The Lost Tribes

[Favonius Cornelius]

One thing I always enjoy when reading the histories is about a tribe lost to history, or a city or place which only a name and a bit of information is known. I'd like to use this thread for those lost tribes.

 

Does anyone know of what the Romans knew of peoples beyond Germania and the Gothic lands bast the Danube, basically Poland and beyond? Ever hear of a name mentioned for this land?

[Primus Pilus]

The Romans were actually quite aware of many tribes that they had little contact with. Tribes such as the Aestii, Narbones, Osioi, Soudinoi, Galindai and the Venedi which make up parts of modern Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, etc. were accounted for in some capacity. (Just examples)

[Favonius Cornelius]

Interesting. Did they have anything to say about them? Have any online resources for them?

 

How about Scandinavia or Africa beyond the Sahara?

[Primus Pilus]

I believe Tacitus mentioned several of the above in Germania... I'll have to do some research though otherwise.

[Lacertus]

Does anyone know of what the Romans knew of peoples beyond Germania and the Gothic lands bast the Danube, basically Poland and beyond? Ever hear of a name mentioned for this land?

 

As far as I know Romans named this lands Sarmatia. Poland is Sarmatia and Ukraine is Sarmatia and North Caucasia is Sarmatia too. Although Romans distinguished between Slavic, Sarmatia and other tribes.

 

The Scandinavian tribes were named Northmen. It's really easy!

 

I suggest the Romans didn't think about Central Africa, I know that the territory of Sahara desert was named Libia. (correct me if I'm not right)

[Zeke]

I think the Romans thought that the Libyan desert was the end of the world, perhaps?

 

Zeke

[Lacertus]

I think the Romans thought that the Libyan desert was the end of the world, perhaps?

 

I suggest that the Romans didn't think so but they weren't so much interesting in that. The Romans were hardhead nation and always had many other businesses and plans. They chose an other directions for the Empire expansion. If only the way cross-desert would promise wonders to them Romans did it.

[Onasander]

I did research on Sudan a while back hopping to find a AoW (hints of one actually surfaced), they were mostly nomads with trade roots channelized across the desert. I highly doubt they had muchh contact with Rome, civilization wasn't very advance back then for them, a region who's basis for later civilization was overland trade to the north.

[Pantagathus]

I think the Romans thought that the Libyan desert was the end of the world, perhaps?

Generally, the ancients considered trans/sub-Saharan Africa as being made up of two types of people:

 

1. Ethiopians, which literally meant 'burnt faces' i.e any black Africans

2. Pygmies, which they considered as dwelling near the source of the Nile (but actually more like the Congo)

 

Depending on how educated they were I would say that many were aware of the continent beyond the Libyan desert, they just didn't know how far it went. For one, Herodotus mentioned a clockwise circumnavigation of Africa by Phoenicians which would have peaked their interests. Then, once Carthage was taken and their libraries were copied, the Romans became aware of the Hanno Periplus...

 

Hanno was a Carthaginian general from the mid 5th Century BC who explored the African coast down to about modern day Cameroon after dropping off some colonists. The funny thing about the story is he wanted to bring back pygmies to prove he did it but through a miscommunication with his african guides ended up killing Gorillas... In fact the word Gorilla is a legacy of that journey (so is said)

[Onasander]

Well, what does Gorilla mean?

[Pantagathus]

Well, what does Gorilla mean?

 

"Leaving this place, we sailed along the burning coast for three days and came to the gulf named the Horn of the South. At the end of it was an island like the first one, with a lake in which was another island full of savages. The greater parts of these were women. They had hairy bodies and the interpreters called them 'Gorillas'. We pursued some of the males but we could not catch a single one because they were good climbers and they defended themselves fiercely. However, we managed to take three women. They bit and scratched their captors, whom they did not want to follow. We killed them and removed the skins to take back to Carthage. We sailed no further, being short of supplies"

 

Even though Hanno wanted to find Pygmies, this is what his local interpreters led him to as mentioned above.

 

So, the greek translation of the original Punic inscription that was hung on a metal plate in the Temple of Cronos in Carthage gave us the word gorilla. It appears that the word gorilla (meaning the same today as it did to Hanno's african guide) is simply a transliteration of the original, aboriginal root word passed through subsequent semitic & indo-european translations.

[Favonius Cornelius]

Facinating! Funny account.

 

Now this is the kind of lost lore I'm talking about!

[Pantagathus]

Thanks Favonius!

 

I think the best sources for this kind of lore lay in the geographers. Strabo, Diodorus, an Pliny are chock full of these little hints, whispers & anecdotes. However, Herodotus contains tons of facinating clues as well.

 

I'll try and remember the details of more and post here. (Like the pale blond nordic babes that ended up being preistesses in Delphi(?) after travelling from near 'Ultima Thule' with a diplomatic mission)

 

In the meanwhile, please also visit my thread 'the Tartessian Puzzle' as it pertains to an aspect of what your asking for in this thread.

Edited April 18, 2006 by Pantagathus

[Lex]

Like the pale blond nordic babes that ended up being preistesses in Delphi(?) after travelling from near 'Ultima Thule' with a diplomatic mission

 

Now that sounds interesting. Do have any more information on that?

 

And what about the 'Amazons' that the Greeks believed in? I saw a documentary not too long ago where some sekeletons were found in Asia which were thousands of years old but the DNA indicated that they had blonde hair and blue eyes. Is it possible that the 'Amazons' were a small tribe of Europeans that migrated to a part of Asia?

[Pantagathus]

Now that sounds interesting. Do have any more information on that?

 

And what about the 'Amazons' that the Greeks believed in? I saw a documentary not too long ago where some sekeletons were found in Asia which were thousands of years old but the DNA indicated that they had blonde hair and blue eyes. Is it possible that the 'Amazons' were a small tribe of Europeans that migrated to a part of Asia?

 

Ok, so I