[gothic-l] Re: Germanic Migrations

[MCLSSAA2 at FS2.MT.UMIST.AC.UK]

--- In gothic-l at egroups.com, dirk at s... wrote:
> ... Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia ...
> One short question. If the first Germans came to this area say
> Thuringia in 500 BC from Scandinavia as you seem to suggest, who was
> living there before this. The area was never settled by Celts. Were
> they the remnants of the earlier megalithic cultures?

Likely speaking a non-Indo-European language, which perished
unrecorded while the Middle East had had writing for over 1500 years.
It is one of the greatest pities in linguistics that parchment wasn't
invented much sooner. Literacy needs bulk available writing material,
which meant:-
  (1) The area being arid enough for clay tablets to survive, or
  (2) The area being within sailing range of Egypt to import blank
papyrus, plus having something to trade for it.
  Central Europe is neither.
  Until someone discovered how to make parchment from animal skin.



-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eGroups eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9698/8/_/3398/_/973176198/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->

You are a member of the Gothic-L list.  To unsubscribe, send a blank email to <gothic-l-unsubscribe at egroups.com>.
Homepage: http://www.stormloader.com/carver/gothicl/index.html