08-12-2006, 12:43 PM
Hello Robert,
:lol: :lol: :lol: But that's the point, isn't it. We know from
that (extremely limited) survey at West Heslerton that it was actually
Anglo-Saxon WOMEN who were coming here. AND we know
that several of the women from that cemetary were being buried with
WEAPONS. So, in this instance, it is the Anglo-Saxon WOMEN
who are from Mars. :wink: 8)
[color=blue] Erm... Robert; surely the agricultural continuity at West
Heslerton and elsewhere is the proof that the incoming Anglo-Saxons
began farming immediately? At least, that is as valid an interpretation
as assuming (as Powlesland does) that there WAS no large-scale
immigration/invasion on the back of this continuity. [/quote]
[color=blue] Well if, as Paul points out, Pryor is a sheep farmer, rather
than an arable farmer, that has a bearing on his judgement. You can
farm sheep almost anywhere (actually, marshland like Pryor's in East
Anglia or here, on Romney Marsh in Kent is ideal). In fact, you can raise
10 sheep to the acre on Romney Marsh, as it's some of the most fertile
land in the World, whereas, in the Australian outback, you need 10 acres
per sheep. But the point is, the sheep keep themselves, and also prevent
any regrowth of scrubland, keeping pasture as pasture. The Anglo-Saxons
could (and indeed, famously did, in later centuries) make Britain the
sheep-farming capital of Europe. But even if we're talking about arable
farming, you know as well as I do that most campaigns take place in
late-Summer and Autumn, once the harvest has been taken-in. So that
both the invaders leaving their homeland and the defenders who are the
target can devote their undivided attention to each other. 8)
But seriously, the A/S are leaving their flooded coastal farmland, they
wait till the Britons have safely got their grain harvest in (let's say,
August/September) and then they swan across the Channel, conduct
a bit of brief mayhem, push inland to form a bridgehead, and then
invite the in-laws over to start sharing-out the harvest, while the
vanguard keep any native counter-attack at bay. And they steadily
push inland by a mile or so each year, inviting progressively more of
the in-laws over to occupy the land behind them. Simple, isn't it. :wink:
Cheers,
Ambrosius/Mike
[/quote]
Quote:ambrosius:1cgjdik2 Wrote:Exactly, exactly, exactly! :lol: Why, oh why, do people always assumeWell, women are from Venus…
that incoming invaders would not need to eat :?: :!: :?: Were they
Martians or something :?:
:lol: :lol: :lol: But that's the point, isn't it. We know from
that (extremely limited) survey at West Heslerton that it was actually
Anglo-Saxon WOMEN who were coming here. AND we know
that several of the women from that cemetary were being buried with
WEAPONS. So, in this instance, it is the Anglo-Saxon WOMEN
who are from Mars. :wink: 8)
Quote:Eat, sure, but so far, no-one has shown that the dangerous raping and plundering pirates stepped off the boat and immediately began to farm. And not only that, they immediately took over the British farms, apparently chased away the owner (or shunned them to death according to Härke) but still continued to farm there as if nothing had happened.
[color=blue] Erm... Robert; surely the agricultural continuity at West
Heslerton and elsewhere is the proof that the incoming Anglo-Saxons
began farming immediately? At least, that is as valid an interpretation
as assuming (as Powlesland does) that there WAS no large-scale
immigration/invasion on the back of this continuity. [/quote]
Quote:Sorry guys, by you may frown on Pryor’s farming experience if you want, but I still think his arguments hold water: if a farm continues to be run year after year, with no change, you can’t tell me that somewhere the British owner was ousted and an Anglo-Saxon took over. Without any change in the pattern on the ground.
[color=blue] Well if, as Paul points out, Pryor is a sheep farmer, rather
than an arable farmer, that has a bearing on his judgement. You can
farm sheep almost anywhere (actually, marshland like Pryor's in East
Anglia or here, on Romney Marsh in Kent is ideal). In fact, you can raise
10 sheep to the acre on Romney Marsh, as it's some of the most fertile
land in the World, whereas, in the Australian outback, you need 10 acres
per sheep. But the point is, the sheep keep themselves, and also prevent
any regrowth of scrubland, keeping pasture as pasture. The Anglo-Saxons
could (and indeed, famously did, in later centuries) make Britain the
sheep-farming capital of Europe. But even if we're talking about arable
farming, you know as well as I do that most campaigns take place in
late-Summer and Autumn, once the harvest has been taken-in. So that
both the invaders leaving their homeland and the defenders who are the
target can devote their undivided attention to each other. 8)
But seriously, the A/S are leaving their flooded coastal farmland, they
wait till the Britons have safely got their grain harvest in (let's say,
August/September) and then they swan across the Channel, conduct
a bit of brief mayhem, push inland to form a bridgehead, and then
invite the in-laws over to start sharing-out the harvest, while the
vanguard keep any native counter-attack at bay. And they steadily
push inland by a mile or so each year, inviting progressively more of
the in-laws over to occupy the land behind them. Simple, isn't it. :wink:
Cheers,
Ambrosius/Mike
[/quote]
"Feel the fire in your bones."
