The Origin and Deeds of the Goths

The Germania Board (18 threads, 6899 posts)
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Historical Thread

The Origin and Deeds of the Goths is the full title of the history of the Gothic peoples written in the Sixth Century by the Goth Jordanes. His work was an abridged version of a much longer history of the Gothic peoples written by Cassiodorus under the patronage of Theodoric the Great, but this work is now lost. While Jordanes' work retains, therefore, something of the political agenda of the earlier work and has a heavy emphasis on Theodoric's ancestors and the nobility of the house of the Amalings as well as a few other agendas, it remains our major source for the early history of this important Germanic tribe.

From their obscure origins as a minor tribe in the farthest corner of northern Europe to their establishment of powerful kingdoms in Italy and Spain 500 years later, the Goths and their sub-tribes had a vast impact on European history in the final centuries of the Roman Empire. They reached the height of their power and influence under Theodoric the Great in Italy, but their impact was felt from Scandinavia to North Africa, their language rose to the level of liturgical use in the Arian Church and the few pieces of their book arts and jewellery which survive are testaments to their artistic talents.

This thread is devoted to the history of the Goths: debates about their origins, their expansion from the Baltic to the steppes, their migrations into the Empire and the careers of Gothic warlords like Fritigern, Alaric and Theodoric.

Created by:
* Thiudareiks Flavius, Jan 12, 2003 - 16:20