From: Jim Jordan <jbjordan@gnt.net>
Subject: Re: (urth) Soldier Series
Date: Thu, 18 Sep 1997 08:37:00 


[Posted from URTH, a mailing list about Gene Wolfe's New Sun and other works]

	As regards the Soldier series, one thing we have to bear in mind is that
it is incomplete. We'd have lots more problems interpreting Severian if we
only had the first two books of the New Sun. 
	The other point to bear in mind, which Mantis touched upon, is that Wolfe
is not committed to "establishment" reconstructions of the history and
chronology of the ancient world, any more than he's committed to
"establishment" views of evolution. (He's Lamarckian.) Speaking as someone
who has done some work in this area, I agree with Wolfe: A great many
supposed certainties about the ancient world are merely hypotheses that
have been repeated too many times. If anyone wants to pursue such matters,
Peter James's *Centuries of Darkness* (Rutgers U. Press) and David Rohl's
*Pharaohs and Kings* (Crown) make a good starting point. 
	At any rate, there is good reason to think that Troy fell around 800 BC,
and that the early Romans were indeed Mycenaean Trojans; and very good
reason to think that Tyreans and other Phoeniceans travelled to the
Americas. Also, one has to bear in mind that Hiram of Tyre was a worshipper
of the God of Israel, and was closely allied to David and Solomon, so that
there was Yahwistic influence among the Phoenicians -- something often
overlooked, but which I would not be surprised if Wolfe picked up on.
	We'll just have to wait and see. Happily, we have been told that Wolfe is
now going to complete the series.

Nutricious