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Chinese villagers 'descended from Roman soldiers'
The Telegraph ^ | 11/23/2010 | NIck Squires

Posted on 11/24/2010 2:29:16 PM PST by markomalley


Cai Junnian's green eyes give a hint he may be a descendant of Roman mercenaries who allegedly fought the Han Chinese 2,000 years ago
Genetic testing of villagers in a remote part of China has shown that nearly two thirds of their DNA is of Caucasian origin, lending support to the theory that they may be descended from a 'lost legion' of Roman soldiers.

Tests found that the DNA of some villagers in Liqian, on the fringes of the Gobi Desert in north-western China, was 56 per cent Caucasian in origin.

Many of the villagers have blue or green eyes, long noses and even fair hair, prompting speculation that they have European blood.

A local man, Cai Junnian, is nicknamed by his friends and relatives Cai Luoma, or Cai the Roman, and is one of many villagers convinced that he is descended from the lost legion.

Archeologists plan to conduct digs in the region, along the ancient Silk Route, to search for remains of forts or other structures built by the fabled army.

"We hope to prove the legend by digging and discovering more evidence of China's early contacts with the Roman Empire," Yuan Honggeng, the head of a newly-established Italian Studies Centre at Lanzhou University in Gansu province, told the China Daily newspaper.

(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...


TOPICS: History; Science
KEYWORDS: china; dna; emptydna; godsgravesglyphs; helixmakemineadouble; homerhdubs; liqian; liquan; mtdna; romanempire; romansinchina; uzbekistan
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1 posted on 11/24/2010 2:29:17 PM PST by markomalley
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To: markomalley; SunkenCiv

Entirely possible, but Aryan, Turkic and even Norse gene pools sloshed back and forth over the steppes for several millenia, and worked both ways as a few Sarmation units may have made it to Britain. Still the concentration in a settled society is unusual, and may well be Romans.


2 posted on 11/24/2010 2:36:22 PM PST by Psalm 144
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To: markomalley

A local man, Cai Nullian, is nicknamed by his friends and relatives Cai Luonai, or Cai the Cannoli, and is one of many villagers convinced that he is descended from the lost legion.


3 posted on 11/24/2010 2:39:27 PM PST by bunkerhill7
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To: markomalley; Psalm 144

4 posted on 11/24/2010 2:39:47 PM PST by GreenLanternCorps ("Barack Obama" is Swahili for "Jimmy Carter".)
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To: Psalm 144
The Mongol Empire was given to shipping people hither and yon ~ but to get green eyes you have to have the gene(s) for red/yellow or brown/yellow pigment ~ (same kind, just a variation in expression) ~ and that means not only "white blood", but Celtic Fringe "white blood" ~ and you could get that delivered to you directly over the last 1,000 years, or kind of indirectly over the last 4,000 years via the Silk Road.

Chinese appear to be the only ones ever surprised to find that there's a Scotsman in the Woodpile eh!

5 posted on 11/24/2010 2:40:59 PM PST by muawiyah (GIT OUT THE WAY ~ REPUBLICANS COMIN' THROUGH)
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To: Psalm 144; markomalley

May be the same people as these.

http://discovermagazine.com/1994/apr/themummiesofxinj359


6 posted on 11/24/2010 2:42:31 PM PST by bigheadfred (/s happens)
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To: markomalley
Sounds like a gladiator in the woodpile......

;^)

7 posted on 11/24/2010 2:43:04 PM PST by Dumpster Baby (Truth is called hate by those who hate the truth.)
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To: bigheadfred

There is that possibility, and they also indicate a more settled lifestyle than the various horse nomad tribes.

The Emishi are a similar enigma. I would love to see some determined DNA testing of these and the cultures identified as Cimmerian, Scythian, Sarmatian, Alan etc., compared with modern Ossetians, Welsh, Magyars, etc.


8 posted on 11/24/2010 2:49:40 PM PST by Psalm 144
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To: markomalley; Fred Nerks

The theory is that these people with 2/3 Caucasion blood got it from defeated Caucasian Romans?

I call bull to that. Most Romans were dark, and did not have green eyes and red hair.

These people are descendents of ancient Celts, who immigated to the Urumqui region along the Silk route.

