Ancient DNA Confirms the Goths' Mythic Origin in Scandinavia
A barbarian tribe's mythic origin story is true, ancient DNA reveals
New genetic evidence backs up the long-dismissed Gothic claim that their people came from Scandinavia, challenging decades of scholarship that downplayed migration in favor of cultural exchange. Historians note the findings vindicate ancient sources that late-20th-century historiography worked hard to deny. Commenters point to Gotland, East and West Gothland, Gothenburg, and the Geats as linguistic and geographic hints that the story was never so far-fetched.
What the genotyping is showing is what the ancient sources report, and what late-20th century historiography has been working very hard to deny. We have to admit the sources knew more than we thought they did.
- alexpotato
This reminds me of Herodotus [0].
For those that don't know about him:
- he was an ancient historian
- he made a lot of "wild claims" e.g. there was a tribe that made clothes out of human skin
- historians assumed these were myths or exaggerated
- recent research has shown that many of his wild claims were true (even the one above) [1]
0 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotus
1 - https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/ancient-scythians-us...
- joegibbs
Why did people doubt this? It doesn’t sound so ridiculous that a Germanic-speaking people would come from Scandinavia, which has a island called Gothland, a province East Gothland and West Gothland, a city called Gothenburg and people called Geats (probably related to Goths).
- hypfer
Not contributing anything intellectually, but this article is a lot of fun to read when one mentally envisions the modern style, looks and meaning of the word Goths.
> In 251 C.E., Roman Emperor Decius, his son, and most of his army were killed fighting Goths in what is today Romania, in one of the empire’s greatest defeats.
Envision the black Eyeliner
- pmontra
> the Spanish for “bandit,” “helmet,” and “truce.”
If they are bandido, casco, tregua they are identical to the Italian bandito, casco, tregua. The only difference is a d/t. Actually in Italy a cyclist and a worker wear a casco, but a soldier wears an elmetto.
I googled the etymology of casco and it comes from Latin but it came to Italy from Spain a few centuries ago. So I wonder what other word for helmet they use in Spain, that originated in the Goth language.
- defrost
Of all the mythic origin stories about the globe, Goths originating in Scandinavia is one of the less exciting ones to be proven correct.
DNA from unearthed car sized scales proving a giant snake carved the rivers and shape of the land would be something ...
- clauderoux
Actually, the most ancient recorded instance of the Goth language is a Bible that was written in what is now Bulgaria around 350: The so-called Bible of Wulfila. So, there is nothing new under the sun about the presence of Goths in the area, bringing their language and culture around.
- ricksunny
barbarian = ?
- jdw64
Then why did those people move? Was it because of climate change?
First of all, it seems less like a movement of a warrior group and more like a group migration that included women and children—so why on earth did they have to move that way? I’m curious: is there research on this?