Goths and Huns
It's been the fashion for some decades in archaeology to play down the savagery of savages, so preconceptions formed in earlier centuries about how truly dreadful some 'barbarian' groups were has been sort of not mentioned. Or if mentioned, it's been to say they weren't actually so bad.
In the late 20th century however the Goth and Hun identity have been hijacked and skewed - the one by teenagers exploring their dark side, the other by neo-fascists exploring their vile side. I mention these just so you know, when doing your own research, that not everything you come across will be factually based.
So with that in mind, I went in search of the actual, factual, demonstrable stuff. Who were these people - what did they look like - what made them different / feared?
And it's an interesting answer. I can only find one contemporary source that describes just one of the above directly, and that's the book written in retirement by the soldier and administrator Ammianus Marcellinus. He seems to have been knocking around Thrace and the Danube border when the frightfulness all broke out.
And he's very interesting: he describes the Huns as a terrifying wild bunch but assumes we know most of what we need to know about Goths. His Goths come across as fairly Romanised ie they seem to want to act like Romans, but are somehow sort of child-like, impetuous and not good at long term planning. He describes other barbarian people as well, in shades of unflatteringness that range from 'they can't speak properly' to 'they eat people'.
But most interesting is his take on the events surrounding the time when the advancing Huns led thousands of Goths to seek admittance into the Roman province of Thrace, which was granted.
A brief summary: vast crowds of Goths were allowed across the Danube. Emperor Valerian had a cunning plan - he could use them as auxiliaries against further barbarian attacks, but keep their pay, as the deal was settlement in return for service.
However, his men on the ground mishandled the situation and the Goths rebelled, very effectively. Valerian ended up dead and his successor only just managed to regain control. And the rampaging Goths, having terrorised the cities of Thrace, were ultimately granted 'leave to remain.'
It's a longish read but the whole thing's in translation here: http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Ammian/31*.html
And if you like barbarian bling, have a closer look at some of the treasure found in Hungary and Romania produced probably by Romanised goldsmiths working for 'Gepid' (a Goth or Germanic tribe) clients, imitating the showy military styles of the 3rd and 4th centuries: http://rubens.anu.edu.au/raider5/hungary/budapest/museums/hungarian_national_museum/hungary/carparthian_archaeology/gepids_szilagysomlyo_treasure/DSCN6487.JPG
In the late 20th century however the Goth and Hun identity have been hijacked and skewed - the one by teenagers exploring their dark side, the other by neo-fascists exploring their vile side. I mention these just so you know, when doing your own research, that not everything you come across will be factually based.
So with that in mind, I went in search of the actual, factual, demonstrable stuff. Who were these people - what did they look like - what made them different / feared?
And it's an interesting answer. I can only find one contemporary source that describes just one of the above directly, and that's the book written in retirement by the soldier and administrator Ammianus Marcellinus. He seems to have been knocking around Thrace and the Danube border when the frightfulness all broke out.
And he's very interesting: he describes the Huns as a terrifying wild bunch but assumes we know most of what we need to know about Goths. His Goths come across as fairly Romanised ie they seem to want to act like Romans, but are somehow sort of child-like, impetuous and not good at long term planning. He describes other barbarian people as well, in shades of unflatteringness that range from 'they can't speak properly' to 'they eat people'.
But most interesting is his take on the events surrounding the time when the advancing Huns led thousands of Goths to seek admittance into the Roman province of Thrace, which was granted.
A brief summary: vast crowds of Goths were allowed across the Danube. Emperor Valerian had a cunning plan - he could use them as auxiliaries against further barbarian attacks, but keep their pay, as the deal was settlement in return for service.
However, his men on the ground mishandled the situation and the Goths rebelled, very effectively. Valerian ended up dead and his successor only just managed to regain control. And the rampaging Goths, having terrorised the cities of Thrace, were ultimately granted 'leave to remain.'
It's a longish read but the whole thing's in translation here: http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Ammian/31*.html
And if you like barbarian bling, have a closer look at some of the treasure found in Hungary and Romania produced probably by Romanised goldsmiths working for 'Gepid' (a Goth or Germanic tribe) clients, imitating the showy military styles of the 3rd and 4th centuries: http://rubens.anu.edu.au/raider5/hungary/budapest/museums/hungarian_national_museum/hungary/carparthian_archaeology/gepids_szilagysomlyo_treasure/DSCN6487.JPG