The remains of these Celts have already been discovered
and dated.

Search Term: “Riddle of the Desert Mummies”

http://tv.yahoo.com/riddle-of-the-desert-mummies/show/21114/castcrew


9 posted on 11/24/2010 2:52:03 PM PST by Candor7 (Obama . fascist info..http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/05/barack_obama_ipthe_quintessentia_1.html)
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To: markomalley

It only makes sense that there would be an intermingling of
people when the two large races rub to together so to speak.
Look at an Ethiopian, many have very ‘Caucasian’ features.
They live between the two large races of people.
I guess the thing that they are look for is are they Roman decent? Do they have a haplogroup of just ancient Romans?


10 posted on 11/24/2010 2:54:43 PM PST by Doulos1 (Bitter Clinger Forever!)
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To: muawiyah

The Chinese describe various groups of Hsiung Nu horse nomads in similar terms: the Yellow Hairs, Green Eyes, etc. They were considered dangerous and untrustworthy barbarians, but then who wasn’t?

The Hsiung Nu were contemporary with the various “Scythian” peoples described by Herodotus, and the later Sarmatians and Alans. Large people with a martial culture. Intriguing similarities in animal style art as well, although that could as easily be due to trade as ethnicity.


11 posted on 11/24/2010 2:56:36 PM PST by Psalm 144
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To: Candor7
Maybe they were direct descendants of the Goddess Bast. ;)
12 posted on 11/24/2010 3:01:01 PM PST by Perdogg (What Would Aqua Buddha do?)
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To: Candor7

I call bull to that. Most Romans were dark, and did not have green eyes and red hair.

*******************************

Not necessarily true during the Republic. When all roads led to Rome it became more true. Then less true again as Goths etc. poured in from the east, then more true again as Arabs and other groups dabbled in the gene pool. DNA is the way to sort this, but that would be problematical and expensive.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahenobarbus


13 posted on 11/24/2010 3:02:29 PM PST by Psalm 144
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To: Psalm 144

Entirely possible race-wise. My former Mexican landlords here in Hollywood can EASILY pass as Irish. People dont know there are 2 kinds of Mexicans, the aztecas (dark) and the mestizos (white). The mestizos were direct descendants of the Spaniards. There were countless times the couple were being invited for St paddy’s Day and they have to explain countless times they were originally from Cabo.


14 posted on 11/24/2010 3:04:34 PM PST by max americana
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To: markomalley

marked.


15 posted on 11/24/2010 3:19:44 PM PST by SMCC1
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To: markomalley

I noticed actress Kristin Kreuk has green eyes. She is half Chinese and half Dutch. If her Mother was truly all Chinese, she could not have a green eyed Daughter unless there was some Caucasian in her blood also.


16 posted on 11/24/2010 3:36:25 PM PST by yarddog
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To: Psalm 144
I would love to see some determined DNA testing of these

And dare call the sacrosanct ethnicity of THE CHINESE into question????

WHAT KIND OF PERSON ARE YOU!!!???!!!???

LOL

17 posted on 11/24/2010 4:15:52 PM PST by bigheadfred (/s happens)
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To: bigheadfred

WHAT KIND OF PERSON ARE YOU!!!???!!!???

**********************

Most likely a mix of Caucasian and Central Asian.

:-)


18 posted on 11/24/2010 4:38:24 PM PST by Psalm 144
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To: markomalley

If the food and wine in that region are superior, it’s probably a ‘yes’...


19 posted on 11/24/2010 4:42:17 PM PST by GOPJ ('Power abdicates only under the stress of counter-power." Martin Buber /a Tea-nami's coming..)
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To: Psalm 144

Well, I still think its not likely. Ther real influx of nomadic peoples into Western China was about 4000 years ago, according to the caucasian remains found at Urumqi.
The wool from the cloth was tested and found to be from sheep of East European origin. Many had red hair. They even discovered plaid cloth on one mummy.

Its just politically incorrect to mention all of this; the Celts , you see, were nothing more than ignorant barbarians./s


20 posted on 11/24/2010 4:53:07 PM PST by Candor7 (Obama . fascist info..http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/05/barack_obama_ipthe_quintessentia_1.html)
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