04-07-2010, 04:46 PM
Quote:Back to you, Robert
Good point on Attila's name.
I think his brother had a Gothic name as well. It's certainly not a cut and dry situation as far as the Goths are concerned, but I find it noteworthy that all the kings had Germanic-Gothic names. They had at least 15 Germanic comb factories throughout the Chernjachov culture. And recently a rich Gothic prince's grave has been found at the river Samara, which directly realates to Jordanes' not-so folklorish statements that King Ermaneric had that area under his control... and it blows a hole in Kulikowski's statement that Jordanes was not recording history (or something to that effect). The society was multi-ethnic, but the biggest cheeses appear to have been heavily influenced by Germanic culture.
But like you, I really don't think Germans or Goths or Caledonians were "superior" to Romans, especially Roman soldiers (even plain old Italian ones). If Romans were so physically inferior, how did they conquer a third of the known world? (They usually say "half of the known world," but I'm throwing China in there as one-third.) :wink:
Rome conquer their world because use order and technology, brain against muscle, the roman weapons were inferior on quality but were into a "mass production" and were very effective, every soldier were well equiped, only the barbarian rulers use chain mail or iron helmets, the vast mass of a barbarian army were single armed warriors with javlaines or a spear
Järnvarg - José L. Díaz - Archaeologist[color=#0000FF]