Stephen Oppenheimer's extraordinary scientific detective story combining genetics, linguistics, archaeology and historical record shatters the myths we have come to live by. It demonstrates that the Anglo-Saxon invasions contributed just a tiny fraction (5%) to the English gene pool. Two thirds of the English people reveal an unbroken line of genetic descent from south-western Europeans arriving long before the first farmers. The bulk of the remaining third arrived between 7,000 and 3,000 years ago as part of long-term north-west European trade and immigration, especially from Scandinavia - and may have brought with them the earliest forms of English language. As for the Celts - the Irish, Scots and Welsh - history has traditionally placed their origins in Iron Age Central Europe. Oppenheimer's genetic synthesis shows them to have arrived via the Atlantic coastal route from Ice Age refuges including the Basque country; with the modern languages we call Celtic arriving later. There is indeed a deep divide between the English and the rest of the British. But as this book reveals the division is many thousands of years older than previously thought.
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Review
`Fascinating ... Stimulating and provocative' -- Current Archaeology
'A very lively discussion on the very popular subject of who we
think we are.'
-- The Lady
Fascinating stuff -- Family History Monthly
`British prehistory will have to be radically re-thought.' -- Barry Cunliffe
`Fascinating' -- Contemporary Review
`Particularly illuminating ... The author carefully lays out the
genetic data that show how three-quarters of Britishness dates to the
repopulation after the northern ice sheets last retreated, and takes us
through a fascinating investigation of what this means for some cherished
notions of Britishness.'
-- Nature
`Stephen Oppenheimer is the supreme genetic detective fishing for
evidence in the gene-pools of history. Be prepared to have all your
cherished notions of English history and Britishness swept away in this
fascinating and superbly illustrated account of what makes up our national
character.' -- Professor Clive Gamble, University of London
`The historians' account is wrong in almost every detail. In Dr
Oppenheimer's reconstruction of events, the principal ancestors of today's
British and Irish populations arrived from Spain about 16,000 years ago.' -- New York Times
`The most heavyweight of recent books devoted to British origins.
A fascinating, if at times controversial, read.' -- Current Archaeology
'A very lively discussion on the very popular subject of who we
think we are.'
-- The Lady
Fascinating stuff -- Family History Monthly
`British prehistory will have to be radically re-thought.' -- Barry Cunliffe
`Fascinating' -- Contemporary Review
`Particularly illuminating ... The author carefully lays out the
genetic data that show how three-quarters of Britishness dates to the
repopulation after the northern ice sheets last retreated, and takes us
through a fascinating investigation of what this means for some cherished
notions of Britishness.'
-- Nature
`Stephen Oppenheimer is the supreme genetic detective fishing for
evidence in the gene-pools of history. Be prepared to have all your
cherished notions of English history and Britishness swept away in this
fascinating and superbly illustrated account of what makes up our national
character.' -- Professor Clive Gamble, University of London
`The historians' account is wrong in almost every detail. In Dr
Oppenheimer's reconstruction of events, the principal ancestors of today's
British and Irish populations arrived from Spain about 16,000 years ago.' -- New York Times
`The most heavyweight of recent books devoted to British origins.
A fascinating, if at times controversial, read.' -- Current Archaeology
About the Author
Stephen Oppenheimer of University of Oxford is a leading expert in the use of DNA to track migrations. His last book Out of Eden rewrote the prehistory of man's peopling of the world in a thesis that has since been confirmed in Science. He is also the author of Eden in the East: the Drowned Continent of Southeast Asia.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
52 of 52 people found the following review helpful
By Alan the Kaz
Format:Paperback
When I decided to purchase this book, I was mistakenly under the impression that it was going to be accessible to the layman with a curiosity in the subject matter. However, while it's not exactly a "stuffy textbook", it can get overly technical and difficult to digest. At times I felt like giving up, particularly around the middle which, featured almost nothing but heavy statistics and data. However, I persevered onwards, and I'm very glad that I did.
This book was an extremely fascinating read and one that has completely shattered many of the preconceived notions that I had of the English, the Celts, and "Britishness" as a whole. Yes, sometimes it did feel like you need a Ph.D. in History, Archaeology and Linguistics all in one to be able to follow it, but if you're interested enough in the subject to be willing to plough through all of that, then you'll find this a treasure trove worth of information.
This book was an extremely fascinating read and one that has completely shattered many of the preconceived notions that I had of the English, the Celts, and "Britishness" as a whole. Yes, sometimes it did feel like you need a Ph.D. in History, Archaeology and Linguistics all in one to be able to follow it, but if you're interested enough in the subject to be willing to plough through all of that, then you'll find this a treasure trove worth of information.
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
By MLA
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The Origins of the British still make for contentious and fascinating debate amongst the people of these isles and this work adds strongly to the discussion. The purpose of the book appears to be to establish genetic analysis to the existing archaelogical and linguistic history built up over the centuries. Genetics is clearly still in it's infancy but it is a massive step forward in understanding the past.
Oppenheimer's work lays out the genetic influences of the British population (excluding post-WWII immigration) and his findings are well worth knowing. The genetic analysis sets out the post-Ice Age colonisation phases and the most significant plus points of the book are the genetic debunking of wipeout theories and the co-existance of Germanic, Scandinavian, and Celtic peoples in Britain.
The spread of western European peoples from Ice Age refuges and the development of culture and language inevitably means that the peoples of those countries are somewhat similar. What Oppenheimer's analysis of the genetic research shows is that there are observable differences and that those differences can trace a history of Britain that has had far less intrusion from overseas than is typically suggested.
