[gothic-l] Gothic Archaeology was Re: Whence the Eruli

Tue Feb 19 09:09:32 UTC 2002

will yield. But I certainly won't hold my breath in
> the meantime. Nothing is absolutely certain in this
> world. But this is as certain as anything can be.*****
>

Dear George

I completely agree with you and I think when considering different
and opposing views it is useful to look at the history of the
research on a certain question. Below I provide a summary of an
article by J. Blischke, who provided an interesting overview of the
history of archaeological research and interpretation of the problem
of Gothic migration. The article is called "Die Wielbark-Kultur und
die Problematik der Gotenwanderung", Archaeologische Informationen,
19/1&2, 1996, pp. 117-23.

The author states that attempts in the late 19th and early 20th
century to identify the earliest continental seats of the Goths
started from the premises that the migration legend as set out in the
Getica represented absolute truth. This premises was introduced to
archaeology by the germanist turned archaeologist Gustav Kossinna.
Hence all early attempts to identify the Goths on the continent
proceeded from  Scandinavian and in particular Gotlandic material
cultures. Researchers tried to find analogies between Scandinavian
and continental cultures in Pommern, West Prussia and East Prussia.

Blischke explains that using this method Almgren (Mannus 5, 1913, pp
147-51) was the first to be able to exclude the possibility that the
Goths had come from Gotland. His findings were since confirmed by a
series of other scholars. But since research was still founded on the
premises that the Getica was correct, the emphasis now switched to
Sweden, where the largely unresearched areas (in the early 20th
century) provided wide room for manoeuvre for scholars like Nerman
(Fornvaennen 18, 1923), Engel (Deutsche Ostforschung 1, 1942, pp 132-
78) and Oxenstierna (Mannus 73, 1945) to pursue attempts to localise
Goths on the continent based on a Scandinavian 'Urheimat' origin.

According to Blischke, a first change occurred with the research by
Kmiecinski (Zagadnienie twz. kultury gocko-gepidzkiej na Pomorzu
Wschodnim w okresie wczesnorzymskim, Lodz, 1962). Kmiecinski
undertook a massive research programme and found that none of the
cultures of northern Poland were related to the Scandinavian
cultures. This was a massive breakthrough in the archaeological
research regarding the Goths. For Kmiecinski there were two possible
conclusions. Firstly, the Goths did not come from Scandinavia, or
secondly the cultures of Northern Poland were not Goths. Accepting
the premises of the absolute correctness of the Getica, Kmiecinski
drew the wrong conclusion. Hence, he stated that since there are no
relationships between the material culture in Scandinavia and
northern Poland, and since the Goths came from Scandinavia, the
cultures of northern Poland cannot be related to the Goths.

The material available for study increased greatly in the 1960 with
the work of Kempisty (Swiatowit 29, 1965, pp 5-163) and the first
archaeologists to look at the problem from a different angle was
Godlowski (Spravoddania Arch 1972, pp 533-50, Slovenska Arch. 32
1984, pp 327-50, Peregrinatio Gothica, Arch. Baltica 7, Lodz 1986 pp
139-52 and others). While, based on Kossinna, researchers had in the
past started from a presumed Scandinavian origin of the Goths,
Godlowski looked at the material cultures of the northern Black Sea
area, where Gothic settlement is attested in historical records.
Using this data, Godlowski was able to show that the culture of
northern Poland and West Pommerania (Wielbark culture) was directly
linked to the cultures in the southern Ukraine (Chernyakhov culture).
Thus, Godlowski proved that the carriers of the Wielbark culture in
north Poland really were the Goths.

Blischke states that armed with this knowledge and new excavation
data, scholars like V. Bierbrauer conducted what is seen as the most
comprehensive of all research on Gothic archaeology
(Fruehmittlealterl. Stud. 28, 1994, pp. 51.171, Peregrinatio Gothica
III, 192, pp 9-43, Hoops RGA 'Goten' and other publications). He
showed that archaeology can conclusively show that the Goths did not
come from Scandinavia.

I know some people on the list will fiercely oppose and claim that
the earlier scholars of the 1920 to 40s were right, while the modern
scholars are wrong. Please remember that this is just a summary of an
article and criticism should only be voiced once you read Blischke's
article and most importantly Bierbrauer's studies (without which, I
think nobody can claim to know something about the Gothic migration
anyway).

cheers
Dirk

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Get your FREE credit report with a FREE CreditCheck
Monitoring Service trial
http://us.click.yahoo.com/ACHqaB/bQ8CAA/ySSFAA/wWMplB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

You are a member of the Gothic-L list.  To unsubscribe, send a blank email to <gothic-l-unsubscribe at egroups.com>.

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/