Kalash of Cultures - Pakistan: http://youtu.be/qEXnEfdvv6s The argument: 1. Watch the video; this Dardic mountain tribe plays polo. They fiercely fought for their independence through the ages, till the British arrived; at which point they adopted some British customs like playing polo on weekends (although they claim they invented the game first). 2. The Kalasha have lived in geographic isolation for so long that their DNA has diverged. But, there are markers to suggest that they come from around the Mediterranean(that is, that they are Dardic). There are 2 theories as to how they got there: a. They were travellers along the silk route who decided to settle in a scenic location and sell spices, apricots and cherries (the latter two do not grow in the subcontinent, only in the Mediterranean; and with no contact with the outside world for centuries, there's no other way they could've gotten these fruits) b. They are descendants of Alexander the Great 's armies; who ref...
Well, big questions raised include
ReplyDelete-Who is Valadian?
-Who is "The Magnus"?
-What does Titus know of Magnus?
Valadian strikes me as a potential Calvin of his time: collecting sensitives to pursue ends that transcend the immediate concerns of his contemporaries. If Valadian is dispatching Obsidius to Carthage, he is clearly playing a game much bigger than the defense of Germania from the Romans. That he is known, even if only by reputation, to Titus is also intriguing.