red hair in the illiad

[Watchman]

I like the idea, just because it makes more sense than the idea of the Greeks using chariots in a very Celtic style then reverting back to other styles.
Especially if you compare the the Iliad to Celts in Britain, and their tactics.

The Iliad was compiled centuries after the Mycenean chariot warfare had been abandoned, so the descriptions on exactly how they went about using those noisy things are understandably a little confused. The Dorics, having cast to ruin the arostocratic charioteers and their civilization, obviously had never seen any reason to preserve the know-how. Surviving pictorial sources suggest the Myceneans used the "light" pattern of chariot very popular in the Chariot Age Middle East though, which was chiefly a mobile archery platform. The bit about Odysseus' strong bow is pretty interesting in that regard.

The Celtic tradition of chariot warfare had rather little in common with the by then long defunct two main schools of Late Bronze Age chariotry, although a descendant of the Hittites' "heavy shock" approach was used by the Assyrians until their end, by some accounts by the Carthaginians as a terror weapon until they turned to elephants, and by the Indian armies Alexander fought.

[Julian the apostate]

thank you for the link.
a shame i'd have to spend money as i'm broke

[KARTLOS]

in classical times a larger percentage of the poulation was fair headed. blondes were much more common as were red heads.

the ethnic composition of people described as greek has changed alot since then for many reasons. modern greeks are not really an exclusive ethnic group, in comparison for example to norwegians. Being greek more signifies a common cultural heritage rather than distinctive genetics.

[Watchman]

Well, the Greek peninsula is kind of in media res and duly pretty much everyone and their dog went there at one point or another. Fennoscandia is kind of a cold and hostile backwater on the edge of nowhere, so the incoming traffic was naturally rather puny in comparision.

[Cataphract_Of_The_City]

in classical times a larger percentage of the poulation was fair headed. blondes were much more common as were red heads.

And your sources for this statement are?

[KARTLOS]

And your sources for this statement are?

it is just quite a common observation that many of the ancient greeks were described as being blonde, freckly etc.

obviously there still remains some fair greeks but it is certainly not common.

do you need a source for the fact that the ethnic make- up of the greeks has changed massively since classical times?

Interestingly a number of egpytian pharoes mummies have been found to have
blonde and red hair. I believe Ramsess II was a red head!

[KARTLOS]

here is a link on rameses red headed ness:

http://www.north-of-africa.com/artic...id_article=210