Archaeologists Find Celts in Unlikely Spot: Central Turkey (Ellas Go Bragh!?)

The New York Times ^ | December 25, 2001 | JOHN NOBLE WILFORD

[Pericles]

I guess that could explain my grandmother's red hair and blue eyes!!

[irish_lad]

Please God, don't let my ancestoral blood be from the Mideast!

[ValerieUSA]

The Gauls of Galatia became the Celts - and they sprang from Esau, the exiled brother of Jacob. To our eyes, the twins Jacob and Esau would appear to be of two different races, yet they shared the same parents. All the races began as one and branched out from there, and the rift between Jacob and Esau was a significant moment in population distribution. A worldwide Christian brotherhood that reunites the separated family of mankind is part of God's plan for this world.

[Oschisms]

We get around.

[Restorer]

The Gauls of Galatia became the Celts - and they sprang from Esau, the exiled brother of Jacob.

Interesting notion. I've never heard it before. What is your source for this assertion?

My understanding is that Esau was the ancestor of the Edomites (later Idumeans), who lived south and east of the Israelites/Jews and were eventually forcibly converted to Judaism by the Hasmoneans. Herod the Great was half Edomite by ancestry.

[Nogbad]

What's new about this?

Primary source: Cambridge encyclopaedia of language.

The Celtic languages are divided into two classes: Insular and Continental

Continental Celtic languages are no longer spoken, but consisted of:
Celtiberian (Spain),
Gaulish (Swiss/Northern Italian variant known as Lepontic)
and Galatian in Turkey(!).

Galatian was spoken until about the 5th century.
Lepontic turns out to be P-Celtic.
Celtiberian turns out to be Q-Celtic, the split occuring prior to the 7th Century BC.

[Happygal]

Begosh and begorrah! *LOL*

[scouse]

Did you know that Che Guevera was half Irish?

[Gritty]

Here is some additional fascinating information on Celtic (particularly Irish) origins:

...The early Irish historians further deduced their origins lay with the Phoenician colonists who had also previously settled that Spanish Peninsula, later to migrate to Ireland. In this context it is of additional interest to note that the ancient Greeks once held the Phoenician nation to have been founded by Phoenix, whose brother Cadmus had invented the alphabet. Likewise, the Irish also recalled the time when they lived under a king named "Phenius, who devoted himself especially to the study of languages, and composed an alphabet and the elements of grammar." It is agreed among scholars the system of alphabetic writing originated among the Phoenicians, and this is deduced from hard and independent archaeological evidence, not Irish myths. So it is clear at the very least, the early Irish chroniclers were passing on an account, albeit garbled in places, of authentic historical events, and of the equally historic descent of their own race from Phoenician and/or Scythian stock (see Table 1)....

Presumably, they were not unaware they had originated in the general area where this archeology places them. The Scythians were apparently from the area around the northern and western areas of the Black Sea.

[Vast Buffalo Wing Conspiracy]

Stupid headline writers. Celts in central Anatolia (modern "Turkey") is not unlikely, let alone news!

Alexander the Great was dealing with troublesome Celts in the Balkans; they later invaded Greece, plundered the riches at Delphi, and eventually settled down in central Anatolia where they became known as Galatians (Gauls = Gaels = Galatians). Ancient France was called Gaul; the Irish and highland Scots spoke Gaelic and were known as Gaels, and I think there is still a northwest corner of Spain known as Galicia. Galatians in Anatolia were still a distinct group with their own language and culture as late as the New Testament era, if you will recall from reading Galatians.

Trying to connect ancient Celts with stories for the Old Testament is just bizarre, though, and displays an ignorance of history and a weird tendency to try to tie everything into the Bible. Believe it or not, there was a lot of stuff going on in ancient times that was totally unconnected to the stories in the Bible.

[VOA]

the ancient city of Gordion

Finally the archeologists have gotten a clue!
It's now "Gordion" because it has something to do with "Gordia".
It's because a lot of the Celts that over-ran the place were named "Gordon".
And it took a few of them looped on some wheat beer to come up with that "Gordion Knot" thingey.

[VOA]

mis-fire:
It's now "Gordion" because it has something to do with "Gordia".

of course I meant:
It's not "Gordion" because it has something to do with "Gordia".

[arm958]

Apparently no remnants of the Celtic language or culture in Central Turkey survived until modern times. Human sacrifice has a way of doing that to a population. So why are people so proud of their Celtic heritage when the Celts and their Druid priests were so murdurous? I wonder the same thing about Mexicans and Aztecs. The Aztec world collapsed under its own evil; the Spanish just helped them along. One could ssay the same thing about the Celts and the Romans.

[Ken H]

Those green championship banners they found hanging in one of those Anatolian caves was the first evidence of their Celtic heritage.

[RnMomof7]

Celts were originally from Eastern Europe,before the Roman empire they spred mostly throught Northern Europe .Alexander the great pushed them to the north and the west. They were all over Europe there was no one Celtic country.

This info courtesy of a son that has studied the history of the Celts because of our Irish ancestory .

As I read this to him he shrugged unsurprised..the Celts were all over the place...

My grandma had red hair and green eyes.. my husbands Irish family have very dark eyes and hair..different branches of the sods family tree

Merry Christmas

[Cicero]

The Achaeans probably came down from the north originally, not long before the war with Troy. When Telemachus pays Menelaus and Helen a visit, Homer mentions that Menelaus has red hair. Odysseus and Achilleus also seem to be red-headed and blond, respectively.

[TopQuark]

BTTT