
Blood of the Isles by Bryan Sykes
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 today's 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
Bryan Sykes is Professor of Human Genetics at the University of Oxford, has had a remarkable scientific career in genetics. After undertaking medical research into the causes of inherited bone disease, he set out to discover if DNA, the genetic material, could possibly survive in ancient bones. It did and he was the first to report on the recovery of ancient DNA from archaeological bone in the journal Nature in 1989. Since then Professor Sykes has been called in as the leading international authority to examine several high profile cases, such as the Ice Man, Cheddar Man and the many individuals claiming to be surviving members of the Russian Royal Family. He is the author of The Seven Daughters of Eve and Adam's Curse.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780593056530 |
| ISBN 10 | 0593056531 |
| Title | Blood of the Isles |
| Author | Bryan Sykes |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Transworld Publishers Ltd |
| Year published | 2006-09-12 |
| Number of pages | 320 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |