[gothic-l] Re: Tracing the Eruli

[Dr. Dirk Faltin <dirk@smra.co.uk>]

>
> Maybe, but this Jordanes story is a part of the chapter generally
> regarded as written by Cassiodorus. The Scandinavian king Roduulf
at
> the court of Theodoric might be the source for this information and
> the event may have taken place before the Heruls of Procopius
> arrived. Eastgermanic people were present in Scania (inhabited by
the
> Danes) in the middle of the 5th century (Heruls or Goths in
Soesdala,
> Fulltofta and Vennebo according to Fabech).



The presence of ethnic groups on the basis of isolated archaelogical
finds is very difficult to justify. By the same token we would have
to speak of large numbers of Goths or Heruls in Thuringia, even with
princely graves and their own cultural group. Yet, these kind of
ethnic attributions are not normally permissable, unless backed by
sound historical sources.





This year the
> archaeologists have been buzy in Vennebo and Finnestorp in the
> borderlands between the Dani and Gautoi of that time. There is
> probably no doubt anymore that these finds are offerings of weapons
> in wet areas belonging to defeated armies using a.o. Soesdala
> (Untersiebenbrunn) style and Nydam style - but to my knowledge the
> archaeologists are still waiting to see a big find detected in the
> lake at Vennebo. Some of these finds (the Eastgermanic horse
> equipment) may be connected to the Heruls of Jordanes, but they are
> probably too early for the Heruls of Procopius.


Again, East Germanic horse equipment and other items have been found
in much larger quantities in other areas (especially southern
Germany). However, it was shown that this equipment was simply used
by Alamannians. To make a strict ethnic attribution is tempting, and
archaeologists frequently subcome to this temptation if there is
vague historical evidence to support the linke. However, it is
usually not permissable and would be tantamount to arguing that any
driver of a Toyota must be Japanese;-).



Dirk









>
> Troels


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