Farnobius

Farnobius (* 4th century; † in autumn 377) was a greutungischer rider leader of the Goths on the lower Danube , of providing them with his Greutungen allied taifals and other Gotengruppen fleeing the Huns crossed the Danube. In the Balkan Mountains , between the Schipka Pass and the Succi pass, Farnobius' groups of riders were intercepted and almost completely destroyed by Comes Frigeridus , who commanded Roman troops in Thrace, in 377 .

Danube crossing

“Per hos dies interea etiam Viderichus Greuthungorum rex cum Alatheo et Saphrace, quorum arbitrio regebatur, itemque Farnobio propinquans Histri marginibus, ut simili susciperetur humanitate obsecrauit imperatorem legatis propere missis.”

"In those days, the Greuthung king Vitherich came to the Danube with Alatheus and Saphrax, who reigned for him, and the Farnobus and sent ambassadors as quickly as possible to ask the emperor for a friendly reception."

Farnobius and his troops split up in the spring of 377 at the latest, but in any case before crossing the Danube from the greutings under Alatheus and Safrax . Under the increasing attacks of the Huns, the Terwingo-Taifal tribal association also disintegrated in 376. The Taifals joined the greutings of Farnobius. The taifals and other Gotengruppen that do not use the translated Tervingi were connected, but fled just before the Huns to Farnobius forced their way across the Danube limes . The Greutungen under Alatheus and Saphrax as well as the Farnobius group and the Taifalen, in contrast to the Terwingen des Fritigern, who were very likely allowed to cross the Danube at Durostorum- Silistr (i) a, probably illegally from Gutthiuda ( Muntenia ) into the Roman area Rich a. The numerical strength of Farnobius' cavalry troops can only be estimated, but they must have comprised a large part of the typhoons, as these typhoals continued the tradition of the Danube tribe even after their capture and deportation and settlements were named after them for centuries.

End of Farnobius' equestrian troops during the Gothic War (376–382)

The Schipkapass (red square) in today's environment.

In the autumn of 377 Frigeridus was again ordered to Thrace by Valens to build a fortified line of defense at the Shipka Pass , from which an important road led into the valley of the Maritza to the south . When the approaching Goths tried to encircle the troops of Frigeridus in the area around Beorea, Frigeridus and his troops began to retreat. On the way west over the mountains to the pass at Succi on the border from Thrace to Illyria, where the new positions had to be set up, they surprised Farnobius with his plundering greetings and taifals.

“Repedando enim congregatusque in cuneos sensim progrediens Gothorum optimatem Farnobium cum uastatoriis globis uagantem licentius occupauit ducentemque Taifalos nuper in societatem adhibitos; qui, si dignum est dici, nostris ignotarum gentium terrore dispersis transiere flumen direpturi uacua defensoribus loca. ”

“While he [Frigeridus] gradually carried out his retreat with closed arms, he surprised the Goth prince Farnobius, who carelessly plundered with his band of robbers. He had strengthened himself through an alliance with the Taifals: these, incidentally, had crossed the Danube to pillage the adjoining countries, which had been exposed by our people during the attack by those hitherto unknown peoples. "

Farnobius fell, the survivors - obviously belonging mainly to the Taifals - surrendered to Frigeridus. They were settled in the north of Italy near Modena , Reggio nell'Emilia and Parma . There the place name Taivalo , today San Giovanni in Persiceto , reminded of them in Lombard times .

“Eorum cateruis subito uisis certare comminus dux cautissimus parans adortusque nationis utriusque grassatores minantes etiam tum acerba, trucidasset omnes ad unum, ut ne nuntius quidem cladis post appareret, ni cum obtercis multis per incempto Farnobercens superciterstatus prebus, metuoreiss antehbarum uiuosque omnes circa Mutinam Regiumque et Parmam Italica oppida, rura culturos exterminavit. "

“At the sudden sight of these hostile hordes, the general was immediately ready to fight a battle, attacked the vanguard of both tribes, who were dangerous opponents, and would have cut everyone down to the last man if he had not after Farnobius' death , this dreaded enemy, and many others, would have pardoned the last remnant by pleading with them: he transplanted them as colonies in the vicinity of the Italian cities of Modena, Reggio and Parma. "

Other prisoners were deported to Aquitaine , where the place name Tiffauges still reminds of them.

Remarks

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Herwig Wolfram :  Farnobius. In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde (RGA). 2nd Edition. Volume 8, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1994, ISBN 3-11-013188-9 , p. 238 ( books.google.de ).
2. ↑ ^{a b c d} Herwig Wolfram : The Goths. 4th edition. CH Beck, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-406-33733-3 , p. 72, pp. 100-101 and pp. 130-131.
3. ↑ ^{a b c} Ammianus Marcellinus 31, 4 and 9. In: Wolfgang Seyfarth (Ed.): Ammiani Marcellini Rervm gestarvm libri qvi svpersvnt. In: Bibliotheca scriptorvm Graecorvm et Romanorvm Tevbneriana. Volume 2, new edition, De Gruyter, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-519-01977-9 , (a) Amm . 31 4.12: p. 170, (b) Amm . 31 9.3: p. 181, (c) Amm . 31 9.4: p. 182.
4. ↑ ^{a b c} David Coste (trans.): Excerpts from Ammianus Marcellinus . In: The historians of the German past. Second complete edition. Primeval times . 2nd Edition. tape 3 . Leipzig 1884 ( archive.org - [a] pp. 83-84, [b] / [c] p. 95).
5. ↑ The ancient Hebrus: Joachim Szidat: Historical commentary on Ammianus Marcellinus book XX – XXI: The confrontation. Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-515-06570-9 , p. 103.
6. ↑ The so-called 'Gates of Trajan' on Via militaris (near today's Kapudžik): cf. Edgar Hösch: History of the Balkan Countries: from the early days to the present. CH Beck, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-406-57299-9 , p. 20.
7. ↑ Hannsferdinand Döbler: The Germanic peoples. Orbis, 2000, ISBN 3-572-01157-4 , p. 261.

literature

• Herwig Wolfram :  Farnobius. In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde (RGA). 2nd Edition. Volume 8, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1994, ISBN 3-11-013188-9 , p. 238 ( books.google.de ).
• Arnold Hugh Martin Jones , John R. Martindale, John Morris: The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire . Volume 1: AD 260-395. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1971, p. 324 ( books.google.de ).