Wielbark culture also known as Willenberg culture (German: Wielbark/Willenberg-Kultur, Polish: Kultura wielbarska, Ukrainian: Вельбарська культура (Vel’bars’ka kul’tura)) was a pre-literate culture that archaeologists have identified with the Goths; it appeared during the first half of the 1st century AD. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Polish ( język polski, polszczyzna) is the Official language of Poland. Ukrainian (in Ukrainian украї́нська мо́ва ukrayins'ka mova,) is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. The Goths ( Gothic: Gothic usvg|14px|u]]Gothic asvg|14px|a]]Gothic s The 1st century was the Century that lasted from 1 to 100 according the Julian calendar. It replaced the Oksywie culture, in the area of modern-day Eastern Pomerania around the lower Vistula river, which was related to the Przeworsk culture. The Oksywie Culture, also known as Oxhöft culture, was an archaeological culture which existed in the area of modern day Eastern Pomerania around the lower Vistula The Przeworsk culture is part of an Iron Age archaeological complex that dates from the 2nd century BC to the 4th century.
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Discovery
A cemetery of over 3000 tombs was discovered in 1873 and documented in the 1874 Correspondenz-Blatt der deutschen Gesellschaft für Anthropologie, Ethnologie und Urgeschichte [1] as "Gotisch-Gepidisches Gräberfeld Braunswalde-Willenberg bei Marienburg". It was named after two villages in the Province of Prussia about 4 km south of Malbork (Marienburg) on the road towards Sztum (Stuhm), and attributed to the Goths and Gepids. The Province of Prussia (Provinz Preußen was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1829-1878 created out of the provinces of East Prussia and Malbork (Marienburg in Westpreußen Civitas Beatae Virginis is a Town in northern Poland in the Żuławy region with 41000 inhabitants (2001 Sztum (Stuhm is a town in Poland, capital of Sztum County, located in Pomeranian Voivodeship, with some 10141 inhabitants ( 2004) The Goths ( Gothic: Gothic usvg|14px|u]]Gothic asvg|14px|a]]Gothic s The Gepids (Gepidae Gifðas ( Beowulf, Widsith) - possibly from * Gibiðos, "givers" or gepanta, see below were
The report of the original excavation in Imperial Germany, which was believed to have been lost, was rediscovered in 2004 and is about to be analysed in an international cooperation. The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification [2]
Distribution
The (Malbork)-Wielbark culture started out covering the same area as the Oksywie culture, around the present day towns of Gdańsk and Chełmno. The Oksywie Culture, also known as Oxhöft culture, was an archaeological culture which existed in the area of modern day Eastern Pomerania around the lower Vistula Gdańsk ( Polish pronunciation; 'Danzig', Gduńsk Gedania Dantiscum is the City at the centre of the fourth-largest Metropolitan area in Poland For the concentration camp located near a village with a similar name Chełmno nad Nerem see Chełmno extermination camp. Later it reached into the lakelands (Kashubian and Krajenskian lakes) and stretched southwards, into the region around Poznań. Poznań Lublin Voivodeship This article is about the city in Poland
In the first half of the 3rd century AD, the Wielbark culture left settlements by the Baltic Sea, at that time called Mare Suevicum or Mare Germanicum, except for the areas adjacent to the Vistula, and expanded into the area which later (by 1000 AD) became Masovia and Lesser Poland on the eastern side of the Vistula reaching into Ukraine, where they formed the Chernyakhov culture. The 3rd century is the period from 201 to 300 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. The Baltic Sea is a Brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N Latitude and from 20°E to 26°E Longitude. The Baltic Sea is a Brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N Latitude and from 20°E to 26°E Longitude. The German people (Deutsche are an Ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent and speaking the German language as Masovia or Mazovia (Mazowsze is a geographic and historic region situated in eastern Poland 's Masovian Plain. Lesser Poland (also "Little Poland" Polish: Małopolska, Latin: Polonia Minor) is one of the historical regions of Poland Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe. The Chernyakhiv culture (also known as Cherniakhov culture or Cherniakhovo culture) ( Second century to Fifth century) was found in Ukraine
In 2000, in Czarnówko near Lębork, Pomerania, a cemetery of Oksywie and Wielbark cultures was found. Lębork ( Lãbórg is a Town on the Łeba and Okalica Rivers in Middle Pomerania region north-western Poland with These reached their height before the emigration of the population to the south west began. A bronze kettle depicts males wearing the Suebian knot hairstyle. The Suebian knot (Suebenknoten is a historical male Hairstyle ascribed to the tribe of the Suebi. [3]
Characteristics
Between the Przeworsk culture and the Wielbark culture there was a clear separation and there appears to have been no detectable contacts.
The people of the Wielbark culture used both inhumation and cremation techniques for burying their dead. Burial, also called interment and inhumation, is the act of placing a person or object into the ground Cremation is the act of reducing a Corpse by burning, generally in a crematorium furnace or crematory fire Whether they used one or the other varied from site to site and it is believed to have depended on family traditions.
