 20 hours long mid-summer in Thule. This is correct for Norway. When he calls Thule an island, is this because the world was not fully explored at the time.