[gothic-l] Vandals in the Wetterau (West Germany)

[dirk at SMRA.CO.UK]

As we have discussed the Vandals on this list in the past, I cross
post this message from the Germanic-L:

 Last week a local paper in Germany reported about excavations of a
 'Vandal' cemetary in the Taunus/Wetterau Kreis in West Germany
(starting 1st century BC).

It has  apparently long been known that East Germanic people settled
also far  into West Germany as early as the first centruy BC. Thus, G.
Kossinna published an article "Wandalen in der Wetterau" in Mannus
11/12 1919/20 and more relyably, Rolf Hachmann wrote about
"Ostgermanische  Funde der Spaetlatenezeit in Mittel- und
Westdeutschland" (East  Germanic finds of the late La Tene time in
Middle and Western Germany)  in Arch. Georg. no 6 (1957).

Hachmann stated that the grave goods and the characteristic burial
practices of this people were virtually identical to the Przeworsk
 culture, which is customarily identified with the Wandals, (but has
probably included others as well). Hachmann also noted that the East
Germanic people of Middle and West Germany did not belong to the
Lausitz Culture in East Germany (which is associated with the
Burgundians) which displays entirely different grave goods (no weapons
for example) and burrial practices.

Hachmann stated that the fact that this western Przeworsk people
appear in clearly delineated areas within two West and Middle German
Germanic cultural groups shows that this East Germanic culture cannot
have been transmitted through trade or else, but must have afforded a
population shift.

The new excavations seem to have extended the settlement area of these
 culturally East Germanic people in West Germany. The archaeologists
noted that these finds still represent a mystery and show that we know
 in fact only very little about the movements of early Germanic
people.

cheers,
 Dirk


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