[gothic-l] Gothic Ethnogenesis

[Bertil Haggman]

It would be interesting to know more about the
Gothic ethnogenesis in north Poland. Did the Goths
suddenly appear there or did they migrate
from continental Germany ?

The connection of Tacitus Gotones seems unclear.

Linguistic and historical evidence do suggest a
south Scandinavian origin as well as some
archaelogical. Different groups probably
moved from southern Scandinavia across the
Baltic to northern Poland. These were likely not
large scale migrations, but probably groups
of sufficient social or military importance to
become dominant among pre-existing populations.

Todd, M, _The Early Germans_ (1987)
Wolfram, H., _History of the Goths_ (1988)
Ruebekeil, L., _Suebica_ (1992)
Tacitus, _Germania_, commentary, (1999)

Bertil Haggman



> These linguistic similarities do not need to be explained away.
> Whatever the original name meant, it can have had significance for a
> number of people in different areas without any migration or
> connection. Note that the name Veneti is applied to a range of people
> from the Baltic sea cost in central/eastern Europe, Northern Italy
> and Western Gaul. Also, Saami live in northern Scandinavia, while a
> Prussian tribe was also called Sami. In neither case was a migration
> the cause for the occurance of these names in different places.
>
> Even if the name of the Goths, Gauts and Goetar derived from the same
> ethnic group it remains entirely open which group adopted the name
> first and how it was transfered to another group. Especially with
> archaeology arguing against a transmission by migration we would have
> to look for other explanations.



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