In dieser Arbeit soll es um die Entstehung einer solchen ethnischen Gruppe gehen, nämlich um die Alemannen. Lange Zeit wurde in der Forschung angenommen, dass diese neue Gruppe, welche zuerst in der Spätantike auftauchte, den Limes als geschlossene Einheit überrannte um daraufhin in einer als „Landnahme“ interpretierten Besiedelung grob das Gebiet des heutigen Südwestdeutschen Raumes und zum Teil auch benachbarte Regionen in Besitz nahmen. Bei diesem Stamm habe es sich um einen „old Suebian tribe under a new name“ gehandelt (Drinkwater 2007, S. 43 f.), eine Annahme, welche zumindest teilweise auf die spätere Gleichsetzung von Alemannen und Sueben zurückzuführen ist. Bei den Sueben wiederum handelt es sich um eine der frühesten, schriftlich belegten germanischen Gruppen, wobei dem aktuellen Forschungsstand zufolge immer noch unklar ist, wer oder was die Sueben genau gewesen sind (vgl. Pohl 20042, S. 91 f.).
Author: European Origins
Germany, the Germanic Tribes and their Origins
Shrouded within the uncertainty of Europe's distant past are many mysteries. Whilst we are relatively well informed about the Mediterranean with its mighty empires we know comparatively little about the heartland and the fringes of the European continent. It wasn't until the days of Julius Caesar that a new player stepped up onto the stage of European and – by extension to the modern age – World History: The Ancient Germanic Peoples. Caesar described them as even more brutish and uncivilized than the in the eyes of the Mediterranean World already savage Gauls and justified his campaigns into Gaul partially by claiming that they needed protection from the Germans. But before we venture too far into historical events involving these peoples the term “German” and its use in the context of Antiquity has to be clarified.
European Origins Discord & Patreon
Hello again! Another small update. Upon request I have created a European Origins Discord Server, where you can discuss history with like-minded individuals (and myself). You can join the Discord here. Furthermore there is now a European Origins Patreon where you can donate to the project, if you like. At the moment two different tiers … Continue reading European Origins Discord & Patreon
Short “Documentary” about the Indo-European Language Family
Hello! It's been a while since the last post on the website but I'm happy to inform you that I've been busy working on other platforms. First of all I'd like to introduce yourself to European Origins on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/europeanorigins/ We are close to 18,000 followers and the page has been growing rapidly. Secondly, I've … Continue reading Short “Documentary” about the Indo-European Language Family
Continental West Germanic Dialect Continuum
The Continental West Germanic Dialect Continuum. Today Dutch and German are thought of as distinct languages and justly so. But in actuality there was a fluent transition between what is considered Dutch and what is considered German today for most of history and in some places in the border area this still holds true today. … Continue reading Continental West Germanic Dialect Continuum
A Neanderthal in Suite and Tie
What if Neanderthals hadn't become extinct? This is a question the curators of a Museum in Germany must have asked themselves when they created this exhibit: A Neanderthal in a suit and tie. As many of you may know, research in Archaeogenetics has relatively recently revealed that all human beings north of the Sahara Desert carry a few percent of Neanderthal DNA in us. So strictly speaking, Neanderthals have never gone extinct but are a part of many of us today. But what do you think modern life would be like if other human species were still around, not just as fragments in our genetic code?
Y-DNA Haplogroups in the German Empire
The Haplogroup distribution across the German Empire prior to WW1 according to FTDNA and Robert Gabel. Haplogroup I is the oldest of them and probably resembles remnants of Hunter-Gatherer lineages whilst R1b and R1a are connected to Celto-Germanic and Slavic peoples.
The Etruscans
The Etruscans were one of the many historic peoples inhabiting the Italian Peninsula before the Rise of Rome and influencing the Empire from within after their subjugation. It is thought that the Romans incorporated some of the Etruscan deities in their own pantheon and that even the Latin language underwent some phonetical changes as a consequence. Some words in modern English ultimately come from the Etruscans via Latin, such as 'person'.
The Migration of the Cimbri and Teutons
The migration of the Cimbri and the Teutons from Jutland across Central and Western Europe and into Northern Italy. The Cimbri and Teutons were the first Germanic people mentioned in history, although the term Teuton itself may in fact be of Celtic origin.
Fenrir and Tyr
Fenrir bites off Tyr's hand. Illustration from a 17th century Icelandic manuscript.Tyr is the god of war and justice in Norse mythology, and the etymology of his name suggests that he once was at the top of the Germanic pantheon, although he had been replaced by Odin/Wodan relatively early.Fenrir is one of the children of … Continue reading Fenrir and Tyr
The German Eastward Expansion
Map showing the German Eastward Expansion, starting in the early Middle Ages at the zenith of Charlemagne's Frankish Empire. Although first German settlements east of the river Elbe in modern Eastern Germany started relatively early, it wasn't until the 10th and 11th centuries, that larger amounts of Germans moved eastward and assimilated most of the … Continue reading The German Eastward Expansion
The Loulan Beauty – A Tarim Mummy
One of the Tarim mummies from the Tarim basin in northwestern China in the province of Xinjiang, dated to 1800 BC. These mummies are frequently associated with speakers of the Indo-European Tocharian language which since has gone extinct due to assimilation into the Uyghur population at the end of the first millennium AD. It took another millennium to rediscover this lost Indo-European language at the beginning of the 20th century.
