[gothic-l] Huns, Sarmatians, Alans...

[Tim O'Neill]

-----Original Message-----
From: Nikolai [mailto:gothologist at yahoo.com]
Sent: Saturday, 2 June 2001 0:59
To: gothic-l at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [gothic-l] Huns, Sarmatians, Alans...

"Since this hath come up a number of times, loosely, ...I want to
ask a question. Ok, 2 questions.

1. What exactly is the dividing line between this group (Rus,
Kievan, Sarmatian, Scythian, Alan, Hun) ...and this group (Goth,
Gepid, Vandal, Burgundian, Lombard, Germanic, etc.)?
I mean culturally, linguistically, ethnically, whatever. I
always thought of the groupings of people as different as
Egyptians and Mongolians. Are they much more closely tied
together somehow?"

The Huns were originally a Turco-Mongolian people and the
Alans and Sarmatians were Iranian peoples.  I think what is
being said is that they were 'Germanicised' due to close contact
with the various East Germanic peoples.  Many of the Huns of
Attila's time had Germanic names and the Alans who accompanied
the Vandals westward also seem to have adopted a generally
Germanic culture and (probably) language.


"And
2. Anyone know of any really good books pertaining mostly to the
Huns, Sarmatians, Kurgens, etc.? ok... let me rephrase that.
Really good books In English."

The best book on the Huns is Otto Maenchen-Helfen's 'The
World of the Huns: Studies in their History and Culture'
(Berkley: Uni of California Press, 1973).  Unfortunately
Maenchen-Helfen died before the book was finished so some
sections are incomplete (like the section on Hunnic warfare
unfortunately) but it is still an excellent book which draws
on Soviet and far Eastern archaeology as well as Latin and
Greek sources.

On the Alans the standard text in Bernie Bachrach's 'History
of the Alans in the West'.  Unfortunately it's out of print,
but most academic libraries should have it.

A search on the Alans on Amazon.com also turned up this
book by Agusti Alemany:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/9004114424/qid=991427323/sr=1-1/ref=s
c_b_1/103-4339684-8399869

Don't know anything about it though.

Hope that helps.

Tim O'Neill


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