On Sun, 11 Apr 1999 18:23:31 -0400, Don Wiss <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Amadeus Schmidt wrote:
>
>>Who sais (or has references) that celts had a "high rate of gluten
>>intolerance and schizophenia"??
>>I'd like to underline that Celts are *not* just Irish or some "late
>>developpers"
>
>I have never used the word Celtic. I pointed out that the Romans spread
>agriculture throughout their empire, but places they didn't conquer:
>Scotland, Ireland, and at least parts of Scandinavia, didn't start
>agriculture until afterwards. That means these place have had agriculture
>for less than 2,000 years.
Romans brought some signinicant enhancements to agriculture,
to
 the areas they conquered.
Especially new plants like chestnut or raddish - and some of them
are todays paleolithic alternatives

I'm not a specialist on northern archeology (irish). These places have due
to their relatively cool climate more problems to grow plants,
so in some areas only animal husbandry is usual.
Oats and barley are plants that grow well even in a cool climate.
Oats had been called the "wheat of the north".
But i don't think that exactely the romans brought agriculture to
Ireland. A celtic area without agriculture isn't thinkable.
And before them, the copper age and stone age cultures
may have reached Ireland.

I'll take a closer look to Ireland.

Btw. if someone is Irish: the Irish mostly trace themselves back to celtic roots.
This are *moved* people. There isn't a reason to reduce Irish' anchestors
to 2000 years agriculture therefore. 6000 may be more appropiate.