The Early Germans (The Peoples of Europe)

The growing number of volumes in the "Peoples of Europe" series are generally quite useful to students of early medieval history; at less than 300 pages, they do well as surveys. This one, unfortunately, is one of the less readable efforts. Todd is interested in the Germanic tribes and their migrations from the early Roman Empire up to about 700 A.D., but he wanders from a chronological coverage of all the multitude of Germanic peoples (who never thought of themselves as "Germans" in the first place), to a topical one (chapters on economy and agriculture, social institutions, burial practices, trade and diplomacy, art and technology, etc), to a geographical survey divided into sections on Goths, Vandals, Franks, Burgundians, Gepids, Lombards, and (oddly) Scandinavians. It's a confusing book to read, with various groups appearing (naturally) in each other's chapters. Todd also mentions in passing specialized information or rival interpretations of the sources that he apparently assumes everyone knows -- which is a bad assumption in a survey of this kind. While there's useful stuff here, I would not suggest this as a first resource for someone new to the field. Instead, I would recommend the separate books in this series by James on the Franks, Heather on the Goths, and Christie on the Lombards -- and Heather's latest, \_The Fall of the Roman Empire\_ (2006), over all of them. List of Illustrations......Page 11 Foreword to the Second Edition......Page 13 Foreword to the First Edition......Page 15 Abbreviations......Page 16 The Germani......Page 17 Origins......Page 24 Languages......Page 27 Part I Germania......Page 31 The Land......Page 33 Germans, Celts and the Eastern Peoples......Page 35 The Institutions of Society......Page 44 Armament and Warfare......Page 51 Early Encounters......Page 60 Roman Frontiers......Page 69 Germans in the Service of Rome......Page 75 The Forms of Settlement......Page 78 The Agricultural Economy......Page 92 Burial of the Dead......Page 96 Roman Diplomacy and the Early Germans......Page 100 Trade with the Roman Empire......Page 103 Deities and their Sanctuaries......Page 119 Human Sacrifice......Page 125 Myth and Ritual......Page 130 Christianity......Page 134 Crafts and Craftsmanship......Page 136 The Origins of Germanic Art......Page 148 Part II Germanic Europe......Page 153 Gothic Origins......Page 155 The Visigoths......Page 158 The Ostrogoths......Page 179 The Suebi......Page 188 The Vandals......Page 191 The Franks: From Gaul to Francia......Page 195 The Alamanni......Page 209 The Burgundians......Page 213 The Saxons and Frisians......Page 218 Scandinavia......Page 226 The Gepids......Page 236 The Lombards......Page 241 12 The Thuringians and Bavarians......Page 255 Conclusion: From Antiquity to Today......Page 258 Sources......Page 271 Bibliography......Page 272 Index......Page 277 For many centuries Germanic peoples occupied much of northern and central Europe. From the fourth century onward migrant groups extended their power and influence over much of western Europe and beyond to North Africa. In so doing, they established enduring states in France, Spain, Italy and Britain. This illustrated book makes use of archaeological and literary sources to outline the ethnogenesis and history of the early Germanic peoples. It provides an overview of current knowledge of these peoples, their social structure, settlements, trade, customs, religion, craftsmanship and relations with the Roman Empire. In this second edition, the author incorporates important new archaeological evidence and reports on advances in historical interpretation. In particular, he offers new insights into developments in central and eastern Europe and the implications for our understanding of migration and settlement patterns, ethnicity and identity. Ten new plates have been added featuring significant new sites discovered in recent years. Land And People -- The Social Fabric -- The Germans And The Advance Of Rome -- The Living And The Dead -- Trade And Diplomacy -- Cult, Art And Technology -- The Gothic Kingdoms -- The Suebi And Vandals -- Franks, Alamanni And Burgundians -- The Northern Peoples -- The Gepids And Lombards -- The Thuringians And Bavarians -- Conclusion: From Antiquity To Today. Malcolm Todd. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [256]-260) And Index. The heartland of the immense area of northern Europe occupied by the early Germanic peoples was the great expanse of lowland which extends from the Netherlands to western Russia.