Ostrogotha

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ostrogotha was a leader of the Goths at the time of the imperial crisis of the 3rd century and acted against the Romans in the Danube region around 250 .

A Gothic named Ostrogotha ("glossy Gothic") is mentioned by the late antique historian Jordanes , who wrote around 550 . This reports (based on his source, the lost Gothic history of Cassiodor ) of an Ostrogotha ​​in the ancestral building of the Gothic Amaler . An Ostrogotha ​​is also said to have crossed the Danube with a Gothic union at the time of Emperor Philip Arabs (probably 249) and invaded the Roman provinces of Moesia and Thrace . The later Emperor Decius could not defeat him, whereupon Ostrogotha ​​again invaded Roman territory. In this context, the presentation by Jordanes differs from that of the events of the Gothic battles by Zosimos and Johannes Zonaras , neither of whom mention Ostrogotha. For Jordanes the Amal Ostrogotha was the progenitor of (but only later "created") Ostrogoths and have further ruled the Goths until Kniva his successor has begun; he also triumphed over the Gepids . This Gepid victory would take place around 290.

The historicity of Ostrogotha ​​has been partially controversial in research, as the mentioning of this was only considered insufficient by Jordanes (mediated by his source Cassiodorus). In a newly discovered historical text fragment (in the context of the so-called Scythica Vindobonensia ) from the 3rd century, which very likely comes from the historical work of Dexippus , a Goth named Ostrogotha ​​is also mentioned, although the probable reading Ostrogotha is not completely certain due to the state of the text is. According to the text fragment, in contrast to the Jordanes report, Ostrogotha ​​was still alive 250/51 and played a role in the battles against the Romans, such as the attack on Philippopolis . In this context he acted as a rival to Knivas, who celebrated greater military successes than Ostrogotha.

However, there are some problems with Ostrogotha, which is mentioned in the sources at different times and in different contexts. Herwig Wolfram now assumes, based on the tradition in Cassiodor / Jordanes - which is probably based not least on oral reports (see also Ablabius ) - that several people were mixed. Accordingly, one has to distinguish between the Goths ruler around 250 and the Amal ancestors at Jordanes. The former was not an Amal and, in contrast to Kniva, probably also not an army king , the latter is just a mythical ancestor. Possibly, so Wolfram further, you have to include a third Ostrogotha, which is the said and probably also historical Gepid winner around 290, who was therefore not an Amaler.

literature

  • Thomas Gerhardt, Udo Hartmann : Fasti. In: Klaus-Peter Johne (Ed.): The time of the soldiers' emperors. Volume 2. Akademie Verlag, Berlin 2008, pp. 1194f. (with further literature)
  • Jana Grusková, Gunter Martin: A new piece of text from the “Scythica Vindobonensia” on the events after the conquest of Philippopolis. In: Tyche 29, 2014, pp. 29–43.
  • Jana Grusková, Gunter Martin: On the attack of the Goths under Kniva on a Thracian city (Scythica Vindobonensia, f. 195v). In: Tyche 30, 2015, pp. 35-53 ( online ).
  • Herwig Wolfram : Ostrogotha ​​- a mythical Amaler gets at least one historical namesake. In: Jörg Drauschke u. a. (Ed.): Lifeworlds between archeology and history. Festschrift for Falko Daim on his 65th birthday. Mainz 2018, pp. 447–457.

Remarks

  1. ↑ Jordanes, Getica 79.
  2. ↑ Jordanes, Getica 90.
  3. ↑ Jordanes, Getica 91.
  4. ↑ See Christian Körner's source criticism: Philippus Arabs. A soldier emperor in the tradition of the Antonine-Severan principate. Berlin u. a. 2002, p. 291 f.
  5. ↑ See Jordanes, Getica 98-101.
  6. ↑ Cf. Herwig Wolfram: Ostrogotha ​​- a mythical Amaler has at least one historical namesake. Living worlds between archeology and history. In: Jörg Drauschke u. a. (Ed.): Lifeworlds between archeology and history. Mainz 2018, here p. 449 and 452.
  7. ↑ See Thomas Gerhardt, Udo Hartmann: Fasti. In: Klaus-Peter Johne (Ed.): The time of the soldiers' emperors. Volume 2. Berlin 2008, p. 1195.
  8. ^ Text and translation by Jana Grusková, Gunter Martin: A new piece of text from the “Scythica Vindobonensia” on the events after the conquest of Philippopolis. In: Tyche 29, 2014, pp. 29–43, here pp. 32–34.
  9. ↑ Jana Grusková, Gunter Martin: A new piece of text from the "Scythica Vindobonensia" on the events after the conquest of Philippopolis. In: Tyche 29, 2014, pp. 29–43, here p. 35.
  10. ↑ Cf. Jana Grusková, Gunter Martin: A new piece of text from the “Scythica Vindobonensia” on the events after the conquest of Philippopolis. In: Tyche 29, 2014, pp. 29–43, here pp. 40 f.
  11. ↑ Herwig Wolfram: Ostrogotha ​​- a mythical Amaler gets at least one historical namesake. Living worlds between archeology and history. In: Jörg Drauschke u. a. (Ed.): Lifeworlds between archeology and history. Mainz 2018, here p. 448f.
  12. ↑ Herwig Wolfram: Ostrogotha ​​- a mythical Amaler gets at least one historical namesake. Living worlds between archeology and history. In: Jörg Drauschke u. a. (Ed.): Lifeworlds between archeology and history. Mainz 2018, here p. 452f.
personal data
SURNAME Ostrogotha
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Leader of the Goths
DATE OF BIRTH 2nd century or 3rd century
DATE OF DEATH 3rd century