Search for Gothic DNA: Feasibility

[Arthur Jones]

from: Arthur A. Jones arthur.jones at yahoo.com
   
  OSCAR HERRERA melida:
   
  "...I doubt that barbaric tribes had their royal families..."
   
  First, let's dismiss the word "barbaric" from our considerations, please.
   
  If you mean pre-Christian Gothic peoples, the evidence is ample (see Peter Heather, "The Goths", Thomas C. Burns, "The Ostrogoths", our own Ingemar Nordgren, "Well Spring of theGoths", Herwig Wolfram, "History of the Goths", and others including Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of theRoman Empire", Jordanes "Getica", etc.
   
  The main aristocratic warrior family that emerged as the leading Greuthung royal clan, later to be designated Ostrogoth, was the Amal or Amaling family. They produced Valamer, as well as Thiudareiks the Great.
   
  Visigoths followed the equally cherished and respected Balthi family (hasn't this basic ground been covered on this gothic-l list recently?), which, inter alia, produced Alareiks (Alaric), whose descendants established the Visigothic Kingdom in Spain. Those peoples had a clear idea of their provenance back to the first or second century b.c., at the very least.
   
  Now: As to modern-day DNA, it will not be very difficult to trace large numbers of modern residents of Great Britain and former colonies back to descendants of the several Balthic (Visigothic) princesses who were married off to Anglo-Saxon nobles, Frankish lords and Northman/Norman princes before the 1066 ad invasion of William the Conqueror. There is, in fact, pretty reliable written record of all those marriages and family trees leading back to the Balthi family and to Visigothic Spain.
   
  But the majority of their descendants are no longer royalty: First, because of laws of primogeniture, second and subsequent sons and daughter didn't inherit main titles or much of anything else, thus many struck out for the armies, early colonial companies, or other means of making a living. Hence, many emigrated to North America, the "disgruntled" children of landed aristocrats and royalty at all levels: marquis and marquesses, earls, barons, dukes, counts, etc.
   
  It will be fascinating to see whether unique DNA markers shared by Balths, Amalings, and others, whether in Gotland, Northern Poland, around the Black Sea, through the Balkans, Northern Italy, Southern France and Northern Spain can reveal pockets of Gothic "bloodlines".
   
  Sorry, all: I didn't mean to become preachy or pedantic. 
   
  Afletith mis filuwaurdeis.
   
  Arthur
   
  arthur.jones at yahoo.com
   


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