Gothic and Vandal warfare The Goths , Gepids , Vandals , and Burgundians were East Germanic groups who appear in Roman records in Late Antiquity . At times these groups warred against or allied with the Roman Empire , the Huns , and various Germanic tribes . The size and social composition of their armies remains controversial . History . In the 3rd Century , some Germanic people of the Baltic Sea ( associated with the Wielbark ( Willenberg ) culture ) followed the Vistula , Bug , and Dnestr rivers and settled among the Dacians , Sarmatians , Bastarnae , and other peoples of the Black Sea steppes . These Germanic people brought their name and language to the Gothic people who emerged in the 3rd century ( associated with the Chernyakhov culture ) . At the same time , other Germanic people of the Baltic Sea ( associated with the Przeworsk culture ) followed other trade routes to the middle - Danubian plains ( Vandals ) or the Main river ( Burgundians ) . Horse nomads with bow - armed cavalry armies , including the Sarmatians ( or Iazyges , Roxolanni , Taifali , and Alans ) had long ruled the plains north of the Danube and the steppes north of the Black Sea ( since about 1200 BCE ) . ( The Goths and Vandals were mainly farmers with infantry armies ) . In some areas , the Sarmatians , Taifali , and Alans preserved their dominance until the Huns arrived . The Gothic people had divided into two or more groups by the end of the 3rd Century . These groups lasted from the late 3rd Century to the late 4th Century . The Thervingi lived between the Danube and the Carpathians west of the Dnestr river ; the Greuthungi , and possibly other groups , lived east of the Dnestr river . Jordanes , a mid 6th Century historian describes a large Greuthung kingdom in the late 4th century , but Ammianus Marcellinus , a late 4th Century historian , does not record this . Many modern historians , including Peter Heather and Michael Kulikowski , doubt that it was ever particularly extensive ( and suggest one or more smaller kingdoms ) . Realms in the Roman Empire . This Gothic society faced internal strife and Hunnish attacks in the late 4th Century . As a result several groups sought refuge in the Roman Empire ; two of the more successful groups , the Visigoths and Ostrogoths , absorbed smaller groups and gained independence within the Roman Empire . Another group , the Crimean Goths survived on the Black Sea . The Vandals and Burgundians shared similar histories . The Visigothic and Burgundian kingdoms in Gaul fell to Clovis ' Frankish invasions in the early 6th Century ; the Vandal kingdom in north Africa , and the Ostrogothic kingdom in Italy and Illyria fell to Justinian I ' s Byzantine invasions by the mid 6th Century . The Visigothic kingdom in Hispania survived ( despite losing most of their old Gallic territory ) until the Islamic conquest of Hispania in the early 8th Century . Gothic society and forces in the 3rd and 4th Centuries . The Gothic tribes did not have long - term standing armies but relied on short - term levies and / or volunteers . Most would return to their farms after some time . Most came on foot and fought as infantry , though some brought horses and fought as cavalry . Like their Roman opponents , most soldiers had thrusting spears , throwing spears , and shields ; though swords , and bows , were also used . Unlike their Roman opponents , few could afford metal armor . The 3rd and 4th - Century Gothic tribes could not match the population or extent of the Roman Empire . The 4th - Century Thervingi settled over about 100 , 000 km² between the Carpathian mountains , Olt river , Danube river , and Pruth river . ( The East Roman Empire held about 1 , 500 , 000 km² in round numbers ) . The destruction of one Gothic army would leave its tribe vulnerable to Roman attacks ; the destruction of one Roman army could be countered by other Roman armies moving into the war zone ( as happened after Adrianople ) . Therefore 3rd and 4th - Century Gothic armies could not take as many risks as Roman armies could . The Gothic people generally settled in unwalled farming settlements along the main rivers . These settlements were vulnerable to Roman , Hunnish , or other attacks , even by small raiding parties . Two Roman - style valla were built , one by Anthanaric on and a second one by an unknown king in the region of Ukraine , Moldovia and Romania . Valens and the Roman army invaded Therving lands in 367 and 369 . Athanaric and his supporters avoided battle ; his army abandoned the Danubian plains and retreated into the Carpathian mountains . The Goths could not defeat the Romans in battle and defend their homes . Alan and Hunnic raiders attacked various Gothic lands in the 370s ; they attacked Therving lands c . 