[gothic-l] Goths and Scandinavia

[Tore Gannholm]

Thanks for your comment. We have discussed this earlier but it seems 
to be forgotten after a while. Just to remind you the book is 
available for reading in my research library on 
http://www.stavgard.com/Gotland/gothicconnectio_/gothic/default.htm

Tore


>The connection between Goths, Götar and Gutar can not be decided by
>historians. Having spoken to leading Swedish archeologists and some
>polish i belive that this short summary from Kaliff gives you an
>indication on where science stand in this issue today. Kaliff,
>Anders. 2001. Gothic Connections. Contacts between eastern
>Scandinavia and the southern Baltic coast 1000 BC – 500 AD.
>Occational Papers in Archaeology 26. Uppsala.
>Different finds from archaeological investigations in eastern Sweden
>show evidence of close contacts with the Baltic coastal area on the
>continent, and further towards the south-east. This is visible in the
>find material from the Bronze Age onwards. Swedish rescue excavations
>in the past few years have contributed with material for the study of
>such contacts. From the Bronze Age onwards, there are signs of
>contacts between eastern Sweden and areas in modern Poland and
>eastern Germany and also with areas in the Baltic states. This is
>evident in material from several sites in eastern Sweden. Pottery as
>well as special house types and graves show contacts with the
>Lusatian culture, but also with more distant areas. These cultural
>elements fit well into a pattern of long-distance cultural contacts
>during the Bronze Age, probably maintained by an élite in society.
>These contact routes across the Baltic sea seem to have continued in
>a similar way during the Early Iron Age. During this period, some
>grave structures and objects demonstrate cultural contacts between
>Scandinavia and the Wielbark culture in Poland. Such finds have
>traditionally been connected with Jordanes´ Getica, and its account
>of a migration of Gothic people from Scandinavia. In modern research,
>the theory of a massive migration has generally been abandoned. The
>Wielbark culture is generally believed to have developed from earlier
>cultures in the same area. Research of recent years have more often
>focused on questions regarding a Gothic identification with a Nordic
>origin, as possibly invented during the 4th century or as a genuine
>tradition in the form of a myth. However, this does not explain
>archaeological evidence for contacts during earlier periods. A
>reasonable explanation for similarities in the material cultures can
>be that they are products of long-term contacts, perhaps originating
>in connections between the Lusatian culture and other urnfield groups
>on the continent and eastern Scandinavia already during the Late
>Bronze Age – Early Iron Age. Regular contacts between high ranking
>groups in different geographic areas could eventually have developed
>into a close relationship between certain groups of the Wielbark
>culture and groups of people in Scandinavia, visible in similarities
>in material culture, language and burial customs. The archaeological
>record could indicate that Jordanes´ history concerning the origin of
>the Goths was based on an oral tradition with some sort of real
>background.
>

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