JordanesJordanes (; Greek: Ιορδάνης, born c. 490AD - died c. 560AD), also written as Jordanis or Jornandes, was a 6th-century Eastern Roman bureaucrat, of Gothic descent, who became a historian later in life. He wrote two works, one on Roman history (Romana) and the other on the Goths (Getica). The latter, along with Isidore of Seville's Historia Gothorum, is one of only two extant ancient works dealing with the early history of the Goths.
ScandzaScandza was described as a "great island" by Gothic-Byzantine historian Jordanes in his work Getica. The island was located in the Arctic regions of the sea that surrounded the world. The location is usually identified with Scandinavia. Jordanes was a Roman citizen living in Constantinople but described himself as being of Gothic descent.
Origin stories of the GothsThere were several origin stories of the Goths recorded by Latin and Greek authors in late antiquity (roughly 3rd–8th centuries AD), and these are relevant not only to the study of literature, but also to attempts to reconstruct the early history of the Goths, and other peoples related to the Goths.
GothsThe Goths were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe. They were first mentioned by Greco-Roman authors in the 3rd century AD, living north of the Lower Danube in what is now Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania. From here, they conducted raids into Roman territory, and large numbers of them joined the Roman military.
VistulaThe Vistula (; Polish: Wisła) is the longest river in Poland and the longest river draining into the Baltic Sea, at 1,047 kilometres (651 miles) in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers 193,960 km (74,890 sq mi), of which 168,868 km (65,200 sq mi) is in Poland.GothiscandzaAccording to a tale related by Jordanes in his Getica, Gothiscandza was the first settlement area of the Goths after their migration from Scandza during the first half of the 1st century CE. He claimed that the name was still in use in his own day (c. 551).
Late LatinLate Latin is the scholarly name for the form of written Latin of late antiquity. English dictionary definitions of Late Latin date this period from the 3rd to 6th centuries CE, and continuing into the 7th century in the Iberian Peninsula. This somewhat ambiguously defined version of Latin was used between the eras of Classical Latin and Medieval Latin. Scholars do not agree exactly when Classical Latin should end or Medieval Latin should begin.
BerigBerig is a legendary king of the Goths appearing in the Getica by Jordanes. According to Jordanes, Berig led his people on three ships from Scandza (Scandinavia) to Gothiscandza (the Vistula Basin). They settled and then attacked the Rugians who lived on the shore and drove them away from their homes, subsequently winning a battle against the Vandals.
Pomponius MelaPomponius Mela (died c. AD 45) was the earliest known Roman geographer. He was born at the end of the 1st century BC in Tingentera (now Algeciras), wrote around AD 43, and died circa AD 45. His short work (De situ orbis libri III.) remained in use nearly to the year 1500.
PtolemyGreco-Roman astronomer and geographer (c. 100–170)Claudius Ptolemy (; Ancient Greek: Πτολεμαῖος, Ptolemaios; Latin: Claudius Ptolemaeus; c. 100 – 160s/170s AD), better known mononymously as Ptolemy, was a Greco-Roman who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine, Islamic, and Western European science.
CassiodorusMagnus Aurelius Cassiodorus Senator (c. 485 – c. 585), commonly known as Cassiodorus (), was a Roman statesman, scholar, and writer who served in the administration of Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths. Senator was part of his surname, not his rank. In his later years, he devoted himself to Christian learning and founded the Vivarium monastery, where he worked extensively during the final decades of his life.
GermanyCountry in EuropeGermany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Western and Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north with the Alps to the south. Its 16 constituent states have a total population of over 83 million, making it the most populous member state of the European Union (EU).*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.