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A Race Apart: Insularity and Connectivity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 February 2014

Barry Cunliffe
Barry Cunliffe
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, 36 Beaumont St, Oxford OX1 2PG
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Abstract

This paper seeks to re-examine the long-held view that the Celtic language developed somewhere in west central Europe and was carried westwards to the Atlantic zone, eventually reaching Ireland. An overview of the archaeological evidence for Atlantic connectivity illustrates the longue durée of community interactions along the seaways, beginning around 9000 BC, to the second quarter of the 3rd millennium. At this time mobility increased dramatically and it has been shown clearly that the Maritime Bell Beaker package spread eastwards to impact on and interact with the Battle Axe/Corded Ware tradition. Connectivity was at its most intense during the subsequent Atlantic Bronze Age until, from the 8th century BC, what had been a unified zone began to fragment into a series of regional systems. This broad archaeological scenario, with its firm chronological framework, receives more support from recent DNA studies than does the previous view, which drew heavily on ancient and (now) antiquarian views of Celticness and invasion hypotheses. It is posited that the Celtic language could in fact have emerged in the Atlantic zone and spread eastwards.

Résumé

Cette étude a été présentée comme 17ème conférence Europa en mai 2008.

Cette étude cherche à ré-examiner le point de vue, accepté depuis longtemps, que la langue celte s'est développée quelque part dans l'ouest de l'Europe Centrale et à été emportée vers l'ouest jusqu'à la zone atlantique pour éventuellement atteindre l'Irlande. Une vue d'ensemble des vestiges archaéologiques pour la connectivité atlantique illustre la longue durée des interactions entre les communautés le long des voies martitimes, commençant vers 9000 av. J.-C., jusqu'au second quart du troisième millénaire. A cette époque, la mobilité a énormément augmenté et il a été clairement montré que le faciès campaniforme maritime s'est répandu vers l'est et a eu un impact et une interaction avec la culture des haches de guerre/poterie cordée. La connectivité était à son plus intense pendant l'âge du bronze atlantique qui a suivi jusqu'à ce que, à partir du 8ème siècle av.J.-C., ce qui avait été une zone unifiée commence à se fragmenter en une série de systèmes régionaux. Ce vaste scénario archéologique, avec son solide cadre chronologique, est davantage soutenu par les récentes études d'ADN que ne l'était la précédente théorie, qui reposait lourdement sur des notions anciennes et (maintenant) désuètes de celticité et des hypothèses d'invasion. On présume que la langue celte aurait pu, en fait, apparaître dans la zone atlantique et se propager vers l'est.

Résumen

Esta ponencia fue presentada como la 17a Conferencia Europa, en mayo 2008.

Este trabajo pretende re-examinar la largamente mantenida opinión de que el lenguaje celta se desarrolló en algún lugar de Europa centro-occidental, y que desde allí se extendió hacia el oeste a la zona atlántica hasta llegar eventualmente a Irlanda. Un repaso general a la evidencia arqueológica de conectividad atlántica ilustra la longue durée de las interacciones entre comunidades a lo largo de las rutas marítimas, comenzando alrededor de 9000 a.C., hasta el segundo cuarto del tercer milenio. En este momento la movilidad aumentó dramáticamente y está claramente demostrado que el Paquete Campaniforme Marítimo se extendió hacia el este hasta impactar en y relacionarse con la Tradición de la Cerámica Cordada. La conectividad fue más intensa durante el periodo siguiente, la Edad del Bronce Atlántica, hasta que, desde el siglo VIII a.C., lo que había sido una zona unificada comenzó a fragmentarse en una serie de sistemas regionales. Este escenario arqueológico general, con su firme marco cronológico, ha recibido más confirmación de los recientes estudios de DNA que la postura previa, muy basada en antiguas y (ahora) anticuadas ideas de lo que es celta y en hipótesis de invasión. Se propone que el lenguaje celta pudo, de hecho, haberse desarrollado en la franja atlántica y haberse extendido hacia el este.

Zusammenfassung

Die Grundlage dieses Beitrags ist der im Mai 2008 gehaltene 17. Europa Festvortrag.

Der Artikel die versucht die lang gehegte Forschungsmeinung, dass sich die keltische Sprache irgendwo im westlichen Zentraleuropa entwickelt, sich von dort in westlicher Richtung in die atlantische Zone ausgebreitet und schließlich auch Irland erreicht hat, in neuem Licht zu betrachten. Ein Überblick zu den archäologischen Befunden, die eine atlantische Verbundenheit zeigen, illustriert die langfristigen Interaktionen von Gemeinschaften entlang der Seewege, die von ca. 9,000 BC bis ins zweite Viertel des 3. Jahrtausends reichen. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt lässt sich ein dramatisches Ansteigen der Mobilität erkennen, indem sich das so genannte maritime Glockenbecher Packet ostwärts bewegt und somit auf die Streitaxt/Schnurkeramik Tradition trifft und auf sie Einfluss nimmt. Eine enge Verbundenheit zeigt sich aber am deutlichsten während der nachfolgenden atlantischen Bronzezeit und setzt sich bis zum 8. Jh. BC fort; dann kann ein Zerfallen dieser einheitlichen Zone in regionale Einzelsysteme beobachtet werden. Dieses umfassende und großräumige und auf eine solide archäologische Grundlage fußendes Szenario wird durch neuere DNA Studien unterstützt und stellt die bisherige Sichtweise, die sich stark auf altertümliche und (jetzt) antiquarische Sichtweisen zum Keltischen und zu Invasionshypothesen stützte, in Frage. Es wird deshalb postuliert, dass die keltische Sprache aus der atlantischen Zone stammt und sich anschließend in östlicher Richtung weiter verbreitete.

Type
Research Article
Information
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society , Volume 75 , 2009 , pp. 55 - 64
Copyright
Copyright © The Prehistoric Society 2009

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