History of the Goths
By: Herwig Wolfram ; translated by Thomas J. Dunlap.
Edition: New and completely rev. from the 2nd German ed.
Publisher: University of California Press
Published: 1988
Place of publication: Berkeley, California, USA
Language: eng
Translated from: ger
Translation of: Die Goten. Von den Anfängen bis zur Mitte des sechsten Jahrhunderts
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 632
Subjects: Goths
Description: Much studied and much misunderstood, the Goths represent all the barbarian peoples whose presence inside and outside the late Roman Empire accelerated its transformation into the eastern Byzantine world and the western Medieval kingdoms. Herwig Wolfram corrects erroneous perspectives of the past on Gothic history and places it within its proper context, that of late Roman society and institutions.

Rejecting the nationalistic view of the Goths as a “German people,” he searches for ethnogenesis, or tribal formation, and finds a series of discontinuous and heterogeneous groups, indiscriminately called “Goths.” They gathered around a small mititary elite which carried a tradition of Gothic origins. From the Oder-Vistula region to the Dnieper, the Black Sea, and then into Italy and Spain, a Goth was anyone who fought alongside this leadership. Through a careful examination of the Gothic traditions as they were set down in the sixth century, and through critical reevaluation of Roman and Greek authors and a judicious use of archaeological evidence, Wolfram offers a convincing new understanding of what it was to be a Goth.

Historians of late Antiquity and all chose who have accepted the mythical connection between early barbarian society and the history of the German people will find this perspective enlightening, Wolfram demonstrates that the barbarian world of “the Goths” was both a creation and an essential element of the late Roman Empire. His book was first published in 1979, to wide acclaim, and the English translation incorporates exciting new material that has come to light since its last German edition in 1980, Wolfram's view has far-reaching implications for future study of the first to the mid-sixth century.
Notes: Bibliography: p. [537]-573.
Translation of: Geschichte der Goten.
Map on lining papers.
Includes index.
Table of contents: title: Preface
pagenum: ix; title: Introduction: Gothic History as Historical Ethnography
pagenum: 1; label: 1
title: The Names
pagenum: 19; title: The Gothic Name
pagenum: 19; title: The Dual Names of the Two Gothic Peoples
pagenum: 24; title: Visigoths and Ostrogoths as Western Goths and Eastern Goths
pagenum: 25; title: The Epic and the Derisive Names of the Goths
pagenum: 26; title: Biblical and Classical Names for the Goths
pagenum: 28; title: Gothic Royal Houses and Their Names
pagenum: 29; label: 2
title: The Formation of the Gothic Tribes before the Invasion of the Huns
pagenum: 36; title: Gutones and Guti
pagenum: 36; title: Politics and Institutions of the Gutones
pagenum: 40; title: The Trek to the Black Sea
pagenum: 42; title: The Goths at the Black Sea
pagenum: 43; title: The Gothic Invasions of the Third Century
pagenum: 43; title: The Gothic Advance into the Aegean
pagenum: 52; title: Aurelian and the Division of the Goths
pagenum: 56; title: The Tervingian-Vesian Confederation at the Danube
pagenum: 57; title: The Events of 291 to 364
pagenum: 57; title: The Era of Athanaric, 365-376/381
pagenum: 64; title: Ulfilas and the Beginning of the Conversion of the Goths
pagenum: 75; title: The Ostrogothic Greutungi until the Invasion of the Huns
pagenum: 85; title: Ermanaric's Greutungian Kingdom and Its Dissolution
pagenum: 86; title: Political Organization and Culture of the Goths at the Danube and the Black Sea
pagenum: 89; title: The Gutthiuda: The Land of the Tervingi and Taifali
pagenum: 91; title: The Kuni: Community of Descent and Subdivision of the Gutthiuda
pagenum: 96; title: The Harjis, the Tribal Army
pagenum: 97; title: Gards, Baúrgs, Sibja: Lordship, Retainers, Community of Law
pagenum: 100; title: Haims (Village): The Social World of the Gothic Freeman
pagenum: 103; title: Cult and Religion among the Goths
pagenum: 106; title: Language and Daily Life
pagenum: 112; title: The Ostrogothic-Greutungian Kingship
pagenum: 114; label: 3
title: The Forty-year Migration and the Formation of the Visigoths, 376/378 to 416/418
pagenum: 117; title: The Invasion and Settlement of the Goths in Thrace
pagenum: 117; title: From the Crossing of the Danube (376) to the Battle of Adrianople (378)
pagenum: 117; title: Theodosius and the Settlement of the Goths in Thrace
