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Originally Posted by Jim McDougall
The subject on Celtic influence in North Africa seems to be best considered as indirect diffusion. While the Celtic culture was clearly widespread over considerable ancient periods, it permeated many developing cultures, with its influences remaining as fiber in all of them. I was thinking, I myself carry Celtic influence, as clearly my surname reflects Scottish ancestry, and as often the case in American people, my geneology reflects Germanic and other influences, all Indo-European, as well. In this sense, Celtic influence did exist in North African culture. I think the link that David posted showed it well, reflecting linguistic associations between Berber language and Gaelic.
Rather than progressive line of development, which of course we know does not exist presently in archaeological evidence, I believe there has been often in many cultures, a reaching for tradition in weaponry, which in many cases might best be considered sought in iconographical sources. Possibly this might explain the adoption of certain distinct features on weapons that have appeared with ancient appearance in relatively modern times. I believe there are a number of examples that reflect this possibility such as the shotel, and others such as the yataghan, therefore indirectly....the flyssa.
All best regards,
Jim
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Jim, can I point that North Africa was the source of a much more ancient and developed culture than the celtan (the egyptian)? And also, that North Africa continued, thorught the hellenism, and latter throught the romanization, being a great culture? That when the celts were being assimilated to the roman-hipanian society, in the Alexandria Library the scientists were calculating with great precision the diameter of the earth, elaborating the heliocentric theory of the solar system and demostrating the roundness of the earth? I think there are lingüistic coincidencies trought all over the world, as with the sanscrit and the greek and in the other side the mayan, but no proof of intercourses among the mayan and the others. I know how many speculative theories have been elaborated in this respect. I must agree that the mediterranean basin was a great caouldron on great intercourses, but all time the influences are seen as comming from Europe, and this is not true. And even in the european Middle Age, there seem to be a more advanced culture in North Africa than in Europe. Plato, Aristotle and great part of the classic culture was preserved in Norh Africa when the barbarians destroyed it, almost obliterated it completely, in Europe. And they only recuperated it throught the arabs. I also think there is a clear evidence of a more advanced metallurgy in the islamic world, and thus of swordmaking, than in Europe. We need to make a comparative history lines, and see material evidence of such connections (archaeologycal and historical), to establish connections and influences among edged weapons, which I do not doubt they exist, but in a manner different as we have always supposed. And there are also, parallel invention and discoveries.