A characteristic of this culture, which it had in common with southern Scandinavia, was the raising of stone covered mounds, stone circles, solitary stelae and variations of cobble cladding. The Stone Circles of the Iron Age (ca 500 BC - ca 400 AD were a characteristic burial custom of southern Scandinavia especially on Gotland and in Götaland A menhir is a large upright Standing stone. Menhirs may be found singly as Monoliths or as part of a group of similar stones
There were no weapons nor tools in the Wielbark culture graves, unlike the Przeworsk culture for which it was typical to give the dead such gifts. Instead, the gifts were mostly ornaments and costumes. A few graves have shown spurs, and this would be the only warrior attribute found. A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of Riding boots for the purpose of directing a Horse to move forward or laterally while riding
Another feature of the Wielbark culture was the use of bronze to make ornaments and accessories. Silver was used seldom and gold rarely. Iron appears to have been used extremely rarely.
The Goths
Jastorf culture = blue, spreaded = lighter blue, replaced by Wielbark = lilac;
Przeworsk culture = yellow and orange, replaced by Wielbark = orange
The Wielbark culture is associated with Jordanes' account of the Goths leaving Scandza (Scandinavia) and their settlement in Gothiscandza. Jordanes (also Jordanis or even Iornandes) was a 6th century Roman Bureaucrat, who turned his hand to History later in life The Goths ( Gothic: Gothic usvg|14px|u]]Gothic asvg|14px|a]]Gothic s Scandza was the name given to Scandinavia by Jordanes, in his work Getica. Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well According to a tale related by Jordanes, Gothiscandza was the first settlement of the Goths after their migration from Scandinavia ( Scandza) According to Jordanes they pushed away the Vandals when settling in the area. [4] Gothiscandza was located at the mouth of the Vistula, and this area was given as the land of the Gutones (Pliny the Elder) or Gothones (Tacitus):
- Beyond the Lygians dwell the Gothones, under the rule of a king; and thence held in subjection somewhat stricter than the other German nations, yet not so strict as to extinguish all their liberty. Gaius or Caius Plinius Secundus, ( AD 23 – August 25, AD 79 better known as Pliny the Elder, was an ancient Author Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (ca 56 &ndash ca 117 was a senator and a Historian of the Roman Empire. For Polish place-names see Ługi. The Lugii, Lugi, Lygii, Ligii, Lugiones, Lygians Immediately adjoining are the Rugians and Lemovians upon the coast of the ocean, and of these several nations the characteristics are a round shield, a short sword and kingly government. The Rugians (Rugii were an East Germanic tribe whose ultimate origins have been traced to Rogaland in Norway, whose population probably was the The Lemovii was an ancient people which was only named by Tacitus.
The names given by Pliny and Tacitus appear to be identical to *Gutaniz, the reconstructed Proto-Germanic form of Gutans (and Gutar), the Goths' (and the Gotlanders´) name for themselves. Proto-Germanic, or Common Germanic, is the hypothetical common ancestor ( Proto-language) of all the Germanic languages such as modern English The Gotlanders are the population of the island of Gotland. In Swedish they are also called Gutar an ethnonym identical to Goths (
Some have suggested that the three ships of Goths arriving at the Vistula is merely symbolic whereas others have ascribed the ships to the Gepids, the Ostrogoths and the Visigoths. The Gepids (Gepidae Gifðas ( Beowulf, Widsith) - possibly from * Gibiðos, "givers" or gepanta, see below were The Ostrogoths (Ostrogothi or Austrogothi were a branch of the Goths, an East Germanic tribe that played a major role in the political events of the late The Visigoths (Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, or Wisi were one of two main branches of the Goths, an East A third interpretation is that the ships only contained the North Germanic clan of Amal's royal family.
