Re: [tied] Re: Sardinian.

From: DEFAYES MICHEL
Message: 3169
Date: 2000-08-16

 

John Croft a écrit:

Mark wrote

> I seem to be missing something about Sardinian (the language).
There
is the modern Romance language, which I gather is the closest to
Latin
of all Romance languages. There was also the Phoenecian language
spoken there in antiquity. Is there is an undeciphered script I'm
unaware of?

I understand there are a few lines in Carthaginian script that cannot
be deciphered.  As for who these people are, the culture of Sardinia
during the Late Bronze Age - early Iron Age is highly destinct and
very different than anywhere else in Europe.  Known as the Nuraghe
Builders (from the building of round circular defensive towers
similar
to the Scottish Brochs in form - but with no connection
historically),
they also left many little bronze figurines of sward bearing and
orned
helmetted warriors.  Many have pointed to the similarity between them
and the Shardana, as painted at Medinet Habu and other gyptian
inscriptions by Rameses II (who had a detatchment of Shardana
mercinaries on his side at Kadesh), by Marenptah and Rameses III.

The clincher is the recent excavation of a Nuraghe Builder site in...
yes you guessed it, Israel.  Thus the Nuraghe Builders were probably
the Shardana, and they participated in the Peoples of the Sea
troubles.  Linguists suggest that Sharda-na is related to the city of
Sardis, capital of the Lydians and Persian province of Lydia.  If
this
is true, then we have another movement similar to the Tyrrhenoi.
Starting in Western Anatolia, attacking Egypt, and settling in the
Western Mediterranean.

Whatever the movements, the Shardana seem to have not had much of an
impact upon Sardinian genes (unless they were the ones who introduced
the Caucasian element!)

> As for the Sardinian genetic pool, well, this is an island, and
islands, especially isolated islands, tend to be genetically
homogeneous. It's the founder effect. The few people who get their
first will reproduce, fill all the available space, and perpetuate
their genetic group. Such groups do not take part in the genetic
mixing you get on a mainland. I gather that the Sardinian gene pool
is
quite distant from the rest of the peoples surrounding it in Europe
and Africa.

Yes Mark you are totally correct with the founder effect.  It has
been
demonstrated elsewhere (particularly in the Americas).  There is also
a "founder effect" operating in the "out of Africa" hypothesis too.

Regards

John

>
> Mark.

The founder effect ?? Which founder ? Sardinia was first (as far as we know) inhabited by the builders of nuraghi (4000 B.C, therefore long before the Shardanas. Then came the Phoenicians. Then the Pelasgians (cf. Shardana etc.). Then the Greeks. And the Arabs (Saracens). There is a lot of linguistic concordances and relationships between Romanian and Sardinian... There are quite a few lexical concordances between Gallo-Romance and northern Sardinia (i.e. Gallura, not by coincidence). "Ligurian" (i.e. present day Liguria) colonies are well-known in Sardinia. The close relationship of Sardinian to Spanish (plural in /s/ etc.) indicates a massive immigration from Spain. Algher is a Catalan city. And finally the massive immigration of peninsular Italians. In conclusion: few islands have seen so many "visitors" and gene bearers.

Best regards to all
Michel