pagenum: 131; title: The Balkan Campaigns of 395-401
pagenum: 139; title: The Foedus of 397 and the Settlement of the Goths in Macedonia
pagenum: 142; title: Alaric's Elevation to the Kingship
pagenum: 143; title: Fravitta and Eriulf
pagenum: 146; title: Gainas and Tribigild
pagenum: 148; title: The Goths in the Western Empire, 401-418
pagenum: 150; title: Alaric's Italian Wars
pagenum: 150; title: Athaulf and the Gothic Trek Westward
pagenum: 161; title: Athaulf's Contribution to the Visigothic Ethnogenesis
pagenum: 164; title: The Visigoths Become Horsemen
pagenum: 167; title: Radagaisus and His Contribution to the Visigothic Ethnogenesis
pagenum: 168; title: Valia and the Goths "in Roman Service"
pagenum: 170; label: 4
title: The Kingdom of Toulouse, 418 to 507
pagenum: 172; title: The Aquitanian Federates, 418-466
pagenum: 173; title: The Visigothic "Superpower," 466-507
pagenum: 181; title: Euric (466-484) and the Breach of the Foedus of 416/418
pagenum: 181; title: The Conquest of the Auvergne and Tarraconensis
pagenum: 184; title: The Last Battles with the Empire
pagenum: 188; title: The Organization and Development of Dominion
pagenum: 189; title: Alaric II (484-507)
pagenum: 190; title: The Legal and Ecclesiastical Policies of Euric and Alaric II
pagenum: 193; title: The Legislation of Euric and Alaric II
pagenum: 194; title: The Ecclesiastical Policies of Euric and Alaric II
pagenum: 197; title: The King and the Royal Clan
pagenum: 202; title: The Royal Family
pagenum: 202; title: The King
pagenum: 204; title: Court Life: Religion, Language, and Culture
pagenum: 209; title: The Kingship: Its Functions and Functionaries
pagenum: 211; title: Military Organization
pagenum: 217; title: The Courtiers
pagenum: 219; title: Royal Estates and Finances
pagenum: 221; title: The Settlement of the Visigoths
pagenum: 222; title: The Peoples of the Kingdom of Toulouse: Ethnic and Social Composition
pagenum: 231; title: Goths and Romans in the Kingdom of Toulouse
pagenum: 231; title: Jews, Greeks, and Syrians
pagenum: 234; title: The Native Barbarians
pagenum: 234; title: The Immigrant Barbarians
pagenum: 235; title: Conditions of Dependency
pagenum: 239; title: The End That Was No End
pagenum: 243; label: 5
title: The "New" Ostrogoths
pagenum: 247; title: The Division and Reunification of the Amal Goths, 375-451
pagenum: 248; title: Pannonian Greutungi, Hunnic Goths, and Ostrogoths
pagenum: 248; title: The Ostrogothic Kingdom in Pannonia, 456/457-473
pagenum: 258; title: The Ostrogoths in the Balkans, 473-488
pagenum: 268; title: Theodoric's Battle for Italy, 488-493
pagenum: 278; title: The Ostrogothic March to Italy
pagenum: 279; title: The Battles in Italy, 489-493
pagenum: 281; title: Flavius Theodericus Rex: King of the Goths and Italians, 493-526
pagenum: 284; title: Theodoric's Efforts to Obtain Imperial Recognition, 490/493-497
pagenum: 284; title: Some Questions
pagenum: 285; title: Theodoric's Kingdom: An Attempt at a Constitutional Analysis
pagenum: 286; title: Theodoric's Rule in Theory and Practice
pagenum: 288; title: Exercitus Gothorum
pagenum: 290; title: Comites Gothorum, Duces, Saiones, Millenarii, Mediocres, Capillati
pagenum: 290; title: The Settlement of the Gothic Army
pagenum: 295; title: Polyethnicity, Social Status, and Compulsory Military Service
pagenum: 300; title: Ostrogothic Weapons and Fighting Techniques
pagenum: 302; title: Theodoric's Barbarian Policy and the Securing of Italy
pagenum: 306; title: The Vandals
pagenum: 307; title: The Visigoths
pagenum: 309; title: The Burgundians
pagenum: 311; title: The Franks
pagenum: 313; title: Raetia and Western Illyricum under Ostrogothic Dominion
pagenum: 315; title: Barbarian Traditions and Ethnography
pagenum: 324; title: Theodoric's Roman Policy and the End of His Kingship, 526
pagenum: 327; title: The Amal Successors of Theodoric, 526-536
pagenum: 332; title: Athalaric (526-534)
pagenum: 334; title: Theodahad (534-536)
pagenum: 337; title: The Non-Amal Kings and the Fall of the Ostrogothic Kingdom, 536-552
pagenum: 342; title: Vitigis (536-540)
pagenum: 342; title: Hildebad and Eraric (540/541)
pagenum: 349; title: Totila (541-552)
pagenum: 353; title: The Epilogue: Teja (552)
pagenum: 361; title: Appendixes
pagenum: 363; label: 1
title: Roman Emperors; label: 2
title: A Survey of Gothic History; label: 3
title: Genealogical Charts of the Balthi and Amali; title: Notes
pagenum: 377; title: List of Abbreviations
pagenum: 535; title: Bibliography
pagenum: 537; title: Index
pagenum: 575; title: Maps
pagenum: 615