However, archaeologists are wary of ascribing ethnicities to archaeological cultures, and it is considered to be an extremely difficult matter (e. Götaland ( Gothia, Gothland, Gothenland, Gotland, Gautland, Geatland is one of three lands of Sweden is a county, province and municipality of Sweden and the largest Island in the Baltic Sea. The 3rd century is the period from 201 to 300 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. The Chernyakhiv culture (also known as Cherniakhov culture or Cherniakhovo culture) ( Second century to Fifth century) was found in Ukraine As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 4th century (per the Julian calendar and Anno Domini / Common era) was that Century The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial g. Kennewick Man). Kennewick Man is the name for the skeletal Remains of a prehistoric man found on a bank of the Columbia River near Kennewick Washington This is reflected by the names used for the cultures, usually baptised after the towns where remains are found. The latest tendency is to doubt the equation between the Wielbark Culture and the Goths, and it has been established that the Wielbark culture did not appear solely through immigration from Scandinavia. Instead it appears to have evolved from the Oksywie culture and possibly through Scandinavian influence. This theory is based on the fact that the Wielbark culture shared the same geographical extent as the Oksywie culture and even continued to use many of the Oksywie cemeteries. The settlements consisted both of the original inhabitants and of groups of Scandinavians. It is likely that the Goths were the ruling tribe in the area as Jordanes noted that the Goths subjected local inhabitants to their authority:
Soon they moved from here to the abodes of the Ulmerugi, who then dwelt on the shores of Ocean, where they pitched camp, joined battle with them and drove them from their homes. Jordanes (also Jordanis or even Iornandes) was a 6th century Roman Bureaucrat, who turned his hand to History later in life The Rugians (Rugii were an East Germanic tribe whose ultimate origins have been traced to Rogaland in Norway, whose population probably was the Then they subdued their neighbors, the Vandals, and thus added to their victories. But when the number of the people increased greatly and Filimer, son of Gadaric, reigned as king--about the fifth since Berig--he decided that the army of the Goths with their families should move from that region. [5]
The present view is that the direct settlements of Goths (recorded by Jordanes as well as H. Jordanes (also Jordanis or even Iornandes) was a 6th century Roman Bureaucrat, who turned his hand to History later in life Schedel, see link) at the Mare Germanicum, today Poland, are those characterised by barrow cemeteries by which there are raised stone circles and solitary stelae (Scandinavian burial customs with a concentration in Gotland and Götaland). A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a Mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves The Stone Circles of the Iron Age (ca 500 BC - ca 400 AD were a characteristic burial custom of southern Scandinavia especially on Gotland and in Götaland A menhir is a large upright Standing stone. Menhirs may be found singly as Monoliths or as part of a group of similar stones is a county, province and municipality of Sweden and the largest Island in the Baltic Sea. Götaland ( Gothia, Gothland, Gothenland, Gotland, Gautland, Geatland is one of three lands of Sweden This type is found between the Vistula and the Kashubian and Krajenskian lakelands reaching into the Koszalin region. Kashubians/Kashubs/Kaszubians (Kaszëbi Kaszubi also called Kassubians or Cassubians, are a West Slavic Ethnic group of north-central These burial grounds appeared in the second half of the 1st century. The 1st century was the Century that lasted from 1 to 100 according the Julian calendar.
The Wielbark culture seems to have been a mixed society composed of both Goths and Gepids from Scandinavia as well as the previous inhabitants (mainly Vandals, Venedi and Rugians[6] [7], the Ulmerugi of Jordanes). The Vistula Veneti (alternatively also called the Baltic Veneti) were an ancient Indo-European people living in contemporary Poland, along the rivers of The Rugians (Rugii were an East Germanic tribe whose ultimate origins have been traced to Rogaland in Norway, whose population probably was the In the 3rd century, the Wielbark community left their settlements and reached their new homeland, Oium, in Ukraine, where they would found a new empire. The 3rd century is the period from 201 to 300 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. Oium or Aujum was a name for an area in Scythia, where the Goths under their king Filimer settled after leaving Gothiscandza, according Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe.
Footnotes
- ^ Correspondenz-Blatt der deutschen Gesellschaft für Anthropologie, Ethnologie und Urgeschichte, 1874,[1]
- ^ Das kaiserzeitliche Gräberfeld von Malbork-Wielbark - Seit der Entdeckung der verschollen geglaubten Grabungsberichte des für die kaiserzeitliche Kultur Nordpolens namengebenden Gräberfeldes im Jahr 2004 wird in Kooperation mit Partnern in Gdańsk, Warszawa, Kraków und Lublin dessen kritische Dokumentation und Analyse vorbereitet. Sie erfolgt auf der Basis des inzwischen komplett vorliegenden, von der Fa. Aba GbR technisch aufbereiteten Grabungsplanes und wird gefördert aus Mitteln des Dronning Margrethe og Prins Henriks Fond. [2][3]
- ^ M. Macynska, D. Rudnicka, Abstract: A grave with Roman imports from Czarnówko, Lębork district, Pomerania, Poland [4]
- ^ Jordanes, Mierow, ed. Lębork ( Lãbórg is a Town on the Łeba and Okalica Rivers in Middle Pomerania region north-western Poland with Jordanes (also Jordanis or even Iornandes) was a 6th century Roman Bureaucrat, who turned his hand to History later in life , Getica 25, <http://www.ucalgary.ca/~vandersp/Courses/texts/jordgeti.html#IV>
- ^ The Origin And Deeds Of The Goths
- ^ The Goths in Greater Poland
- ^ Arkeologi och Antik historia: Publications
Sources
- (Polish) A Polish Archaeology Article by Theodore Makiewicz
- (Polish) Gothic jewelry, by Thomas Skorupka, on a Polish museum site
- (Polish) Wielbark on mapa.szukacz.pl
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