[gothic-l] Gaut, an additional view

[keth at ONLINE.NO]

Thank you for your comment, Tore!
>We must not forget that the Gothic culture pured back mainly to Gotland all
>the time the Goths lived in the Vistula area and during all the trek down
>to the Black sea. There must have been at least close cultural links
>between the Goths and Gotland. How much were the Goths influenced by the
>Marcomannen and La Théne culture. Gotland was very much influenced them. An
>influence that is not found in Sweden.
>Tore


I have a book on the Gotland rune stones.
What is fascinating is that the earliest picture stones
look "Greek" to me !   That is, the art style there, is,
to me, in some ways simialr to old Greek art. (like what
you see on for example Greek urns)

Of course, this may be only a "subjective" impression.
But, nevertheless, to me it indicates, or makes probable,
whichever way you want to say it, that in the old times,
long before the Viking Age, Gotland was in fact connected
to the Greek world. And it seems to me that the connection
can only have been via SE Balticum and the river systems there.
After all, once you live on an island, you *do need a boat,
and when you have a boat there are no limits really, as long
as the waters are safe. And I therefore see no reason why
the Gotlanders would have stopped at the Baltic coast:
if it was possible to sail the rivers, then that is what
they will have done!

I have read about professor Erik Nýlen's experiments with
old style wooden boats. Far into Russia he went !

Are you also from Gotland?

Best regards
Keth



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