375 . Athanaric and his supporters sought battle ; the main Gothic army assembled on the Dnestr river , with forward units scouted 30 km ahead . The Hunnic raiders avoided the scouts and attacked the main army at night . The Roman Empire fortified most of its cities and frontier garrisons in the 3rd & 4th Centuries . Fortified settlements were relatively safe from Gothic attacks . Gothic attackers could choose unfortified targets ; these included many cities in the 3rd Century , but were generally restricted to smaller towns and villa e by the 4th Century , as more cities were fortified . Alternatively , they could attack fortified targets , relying on surprise , on treachery , or on siege warfare . In the 3rd Century , several Gothic campaigns went by sea . In the 4th Century , few , if any , Gothic campaigns went by sea . As soon as large Gothic groups settled on Roman territory , they faced military conflicts with the Roman government ( as in the Gothic War ( 376 – 382 ) ) . Major wars of the Goths include : Notable battles of the Goths include : Gothic and Vandal forces in the Late Roman army . The Late Roman army ( or Byzantine army for the east ) often recruited non - Roman soldiers into regular military units , as well as separate allied contingents ( of " laeti " and " foederatii " ) . Most soldiers were probably Romans , many were probably non - Roman . Notable battles of this period include that of Frigidus River ( 394 ) . Gothic and Vandal forces in the Hunnic army . By the early 5th Century , Hunnic elites established their hegemony in Eastern and Central Europe by subduing or dislodging the local elites . The Hunnic rulers had thus an empire at their disposal with the resources of subject people who were required to supply additional forces for their ongoing raids and conquests . The most memorable of their rulers became Attila , who eventually challenged the Roman Empire for supremacy . After the death of Attila , one of his subject rulers , Ardaric waged a successful civil war against the heirs of Attila , helping several tribes to break apart and regain their independence . Notable battles involving Vandal forces within the Hunnic army include the Battle of Chalons ( 451 ) and the Battle of Nedao ( 454 ) . Visigothic armies . During the Gothic revolt of 376 , a mixed Gothic group settled in Moesia . By the 390s Alaric had become the client king of the Visigoths under the Roman empire . Between 395 and 418 , Alaric , Athawulf , and their immediate successors fought several campaigns , seeking offices for themselves and support for their followers . They transferred their base of operations from the eastern Balkans ( 395 ) to the western Balkans ( 397 ) , Italy ( 408 ) , and Aquitaine ( c . 415 ) . These successive movements may have divided the army from much of its population base . Notable battles of the Visigoths in the period include : Vandal Armies ( 406 – 534 ) . By the time of the Vandalic War , the Vandals may , unlike other Germanic nations , have converted their army into one centered almost entirely on cavalry . This is likely in response to the mobility of the Moors and other hostile tribes in North Africa . There is no evidence of the native Romanized Africans contributing militarily to their Vandal masters . Notable battles of the Vandals include : Ostrogothic armies ( 489 – 553 ) . Ostrogothic armies may have had the same organizational structure ( with separate field armies and frontier armies ) as contemporary Byzantine armies . Ostrogothic Italy , like the Late Roman Empire , fortified its cities and military bases . The Italian - Ostrogothic army , like the Late Roman and Byzantine army , could transport food and other military supplies from secure areas to war zones . This allowed the Ostrogothic army to assemble more troops in one place ( than early Gothic armies ) without consuming as much of the local food supply . Notable battles of the Ostrogoths include : Weapons and armor . There is little direct evidence for Gothic military equipment . There is more evidence for Vandal , Roman , and West Germanic military equipment , which provides the base for inferences about Gothic military equipment . Germanic and Roman weapons and armor . Generally speaking there was little difference between well - armed Germanic and Roman soldiers . Furthermore many Germanic soldiers served in the Roman forces . The Roman army was better able to equip its soldiers than the Germanic armies . Late Roman representational evidence , including propaganda monuments , gravestones , tombs , and the Exodus fresco , often shows Late Roman soldiers with one or two spears ; one tombstone shows a soldier with five shorter javelins . Archaeological evidence , from Roman burials and Scandinavian bog - deposits , shows similar spearheads , though the shafts are rarely preserved . Late Roman representational evidence sometimes still shows Roman swords . Archaeological evidence shows that the gladius has disappeared ; various short " semispathae " supplement the older " pugiones " while medium - long " spathae " replace the medium - short " gladii " . These have the same straight double - edged blades as older Roman swords . Representational evidence and recovered laths , as well as arrowheads and bracers , show Roman use of composite bows . Representational evidence , recovered bosses , and some complete shields from Dara , show that most Roman infantry and some Roman cavalry carried shields . Although the representational evidence , including gravestones and tombs , usually shows soldiers without armor , the archaeological evidence includes remains of scale armor , mail armor , and helmets . Experimental evidence . Modern blacksmiths , reenactors , and experimental archaeologists can duplicate Roman Age weapons and armor with Roman Age technology . Basic spearheads ( including javelinheads ) take about 2 and a half hours of forging time , while swords can take about 37 hours without pattern welding , or about 110 hours with pattern welding ( divided over several days or weeks of labour ) . Mail armor takes well over 600 hours of forging time . Military terminology . Via Wulfila ' s bible translation we do know 4th Century Gothic military terms he used to describe the 1st Century Roman army . These terms reflect the Gothic military organization that grew from its Germanic roots under Roman and Central Asian ( Hunnic ) influence . Known terms include :