Name of the Goths

[akoddsson]

--- In gothic-l at yahoogroups.com, Michael Erwin <merwin at ...> wrote:
>
> Thanks, but the Celtic languages (for example) do not survive 
around their Central-European birthplaces. None of us know why one 
language sometimes replaces another language and sometimes does not. 
I'm not too familar with early Weilbark archaeology but Heather 
1998, pp. 25-26 states that:

> "Only one feature of the earlier phase of the Weilbark culture, 
the appearance of stone circles in cemeteries (27 had been 
identified by 1983), was practices earlier in Scandinavia than on 
the European  mainland. ..."
> 
> Basically he argues that the Oksywie culture develops into the  
Weilbark culture, and that many late Oksywie cemeteries are early  
Weilbark cemeteries, and that historical sources put the Goths on 
the Vistula by the late first century, phase B1b, while the stone 
circles appear in the early second century, phase B2 (though much 
earlier in  Scandinavia).

'historical sources put the Goths on the Vistula by the late first 
century...', but from where? As Tore mentioned, Gutland was already 
an important center of trade during the bronze age. Heather argues 
that the Oksywie culture 'developes' into the wielbark culture, but 
this talk of development suggests that differences, as shown in the 
archeaological record of these two cultures, must be accounted for. 
Not surprisingly, there is talk of stone circles. Of course, there 
need be no talk of 'development' or radical change if the Vistula-
Goths burial practices were simply assumed to continue the Gothic 
burial practices found earlier on Gutland, as they match. It should 
hardly come as a surprise, then, that the Vistula is immeadiately 
opposite Gutland, as the map indicates. Furthermore, it should not 
come as a surprise that the Vistula-folk called themselves Goths, as 
this is what the folk on Gutland would have been called. Indeed, it 
seems clear that Gothic settlements were built up around the Vistula 
and that these became, at some point, rather significant. Likewise, 
it seems clear that they represented an expansion of the Gothic folk 
outside of Gutland, which the archeaological record shows to be the 
older settlement, being a major trading center even in the bronze 
age. Clearly, expanding into Sweden or Gautland was not an option, 
as these areas were fully occupied. Indeed, both Sweden and Gautland 
are replete with bronze age (and earlier) archeaological sites. The 
logical option would have been to build just across the water at the 
Vistula. Lastly, one hardly needs to mention that birth-control was 
not an option then. And the Goths expand...

Regards,
Konrad







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