Writing of one's own land carries certain risks. If the view is too internally focussed, the dynamics of human movements are omitted. Yet a study giving an overview of our migrations around the planet may just as easily skip past details of nation forming. National histories have a tendency to reinforce local mythologies and traditions. Global views, on the other hand, overlook those traditional icons. David Miles has struck a fine balance with this study of British societies down the ages.
Britain, he contends, holds a special place in human prehistory and beyond. Situated at the edge of the EurAsian landmass, it was populated by early hominids long before the Ice Age [see "Fairweather Eden" by Michael Pitts & Mark Roberts]. When the ice arrived, humans were pushed back to the Continent, only to return again as the glaciers retreated. One of the more notable archaeological finds is "The Red Lady of Paviland". This skeleton was unearthed in 1823 and later proved to be the first early human fossil. It also was determined that it was a male. The remains are now dated at 26 000 BCE. Yet more appropriate is the Amesbury Archer. This grave, near Stonehenge, contained the body of an adult male who'd been born and raised in the Northern Alps. To Miles, these cycles of migration set a pattern for subsequent settlement. They also laid the groundwork for British expansion in later centuries.
At some point we must ask "Who are the Britons and who are the immigrants?" This is the very point Miles stresses as he explains the roots and impact of people entering the British Isles. The Irish, firm in their ties to their own island, clearly have Continental roots. How close are they to the Scots and other peoples crossing the Channel. The science of molecular genetics, which Miles cites frequently, helps formulate a picture of the origins of the population of The Isles. He further explains that far from enjoying a "splendid isolation" from the Continent, people, goods and cultural norms moved back and forth across those waters. The Channel proved less a barrier than a liquid bridge. Yet, not all the exchanges were trade or brides, as the Roman occupations demonstrate. The Romans added much to the cultural base of Britain, but when they left, there was competition for land and resources.
After the Romans, it's typical schoolroom fare to learn of Angles, Saxons and other Northern European invaders "taking over" Britain. Yet neither these, nor the notorious Norsemen, proved to be displacers of the existing population. All these entering peoples made settlements, intermarried and contributed something new to the society. The last "successful" invasion by William's "Normans" were merely another step in the amalgamation of several populations. That William also brought new forms of administration, such as the Domesday Book of tax records, proved a blessing in land management and legal standards. Nor was the shift of peoples always westward. The religious conflicts of later years saw Poland occupied by so many Scots that "skapy jak Szkot" became a common expression for somebody tightfisted with money and dour of expression. As the Empire grew, so did the number leaving Britain for colonial opportunity.
Miles has produced a work of infinite interest. It's immensely appropriate today given the influx of people to Britain from among its former colonies as well as other lands. His concluding chapter, "New Britons" is an intense examination of today's "problems" with people viewed as "outsiders". Since everybody in The Isles is an "outsider" or the descendents of such folk, the value of this book becomes starkly clear. With the weighty scholarship underlying Miles' narrative, it seems callous to criticise it for lacks. Maps would have been useful, particularly to those not living in The Isles. The "References" demonstrate the extent of Miles' research, but they are organised by chapter - a full bibilography isn't provided. These are not, however, detrimental to what Miles has achieved with this superb work. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
