[HPforGrownups] Re: 382 BC (Ollivander's)

[eloiseherisson at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 46715

Jim:

>By moving West, he was moving in 
>front of, not into, the Gauls who were attacking Rome. 

Just to nit-pick, I said 'through', not 'into'. I'm not clear how precise the 
Romans were over the exact of origins of the Gauls who were attacking them. 
(I'm confessing lack of knowledge, not being contentious.)

> As for Britain being the antipodes, it was, at least, known to 
> exist.  Romans and earlier peoples imported tin from Cornwall.  Britain had 
> 
> been written about not long before 382 BC in the Periplus of Pythias.
> 
> 
I think you'll find I mentioned Pytheas in my original post on this subject, 
although according to Cunliffe, he wrote c. 320 BC, about 60 years *after* 
the founding of Ollivander's and was born not more than a generation *after* 
the Sack of Rome. 

I really don't know enough about this, but as far as I am aware, the *Roman* 
writers who make the earliest mentions of Britain (often drawing on Greek 
sources) are much later than this. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Yes, tin from Cornwall was imported into continental Europe (that, along with 
things like the distribution of British neolithic axes in Europe and 
continental ones in Britain was one of the reasons I said that there was 
definitely prehistoric contact with continental Europe). But I am personally 
unaware of evidence that in the 4th century the Romans *knew* that they were 
using tin from Cornwall. As you are obviously aware (although others may not 
be), there are big problems in defining exactly how exchange mechanisms 
worked in the prehistoric period. Are we talking about trade, or some other 
form of exchange? Direct exchange, or down-the-line exchange?

The fact that, for instance, the inhabitants of Brittany were in contact with 
Britain and exchanged goods with them, which then in turn, by way of change 
or exchange, found their way deeper into continental Europe does not mean 
that the Romans themselves knew of the existence of this group of islands at 
that stage.

Eloise

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You think that just because it's already happened, the past is finished and 
unhangeable? Oh no, the past is cloaked in multi-coloured taffeta and every 
time we look at it we see a different hue.

(Milan Kundera, Life is Elsewhere)


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