The Ethnic Origin of the "Δουλοσπόροι" [Doulosporoi]

The object of the present study is to examine closely the problem of the Sithones; Tacitus describes them in his 'Germania' c. 45, 6 as follows: 'Suionibus Sithonum gentes continuantur. cetera similes uno differunt, quod femina dominatur: in tantum non modo a libertate sed etiam a servitute degenerant'. The prevalent opinion is that knowledge of this group of tribes is limited to the passage quoted. Until recently it has either been located in Finland or regarded as Finnish; a study of its origin is, thus, important from the point of view of early Finnish history. Since Tacitus expressly mentions the Sithones as neighbours of the Suiones, the geographical location of these two groups is essentially one and the same problem. The extent of the habitat of the Suiones must remain unknown until the location of their neighbours can be established. Therefore, the whole of the second chapter of this book is devoted to the problem of the location of the Suiones. The question of the different tribes of the Sithones, their nationality, and Tacitus' statement about their female ruler and their degeneracy will be treated in separate sections. The title of this book has been suggested by the degeneracy of the Sithones, which provides a connection between them and the group of the 'δουλοσπόροι' discussed in the last two chapters. FOREWORD CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION 9 Object of the Present Study 9 Earlier Views of the Sithones 9 Material 17 Methods 18 CHAPTER II. THE LOCATION OF THE SUIONES 23 The Suiones of Tacitus 23 The Guiones of the Elder Pliny 35 The Sulones of Ptolemy 48 The Location of the Suiones in the Light of Loan-words and Archaeological Evidence 55 CHAPTER III. THE SITHONES 59 Their Location 59 Their Nationality 76 Their Tribes 83 Their Female Ruler 98 Their Degeneracy 108 CHAPTER IV. THE SCYTHAE DEGENERES 118 Sources 118 Herodotus 4, I -4 124 The Spori of Procopius 133 The Satarchae - Sadagarii 144 CHAPTER V. THE ORIGIN OF THE BASTARNAE 150 CONCLUSION 163 BIBLIOGRAPHY AND ABBREVIATIONS 164 INDICES 176 Index of Passages Cited or Discussed 176 Index of Scholars 180 Index of Names and Subjects 184 Index of Greek and Latin Words Discussed 189