Re: Substrates in Latin and Germanic

From: Torsten
Message: 68785
Date: 2012-03-06

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "guestu5er" <guestuser.0x9357@...> wrote:
>
> >Ponder the following:
> >Would the fact that some society marks some enslaved members with a
>certain type of tatoo stop others from getting other tatoos?
>
> Of course there are lots of varieties for such reasons. The article
> on tattoo at en.wiki contains many examples, hints and links.
> (And 3 or 5 dots there on the hand, without triangles, is a common
> sign for inmates.)
It wasn't dots plus triangles, it was three dots placed in a triangle (as opposed to on a line).

> But in the case of those Scythian permafrost mummies the
> tattoos are far too artful, boastful, proud; the bearers
> were perhaps warrior chieftains or members of some group,
> "gang", "caste".
>
> Whereas those tattoos on slaves in Greece and the Roman
> empire must have been some simple signs, I suppose (since I
> don't know how they looked like).

Sounds likely.

...


> >His last meal being composed of so many strange herbs has meant it
> >was interpreted as a sacred Henkersmahlzeit. To me it looks more
> >like he was on the run when the enemies of the ancien regime
> >http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grauballe_Man#Life
> >'His hands were smooth and did not show evidence of hard work,
> >indicating that Grauballe Man was not employed in hard labour such
> >as farming.[4]' caught up with him.
>
> I also find interesting the other hypotheses presented in the
> german version of the article:
>
> http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grauballe-Mann
>
> i.e., that he might have been a member of the upper class,
> possibly ritually sacrificed; or perhaps seen as "possessed" by
> who knows what demons, since his stomach content showed he
> had hallucinations caused by a poisoning with Claviceps purpurea,
> the ergot fungus that grows on cereals; => ergotism.

Ergot poisoning was collective, since everybody ate the same harvest, as for 'ritual sacrifices', his death seems rite-less. Archaeologists do much to explain away possible ancient violent ethnic cleansings, seeing it as their task not to upset modern people.


Torsten