Hello Michael
Good to see you here too.
You wrote
> And also in my Harper Collins Atlas Of World History it shows a
> north-west European zone between the Aller and the Somme rivers of
> languages neither Celtic or Germanic, but non-Indo European, and
> this is gathered from place names. It proposes a pre-Indo-European
> people squeezed between expanding Celtic and Germanic peoples. I
> would assume this would pre-date the Westergrupen you mentioned, as
> the Belgae didn't migrated West across the Rhine until later.
Michael I understood that the Nordwestgrupen WAS an Indo-European
people, just another group submerged between Celtic and Germanic.
Regarding the Belgae, it is suggested that this group was the Belgae,
and thus the Flemish, Dutch and Friesan areas were the homeland of
the Belgae - they did not need to move across the Rhine. They
probably are the remnants of people of the Middle Bronze Age cultures
outside the spread of the central European Urnfields. We also find
that these people were both Celticised and Germanised. La Tene
Celtic influence reached as far eastt as the Rhine, along the River
Lippe to the River Saal and the Harz Mountains. Germanic influence
came in three thrusts - a coastal movement from Jutland to Friesland
and thence to the Scheldt estuary, a second thrust down the Aller and
Weser, and a third movement from across the Elbe to the River Lahn.
(This information comes from the Times Atlas of World History).
Anyone else have information on the Hydronyms? I know Cyril had an
article on this group at one stage. Does anyone know what happened
to it?
Regards
John