[gothic-l] Re: The Langobards on Gotland

[keth at ONLINE.NO]

Dirk wrote:
>>
>> Saxo Grammaticus who wrote "The History of the Danes" around
>> 1200, was already familiar with "The History of the Langobards"
>> and mentions Paulus Diaconus by name. He identifies the island
>> on which the Langobards used to live, while they still called
>> themselves "Winniles", as Gotland. (see "The History of the Danes"
>> by Saxo Grammaticus, Book IIX)
>
>> Keth
>
>Hi Keth,
>
>I reported about excavations of a large and undisturbed langobardic
>cemetary in Germany on the Germanic list. I have just read a synopsis
>of an excavation report, which states that the Uelzen cemetary (2000+
>graves just as the larger Luechow cemetary (4000+ graves) were in
>constant use from about 350BC to 500AD and give no indication of an
>inmigration during this time on a notable scale, but support the view
>that many Langobards stayed behind in that area and melted with the
>Saxons from the 2nd century onwards. Also, the Uelzen area which is
>seen as the centre of the Langobards (still called Langobarden gau in
>the 12th century) in the 1st and 2nd century AD was one of the most
>densely populated areas in northern Europe since neolithic times and
>thus highly unsuitable to receive migrators.

What list is that? I am on too many lists already, and I think
too much diversification tends to scatter the resources.
But of course, if a list becomes overloaded with traffic, it may become
time to create a sub-list to divert most of the (off topic) traffic.
Could you give the address of that list one more time?
btw does Menghin mention Welzen?

I don't know if you've been on this list long.
But earlier we've tried to use written sources to trace
the Langobards backward in time. However, many people
did not have access to the text of Paulus the Deacon,
and so we became a little stuck. I was therefore
happy to see that Paulus actually provides details
that had not been emphasized enough earlier.
This was his note about the Winniles changing their
name to "Langobards" after they had won a victory against
the Vandals who were their enemies back then.
It is here that Paulus adds the little detail:
"While they were still living on an island".

I naturally thought that IF they used to live on an
island, this can only have been in the Baltic.

It was then that I asked myself if Saxo could possibly
have been acquainted with Pauli Historia Langobardorum,
and I decided to try to look it up. The surprising
answer was "yes", Saxo _was_ familiar with the Pauli
Historia, and what is more, he even mentions him by
name in his eighth book. What is more, he adds the
information that the Baltic island they used to
live on was Gotland. That, I thought was an interesting
piece of information!

Note that we are here _only_ trying to trace written sources,
in order to find out what _tradition_ has to say.  Arcaeology
is another matter. For example, Paulus says that at that time
the Winniles were very few in number. Hence it was only
a small group at first. But because the were successful in
their campaign and were able to win battles, they grew in
size and expanded as they moved southwards.

Keth



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