Blood of the Isles

Blood of the Isles by Professor Bryan Sykes. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780593056523.

In 54BC Julius Caesar invaded Britain. His account of that invasion was written up by a number of historians and in it he described various British tribes by their different characteristics. Some were tall and warrior like, others were swarthy and less threatening. Each tribe lived in its own particular area. Some fought with each other; others believed in allegiances. All were subsumed by Rome. lways fascinated by the genealogy of peoples, Bryan Sykes began to wonder what might have become of these tribes. Did they simply disappear in a genetic pool of Roman DNA and subsequently Saxon and Viking and Norman, or did they survive intact? In a major and unique DNA research programme, Bryan Sykes and his team at Oxford University set out to test over 10,000 DNA samples from across the UK with the specific aim of answering this very question- what is the DNA make-up of the UK? Did the Vikings rape and pillage their way throughout Britain? If they did, this would show up in todays DNA samples. And what of the Normans, the Saxons or the Celts? Is modern-day Britain a cocktail of DNA reflecting the history of this country or did the invaders mostly keep to themselves, leaving the origin