[gothic-l] Re: Topoi

[keth at ONLINE.NO]

Hi Dirk !

you wrote (to Ingemar):
>
>I take the fact that you wrote 'not **fully** convinced' as a 
>very positive sign. ;-)

With me it is likewise; I am convinced not this way nor that way.
I'd say that nothing has been proven.

However, I still believe in the legends, and find it interesting to discuss.
But none of the arguments carries enough weigt to convince.

It is starnge, because you'd think a large developing city like Rome,
needing plenty of supplies, and by its power providing the inhabitants
of the peninsula with long periods of peace, should have developed
Italy into a fairly densely populated area. And yet, it is exactly
this densily populated area that so many "Barbarenzüge" are attracted
to, whatever their names are. Wasn't it Brennus in the 3rd century B.C.?
(what does Brennus mean?)
Then the Cimbri and the Teutons in the 2nd century B.C. (no matter
if they were Kelts or Germanii, that is irrelevant). Then Caesar
in the 1st century B.C. meets Germanii who are also on the move South
as he himself marches Northwards through Gallia, comimg past the
Jura and approaching, was it the Mulhouse area?

Then later other Roman emperors meet more of the same kind of people,
all on their way South. What can have happened to all these people,
were they simply destroyed, or did they just fill up Italy that
apparently had room for unlimited numbers?

So I understand perfectly well that the Romans were worried, for
the extra-Limes peoples must have seemed without number to them.
Perhaps a little bit like we 21st century "Romans" see Africa
today? (affraid of being overrun, because they are so productive)

Is it a truism that poor peoples are always extremely fertile?
I recall some generations ago 10 or 12 childeren per family was
not uncommon in Norway. But that was the century that saw the large
immigrations to America. And now there are more "Norwegians" living in
America than there are in Norway (I hear). And then with increased
riches the ferility rate suddenly drops below maintenance level.

What if more than one wife per man had been allowed? A little bit
like the U.S.A. Mormons who followed ancient biblical patriarchal
matrimony systems, in order to increase their number like "Abraham's
seed". I wonder what rate the Mormons actually managed to increase
their number with.

Perhaps when there are good years, the ancient Scandinavians
caught incredible amounts of cod-fish and herring. Nowadays
European fishing boats go all the way to Newfoundland to fish
there, because the area is so rich in fish. In the Middle Ages
Norway supplied half Europe with huge stacks of dried cod-fish.
In the Öresund you could once walk dryshod acoss because of
all the herring!

Fish is protein! Protein makes people fertile and causes
people to grow extremely tall. Gives a good muscular system too.

If a population in a good period triples every 30 years,
then after 60 years it has increased nine-fold. After 90
27 fold! In 120 years it is a factor of 81 !

Let us say the "island" of Scanza has a population of 100 000
in the year 300 B.C. Then you would have had around 10 million
barely a 100 years later, say in 170 B.C. if the years were good
(walking dryshod across Öresund). This just to give some perspecticve
on population dynamics in so called good years.


Best regards
Keth







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