XPost: alt.religion.druid, alt.traditional.witchcraft, soc.culture.celtic   
   From: flink@btinternet.com   
      
   You have to remember that the pagan Roman authorities suppressed both   
   Christianity and Druidism, in addition the insularity of Britain was such   
   that the later edict suppressing polytheism were not recognised in Britain,   
   which stuck to Constantine's original edict of religious toleration.   
   "Kevin Jones"  wrote in message   
   news:cig1ej$rtm$1@ngspool-d02.news.aol.com...   
   > "allan connochie"  wrote in message   
   > news:414b9a19@news.greennet.net...   
   > >   
   > > "Kevin Jones"  wrote in message   
   > > news:cifmog$ok8$1@ngspool-d02.news.aol.com...   
   > > > "allan connochie"  wrote in message   
   > > > news:414ae741@news.greennet.net...   
   > > > >   
   > > > > "Bogman"  wrote in message   
   > > > > news:cidc5g$7g8$1@titan.btinternet.com...   
   > > > > >   
   > > > > > "Searles O'Dubhain"  wrote in message   
   > > > > > news:4u6dnYMweriDot_cRVn-qA@giganews.com...   
   > > > > > >   
   > > > > > > "flink"  wrote in message   
   > > > > > > news:chtave$6e6$1@hercules.btinternet.com...   
   > > > > > > > Absolute crap. Celtic crosses were first manufactured at   
   > Chester,   
   > > > and   
   > > > > > > are a   
   > > > > > > > variant of XP, the Greek for Chi Rho, the first two letters of   
   > > > Christ.   
   > > > > > >   
   > > > > > > How was this information verified?  Are you claiming Chester as   
   > the   
   > > > > > > point of origin for all Celtic crosses?   
   > > > > > >   
   > > > > > > Searles   
   > > > > > >   
   > > > > > Verified by archeology old fruit! Chester, like Carlisle, was a   
   > great   
   > > > > > Romano-British and Christian city, both these two cities guarded   
   the   
   > > > > > corridor between Acotland and Wales, i.e. Strathclyde or   
   Ystradclwyd   
   > > and   
   > > > > > Powys.   
   > > > >   
   > > > > I don't think he's asking for evidence that Chester and Carlisle   
   > > existed.   
   > > > > He's asking for evidence that 'Celtic crosses were first   
   manufactured   
   > at   
   > > > > Chester' which is what you claimed.  If it is so and is verified by   
   > > > > archaeology then why don't you just give the references?   
   > > >   
   > > > It isn't verified by archaeology.   
   > >   
   > > I suspected not.  Not much of what Boggie writes is verified by   
   anything.   
   >   
   > :-)   
   >   
   > > Thanks for the interesting post Kevin.   
   >   
   > You're welcome. I've occasionally grumbled about the rather artificial   
   > division between wheel symbols and Celtic crosses - I suspect that Celtic   
   > Christians just continued to use an indigenous symbol, which is probably   
   > unsurprising. It's becoming academically accepted that Christianity in   
   > Ireland, for example, proceeded by syncretism, rather than replacement. In   
   > fact I've seen a couple of articles arguing that Christianity in Late   
   Roman   
   > Britain wasn't exactly orthodox, and was likely to have been influenced by   
   > other religions in the province.   
   >   
   > Incidentally, the topic of the dissertation related wheel symbolism and   
   > religious iconography to concepts of time and time measurement, as applied   
   > to the agricultural cycle. I had a chat while writing it with a Danish   
   > colleague who had done some work on the orientation of wheel symbols in   
   > Danish petroglyphs. The four-spoked varieties appear to be generally   
   > orientated to cardinal points in the sun's annual travel i.e. solstice   
   > points. This concurred with my hypothesis. I did wonder why the late   
   > Neolithic/early Bronze Age Danes didn't simply use a post and shadow for   
   > marking solar positions, until a friend in Michigan pointed out that frost   
   > heave would have the post going all over the place, and thus rapidly make   
   it   
   > useless. This is apparently easily observed in their area by the drunken   
   > attitude soon assumed by rural electricity poles. It appears that the   
   > climate in parts of Michigan is not far removed from that of Scandinavia   
   in   
   > that respect. To avoid this problem, you need to bury a post more than   
   four   
   > feet deep with a massive foundation, and even then it may flex   
   unacceptably   
   > for such work. It was simpler, it appears, to simply carve an orientated   
   > design on a massive flat bit of bedrock that would be unaffected by frost   
   > heave. It obviously worked if my colleague can still mark the alignments.   
   > The only other alternative for the period was a massive orientated   
   earthwork   
   > structure, which would require a large workforce to construct, plus a   
   degree   
   > of central organisation. As I recall, there is at least one example of   
   such   
   > a structure in Denmark - it's later however.   
   >   
   > Kevin   
   >   
   >   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)