Some People just Never travel Far form Home

[M.Dancer]

In Germany they find some burials dating back over 3000 years. The skulls are in good condition so they extract DNA and find the marker is unique...so they canvas and ask for DNA samples to see if anyone around might be related...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7570928.stm

[Wilber]

Very interesting, a good reminder of what a young country we are.

[ispeakforher]

I agree... It's very interesting article though :- )

[August1991]

Key quote from above link:

This is the spot where Manfred's relatives, dating back 3,000 years, were buried. The cave remained hidden from view until 1980, and it was only later, in 1993, that archaeologists discovered 40 Bronze Age skeletons.

The 3,000-year-old skeletons were in such good condition that anthropologists at the University of Goettingen managed to extract a sample of DNA. That was then matched to two men living nearby: Uwe Lange, a surveyor, and Manfred Huchthausen, a teacher. The two men have now become local celebrities.

"It's odd, standing here in the same area where my ancestors were buried. I felt really strange when I had the bones, the skull of my great-great-great grandfather dating back 120 generations, in my hands," said Manfred.

I hate to say it but this is how I know Europeans. Despite the American perception of cosmopolitan Europe, Europeans in fact are terribly parochial. This might explain their violent nature. European wars have not only been the most violent in history, Europeans have a tendency to spread their village disputes and conflicts elsewhere. South America, by comparison, is a haven of peace. In the past 200 years, which continent has seen more bloodshed?

I read somewhere that the average American moves every five years. It appears now that some Europeans don't move for 3000 years.

Good find Morris.

Edited November 1, 2008 by August1991

[Argus]

Key quote from above link:

I hate to say it but this is how I know Europeans. Despite the American perception of cosmopolitan Europe, Europeans in fact are terribly parochial. This might explain their violent nature. European wars have not only been the most violent in history,

They have? That would probably be news to the Indians and Chinese.

Not that Indian or Chinese history is much covered over here.

As for South Americans, most of those countries have only been nominally independent for a few decades. And I would not describe them as paragons of peaceful virtue.

Edited November 1, 2008 by Argus

[Riverwind]

European wars have not only been the most violent in history, Europeans have a tendency to spread their village disputes and conflicts elsewhere.

European wars are no more frequent than anywhere else. What distinguishes European wars is the use of technology to make the killing more efficient. That is a the natural consequence of a society that is good at developing technology.

South America, by comparison, is a haven of peace. In the past 200 years, which continent has seen more bloodshed?

The Aztecs and Olmecs were pretty violant cultures.

It appears now that some Europeans don't move for 3000 years.

Any remains found from 3000 years ago are likely the ancestors of millions of people (100 generations with two surviving children). The chances of a couple people from those millions showing up in the village near where the bones were found is quite high. This is an example of an event that sounds improbable when it is actually quire probable.

[August1991]

European wars are no more frequent than anywhere else. What distinguishes European wars is the use of technology to make the killing more efficient. That is a the natural consequence of a society that is good at developing technology.

The Aztecs and Olmecs were pretty violant cultures.

You have to reach back over 500 years or more to find such violence in South America. In Europe, they were viciously fighting as recently as a decade ago in Yugoslavia. Europeans also have the characteristic of standing by while other Europeans nearby are killing each other.

In the past several hundred years in North America, how many wars or battles have been fought? During the same period, how many were fought in Europe?

Riverwind, don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying that violence doesn't exist elsewhere. I am merely making the case that European culture, far from being civilized, is among the most violent on this planet.

As for South Americans, most of those countries have only been nominally independent for a few decades. And I would not describe them as paragons of peaceful virtue.

Most of South America obtained its independence almost two hundred years ago, well before Canada's confederation. Edited November 4, 2008 by August1991

[Riverwind]

In Europe, they were viciously fighting as recently as a decade ago in Yugoslavia. Europeans also have the characteristic of standing by while other Europeans nearby are killing each other.

South America has been a slaughterhouse for a century or more as various civil wars erupted. The level of violence as measured in the number of deaths may be lower but their impact on the population has been much much worse. The story is not much different elsewhere where regional conflicts from Sri Lanka and Kashmir to the Khmer Rouge and Cultural Revolution have claimed millions of lives.

I am merely making the case that European culture, far from being civilized, is among the most violent on this planet.

And I am saying that your assertions cannot stand up to the even basic scrutiny. In fact, the commitment to democracy and peaceful resolution of international conflict is primarily a european invention and that cannot be forgotten even as one tallies the deaths from european wars. Edited November 4, 2008 by Riverwind