Institute of Continuing Education (ICE)
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The origins of the British seem to have been securely laid out since Bede in AD 731, who described the coming of the Anglo-Saxons, and since Buchanan in AD 1582, who suggested that the early British were from Gaul, ultimately leading to the modern concept of an Iron Age 'Celtic' Britain. However, the traditional views are coming under scrutiny with the tools of DNA-based population genetics. This course will explain the basics of DNA analysis, describe current genetic and linguistic research on British origins, and re-examine some of the ancient sources in the light of the new research. A knowledge of genetics and Latin will be helpful but not essential for this course.
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