Europe ca. 476 CE
Picture: Germanic Kingdoms in Europe after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Although the Germans were certainly less sophisticated than their contemporary Romans, Greeks, Egyptians or even the neighbouring Celts, which to the Mediterranean world were already considered barbarians, they were to some degree responsible for the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The … Continue reading Europe ca. 476 CE
On Consciousness, Perspective, Constructivism and Morality
One of the fundamental issues within philosophy is that of human consciousness. What is consciousness, what does it mean to be aware of oneself? In the past it has been identified as a defining trait of humanity to be able to reflect on one’s own thoughts and actions, on that which we call “I” or … Continue reading On Consciousness, Perspective, Constructivism and Morality
THE ANGLO-SAXON MIGRATION: NEW INSIGHTS FROM GENETICS
This article is a re-blog from HERITAGEDAILY (link to original article at the bottom of the page). HERITAGEDAILY is an independent publisher of the latest scientific discoveries, research, and travel news. First launched as a small archaeology blog in 2011, the platform has grown into a general science publisher with a focus on archaeology, anthropology, … Continue reading THE ANGLO-SAXON MIGRATION: NEW INSIGHTS FROM GENETICS
The Ancient Samnites
The Samnites were an Italic civilisation who lived in Samnium, a region of Southern Italy that includes the present-day Abruzzo, Molise and Campania.
The Greco-Roman Concept of the Barbarian
'Barbarian' and 'barbaric' are nowadays commonly used to describe somebody or something behaving in a particularly uncivilized or - to the observer - foreign way, and in this regards differs surprisingly little from it's ancient counterpart. This article seeks to examine the meaning and history of the term in short.
Piecemeal Engineering vs. holistic Utopianism
An in-depth analysis of Karl Popper's Piecemeal Engineering, introduced in "The Poverty of Historicism", in comparison with it's supposed antagonist, which he variably calls Holism, Utopianism or Activism.
The Roman Border in Ancient Germany
The borders of Rome weren't as much boundaries as they were frontiers: Areas of cultural exchange between different peoples. This article explores the relationship between Rome and the Germanic tribes living beyond the border.
Stückwerk-Technik vs. holistischer Utopismus
Dieser Artikel untersucht Karl Popper's Stückwerk-Technik, eine Methode zur Umgestaltung der Gesellschaft, vorgestellt in seinem Werk "Das Elend des Historizismus".
Rom und die Germanen – Der Limes in Deutschland
In der Vergangenheit wurde angenommen, beim Limes handle es sich um ein Verteidigungsbollwerk. Die Forschung der letzten drei Jahrzehnte hat allerdings gezeigt, dass kultureller Austausch zwischen Römern und Germanen in der Grenzzone alltäglich war.
Spartan Agoge and Athenian Ephebeia – A Comparison
An in-depth analysis of the infamous Spartan Agoge and it's Athenian counterpart - the Ephebeia.
What Is the Oldest English Word?
Languages are always evolving in a process that is never truly finished. So to ask what the oldest word in a given language is, is a bit pointless. We can ask, however, what the oldest attested word in a given language, like English, is, which is what's examined in this article.
The Origins of the Ancient Greeks
An attempt at answering - in brief - the question of the origin of the Ancient Greeks from an archaeological, mythological and genetic approach.
Agoge und Ephebie – Erziehung und militärische Ausbildung im antiken Griechenland
Eine detaillierte Darstellung der berüchtigten spartanischen Agoge und ihres athenischen Äquivalents - der Ephebie.
Mythological Inspirations to Tolkien’s Middle Earth
J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth has fascinated generations of readers. This article seeks to examine some of the influences on his works, such as the Icelandic Sagas and Old English Poetry, such as Beowulf.
Deutsche Kriegsgefangene in Großbritannien 1939-48
Die Geschichte deutscher Kriegsgefangener in Großbritannien während und nach dem Ende des zweiten Weltkriegs, mit besonderem Fokus auf deren Behandlung und ihrem Bild in der britischen Öffentlichkeit in Relation zum Kriegsverlauf.
German Prisoners Of War in Britain 1939-1948
The Second World War was the most devastating conflict in human history. All sides suffered horrendous casualties, but not all of those belonged to the dead or the wounded. Many, in fact, the vast majority, were taken captive and had to be taken care of, which put a massive administrative burden on the belligerent nations. This article seeks to examine the fate of German POWs in British hands during and beyond the War.
Justice in Aristotelian Ethics
Justice in Aristotle's philosophy differentiates between general and particular justice, the latter of which can be divided further into distributive and equalising justice.
European Origins 