[gothic-l] Whence the Eruli

[Bertil Haggman]

Thank you for presenting your views on the Eruli.
It is very interesting that you are so opposed
to Taylor's view, who presents the Eruli as a
Germanic people. He also stated that the raids
in 267, 269 and 275 AD in the case of the Eruli
originated from the area around the Sea of Azov
("vom Asowschen Meer ausgehend").

Do you have any support in your thesis on the Eruli
from others?

Scandinavian historians, as reported on this list,
have taken a keen interest in the Scandinavian
Eruli. Is it also you opinion that the Eruli did not
migrate to Thoule and that Prokopios is mistaken?

Bertil Haggman

> They emerge into history under their own name in the
> 260's as prime participants in the barbarian raids
> against the Roman Empire across the Black Sea.
> It seems probable that they were included among the
> "Boradoi" or "Boranoi" (="northern peoples")mentioned
> by the sources as to the raids of the 250's.
> The appellative "Eliuroi" is almost certainly a Greek
> folk rendition of "Eruli", facilitated by the fact
> that the Eruli staged their raids from the area of the
> Bosporan Kingdom, i.e. from the "Maeotian swamps".
> Their primary settlements were east of the Vistula
> since the Vita Claudii VI.2 lists them among the
> "Scythian" peoples.
> Archaeologically, the only known Germanic cultures
> east of the Vistula in the classic Roman era are:
> Psheworsk, Wielbark, and Chernyakhiv (the latter
> shared with other ethna).
> It is absolutely impossible for the Erulian
> settlements to have been located "at the Maeotis" (as
> per Ablabius). This was geographically the preserve of
> nomadic Iranic (Alanic) tribes, a fact conclusively
> confirmed by extensive archaeological research. We
> must seek them further north and northwest, in the
> area of the Chernyakhiv culture, where they are
> indistinguishable from Goths and Gepids in the period
> 250-400.
> The Chernyakhiv culture was initiated by Getan and
> Scytho-Sarmatian tribes close to the Roman borders. It
> began in the first half of the 2nd c. AD. Newly
> incoming Germanic groups assimilated to this culture
> as of the 2nd half of the 3rd c. In the first phase of
> their residency east of the Vistula, these Germanic
> groups were either "Wielbark" or "Psheworsk" in their
> cultural orientation. There are no other recovered
> archaeological identities. Certainly none from
> Scandinavia directly. This means that the incoming
> Eruli must have initially also have been either
> "Wielbark" or "Psheworsk". The Wielbark culture began
> to form in northern Poland and was in place no later
> than the 2nd c. BC. It is usually associated with the
> Goths and Gepids. If the Erulian component is to be
> sought here then the same arguments developed with
> respect to the origin of the Goths would apply to the
> Eruli. The Psheworsk culture began to form in Western
> Poland and was in place also no later than the 2nd c.
> BC. It is usually associated with the Vandals. If the
> Eruli came from here, then a possible historical link
> to the "Harii" or "Hirri" might be entertained. One
> further point is also clear: whatever one makes of
> Jordanes' statement that "Dani...Herulos propriis
> sedibus expulerunt" I must amend my earlier belief
> that this could have happened in the 3rd c. There is
> no evidence either in the Psheworsk or Wielbark areas
> of a significant "northern" influx at that time. We
> must therefore either go back further in time (I don't
> know if archaeology allows this, it might), or agree
> with some later (probably 6th c.) scenario for the
> event.



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