There are two issues that I have with the book - the writing is not of the highest quality and the genetics themselves are not well explained. The writing does not flow and is tough going, I did feel as though I was reading a dissertation at times and not an especially well written one. This is not really popular science and the logical chain is not easy to follow as Oppenheimer leaps into asides and tangents.
I really do though wish that the genetics had been better and more fully exposed. Traditional history is interesting but hardly new. The movement of genes deserved a fuller treatment and there is not one point in Oppenheimer's work in which he lays out explicitly the genetic map of Britain.
Overall, this is the sort of book to read if you really do want to delve into some of the science and the emerging picture that genetics paints of north western Europe. It is not a light read and it raises more questions than it answers but the broad overview that the detail conjures is a great platform for better understanding who we British are.
Oppenheimer's work lays out the genetic influences of the British population (excluding post-WWII immigration) and his findings are well worth knowing. The genetic analysis sets out the post-Ice Age colonisation phases and the most significant plus points of the book are the genetic debunking of wipeout theories and the co-existance of Germanic, Scandinavian, and Celtic peoples in Britain.
The spread of western European peoples from Ice Age refuges and the development of culture and language inevitably means that the peoples of those countries are somewhat similar. What Oppenheimer's analysis of the genetic research shows is that there are observable differences and that those differences can trace a history of Britain that has had far less intrusion from overseas than is typically suggested.
There are two issues that I have with the book - the writing is not of the highest quality and the genetics themselves are not well explained. The writing does not flow and is tough going, I did feel as though I was reading a dissertation at times and not an especially well written one. This is not really popular science and the logical chain is not easy to follow as Oppenheimer leaps into asides and tangents.
I really do though wish that the genetics had been better and more fully exposed. Traditional history is interesting but hardly new. The movement of genes deserved a fuller treatment and there is not one point in Oppenheimer's work in which he lays out explicitly the genetic map of Britain.
Overall, this is the sort of book to read if you really do want to delve into some of the science and the emerging picture that genetics paints of north western Europe. It is not a light read and it raises more questions than it answers but the broad overview that the detail conjures is a great platform for better understanding who we British are.
91 of 94 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A number of books tracing the origins of the peoples of the Isles have appeared recently. While not perfect, this is the best so far, considerably superior to the rather superficial treatment in "The Blood of the Isles" by Bryan Sykes and "The Face of Britain" by Robin McKie. Oppenheimer considers all aspects of the evidence, for example linguistics, not just genetics, and lays out the evidence in much more detail than Sykes and McKie. Nevertheless, the book remains very readable if you have an interest in the subject.
A number of writers on the subject assume that the genetic makeup of the population of England before the Anglo-Saxon period must have been the same as that of Wales and Ireland, and that any differences must be down to the Anglo-Saxons or Vikings. Oppenheimer shows that this is unlikely to be true. This fits in well with other work, showing that in ancient times the sea was often a highway and the land a barrier, rather than vice versa.
Oppenheimer's idea that some of the population of eastern England in pre-Roman times may have spoken a Germanic language is somewhat less convincing, but he presents the evidence such as it is fairly and leaves it to the reader to decide whether to agree or disagree.
A number of writers on the subject assume that the genetic makeup of the population of England before the Anglo-Saxon period must have been the same as that of Wales and Ireland, and that any differences must be down to the Anglo-Saxons or Vikings. Oppenheimer shows that this is unlikely to be true. This fits in well with other work, showing that in ancient times the sea was often a highway and the land a barrier, rather than vice versa.
Oppenheimer's idea that some of the population of eastern England in pre-Roman times may have spoken a Germanic language is somewhat less convincing, but he presents the evidence such as it is fairly and leaves it to the reader to decide whether to agree or disagree.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A fascinating read
This book, along with several others I own on the same subject, throws light on the genesis of the British people and help us to see where we come from and who we are.
Published 1 month ago by Angela L. Incigneri
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Origins of the British: A Genetic Detective Story
One of the best and most informative books I have read in years. I am a history teacher and this book really is thought provoking, both personally and for my students. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Geoff Ashworth
3.0 out of 5 stars
A more scholarly and scientific work than I had been looking for.
In tracing the populations of the British Isles - through their DNA - back to their origins in Northern Spain and the Adriatic during the last Ice Age, this book does something... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Westham
1.0 out of 5 stars
A caution before you buy.
Under no circumstances should you buy the Kindle version of the book. It comes with many diagrams which are rendered illegible on the Kindle's screen with vague, grey smudges and... Read more
Published 2 months ago by pdc666
5.0 out of 5 stars
A little experience of scientific enquiry perhaps helps but it seemed...
As others have said, this book perhaps gets a little difficult (or tedious) to follow in the middle, as it goes through the migratory evidence for a number of different... Read more
Published 4 months ago by JOHN STEWART PLANT
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating
Tying the genetic stories to the archaeological ones is interesting. Both fileds are evolving fast. Very readable for a non professional.
Published 5 months ago by ohdear
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very informative and interesting!
Learned a lot of new stuff not only about the genetics of the British, but also about the origins of Europeans in general.
Published 5 months ago by Eva-Marie
4.0 out of 5 stars
A hard slog, but very interesting
As a casual reader I am finding the reading pretty hard going. The nature of the DNA evidence makes it necessarily detailed, but it doesn't let up much and I find myself skimming... Read more
Published 6 months ago by J. C. Howells
2.0 out of 5 stars
More popular science than scholarly
Read the sample and won't be buying the book. A great possible explanation for lack of Celtic loanwords in OE but not a serious academic work. Read more
Published 9 months ago by rosie
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Origins of the British, Oppenheimer
This is a 400 page book wherein some 40% of it is given over to appendices, notes, glossary, bibliography lists of plates and illustrations and the index; which go to show the... Read more
Published 9 months ago by BLittlewood
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