Saxons, Vikings, and Celts: The Genetic Roots of Britain and Ireland

by Bryan Sykes

Overview

From the best-selling author of The Seven Daughters of Eve, a perfect book for anyone interested in the genetic history of Britain, Ireland, and America.

One of the world's leading geneticists, Bryan Sykes has helped thousands find their ancestry in the British Isles. Saxons, Vikings, and Celts, which resulted from a systematic ten-year DNA survey of more than 10,000 volunteers, traces the true genetic makeup of the British Isles and its descendants, taking readers from the Pontnewydd cave in North Wales to the resting place of the Red Lady of Paviland and the tomb of King Arthur. This illuminating guide provides a much-needed introduction to the genetic history of the people of the British Isles and their descendants throughout the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393079784
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	02/07/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	777,568
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Bryan Sykes, professor of human genetics at Oxford University, pioneered the use of DNA in exploring the human past. He is the author of Saxons, Vikings, and Celts and the New York Times bestseller The Seven Daughters of Eve.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements     ix
List of illustrations     xi
North American Preface     xiii
Maps     xvi
Prologue     1
Twelve Thousand Years of Solitude     5
Who Do We Think We Are?     20
The Resurgent Celts     44
The Skull Snatchers     59
The Blood Bankers     78
The Silent Messengers     92
The Nature of the Evidence     110
Ireland     120
The DNA of Ireland     147
Scotland     165
The Picts     177
The DNA of Scotland     186
Wales     219
The DNA of Wales     231
England     241
Saxons, Danes, Vikings and Normans     255
The DNA of England     267
The Blood of the Isles     277
Appendix     289
Index     293

Editorial Reviews

Bryan Sykes' systematic ten-year DNA survey of more than 10,000 people yielded the most comprehensive picture ever made of Great Britain and Ireland's genetic makeup. Using this data, the author develops a history of the British Isles that covers Roman invasions and Norman conquests but extends beyond written records. This fascinating study even includes a chapter about the genetic background of Americans who have descended from British and Irish ancestors. Old history seen in a new light.

Readers picking up this book expecting to learn about the genetic background of the British Isles risk being overwhelmed by long passages full of accounts of wars and invasions, historical figures and place names that are largely unfamiliar to American readers. Sykes's goal, as it was in his The Seven Daughters of Eve and Adam's Curse, is to bring genetics to bear on archaeology and untangle the pedigrees of populations to reveal their origins. Unfortunately, in this case there is too much detailed recounting of each country's history so that by the time we arrive at Sykes's conclusion, it seems anticlimactic. In his favor, Sykes writes in an easy style suitable for popular science material and does make a good case for genetics taking its place alongside archaeology and history as a tool for understanding the past. His discussion of the ups and downs of doing field research provides an interesting look at how a scientist conducts research. Recommended only if there is demand. (Maps, index, and appendix not seen.) [See Prepub Alert, LJ 7/06.]-Ann Forister, Roseville, CA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

"The science is explained with an infectious zest. His book is so revealing that the new... as well as the old should read it."

Independent [England] - Boyd Tonkin

This work concerns a decade-long study of several thousand volunteers from Britain, Ireland, and the U.S. Sykes wished to compile a genetic history of the British Isles from DNA evidence, and in that he did succeed. Interweaving historical accounts of the Isles with accounts from his own study, he finds that much of accepted history is wrong. The choice of Dick Hill to read this meandering work may not be the best fit. His voice is fine but does not quite mesh with this production. His rhythm and pace are rather disjointed. This characteristic makes the work hard to follow, and the listener can quickly lose interest. M.T.F. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

AUG/SEP 07 - AudioFile