Thuringians = Tervingian Goths

Sun Aug 21 12:42:31 UTC 2005

Hello all,

I read the study „Stamm und Reich der frühen Thüringer nach den 
Schriftquellen" (i.e. Folk/tribe and realm of the early Thuringians 
according to historical sources) by Dr. Heike Grahn-Hoek,  in 
Zeitschrift des Vereins für Thüringische Geschichte, Vol. 56 (2002).  
The study comprises 87 pages in small print. It is extremely well 
sourced and argued to the highest academic standards. As indicated by 
the title, the author relies exclusively on historical sources and in 
fact explicitly excludes archaeological evidence to avoid circular 
arguments. As far as I can see, her study was well received by other 
historians (e.g. H. Castritius in RGA). 

The argument of key interest in my view centres on the origin of the 
Thuringians. The author explains that the most common theory suggests 
that the name was derived from an older tribal name Hermun-d u r e n. 
However, she adds that this explanation has always been doubted by 
linguists. Thus, the author re-examines the various name forms 
provided in the earliest sources. Based on Malchus a Greek source of 
the 5th cent. who provided the Greek form The-ou-r-ingoi (in Latin 
The-u-r-ingi)  she argues that this name may be derived from The-r-u-
ingi the name of the Gothic Tervingi through a simple switch of ou/u 
and r. She states that there are other examples in antique sources 
where such an `u - r switch' occurred. 

The author states that the time frame for the emergence of 
Theuringoi/Thuringians and the disappearance of Theruingi/Tervingi 
around 400 AD matches perfectly. The Theuringi are first mentioned in 
400AD (Vegetius), but the source implies that at this time they were 
already very well known throughout the empire. Thus, the 
identification of Theuringi with Theruingi would fill a gap in the 
sources.

Next, the author moves to the main part of her examination, the study 
of historical sources in order to see whether a link between 
Theuringi/Thuringians and Theruingi/Tervingians can be postulated. In 
shortest possible terms, she takes the events surrounding Athanaric's 
Tervingi as the starting point. Faced with the Hunnic onslaught, in 
the 370s the Tervingi were beset by a crisis with a pro-Roman, pro-
Christian faction led by Fritigern which sought settlements within 
the Roman empire and a pagan anti-Roman faction led by the Athanaric. 
Athanaric had at one stage vowed never to set food on Roman soil. 
Yet, for whatever reason he was later compelled to seek refuge with a 
small following in Constantinopel. His part of the Tervingi was taken 
over by `proximorum factione' (ie. relatives), who according to 
Marcellinus Comes sought refuge "far away in lands (domicilium 
remotum) unknown to the Huns". The author's argumentation here is 
extremely detailed and suggest that these Tervingi were located 
further north than often believed at that time.

Next, the author discusses the campaign of Radagaisus in 405/06. She 
explains that his attribution to Greutungi (Ostrogoths) or Tervingi 
(Visigoths) is uncertain. Since he is described as a pagan in 
contrast to the Christian Tervingi under Alaric some scholars argue 
that he must have been a Greutungian Goths. However, the sources call 
him simply a rex (basileus) Gothorum, i.e. a king of the Goths. 
However, Radagaisus is not listed among the ancestors of the 
Ostrogothic Amals. Thus, other scholars argue that Radagaisus was a 
Tervingian and possibly even the one who succeeded Athanaric. Thos 
who believe that he as a Tervingian successor of Athanaric usual 
place him in the so called Caucaland, i.e. the Carpathian region. 
Yet, most interestingly, Zosimos provides evidence for the 
geographical origin of Radagaisus by stating that he had come from 
the lands between Danube and Rhine. This is exactly the description 
for the geographical location of the Thuringian kingdom and it would 
make no sense if he had started out in the Carpathian mountain 
region. 

The author points out that the name Radagais appears later in the 
Thuringian/Warnian royal family with a prince Radagis. The component 
Rada- is found in royal Thuringian names like Rade-gundis (two 
princesses) and a 7th century Thuringian duke/king Radaulf. The `–
gais `component of Radagais is used again in the name of the 
Thuringian prince Arta-gais/Arta – chis. 

As mentioned earlier, the author deliberately excluded archaeological 
evidence in order to avoid circular argumentation. One a footnote in 
her study refers to supportive archaeology. However, the 
archaeological evidence available already is in my view a key support 
for the theory that Theuringi/Thuringians are identical with 
Theruingi/Tervingian Goths. Berthold Schmidt has shown already in the 
1980s and 1990s that substantial groups of carriers of the 
Cheryhakovsk/Sintana-de-Mures culture (which is associated with the 
Goths) arrived in middle Germany and settled at the centre of the 
later Thuringian kingdom. These groups are known under the technical 
terms Grossbadegaster and Niemburger groups. They arrived in middle 
Germany in the 370/380s just at the time when Athanaric's Tervingi 
disappear from the sources. Following Grahn-Hoek's argument these 
would have been the Athanaric-Tervingi probably under the leadership 
of Radagais. 

Overall, H. Grahn-Hoek's study is extremely well argued and provides 
a wealth of information. I think it is particularly important not 
only for its contribution to Thuringian history and in particular the 
ethnic/political origin of this people, but also because of the 
contribution to Gothic history. It now seems likely that besides the 
various creations of historically important Gothic kingdom on the 
territory of the Roman empire, there was also one historically 
important Gothic kingdom founded outside the Roman empire `
remotum 
ab omni notia barbarorum
' which, in line with Zosimos, was located 
between Danube and the Rhine centring on an area that carries its 
name to this day. 

Cheers
Dirk

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