History of the Suiones

Arrix85

Donor
I'm trying to find information on the germanic tribe of the Suiones (denonym courtesy of Tacitus for the Swedes) around the first centuries AD. On wikipedia it says that "sources are silent until 6th century AD", so it's a big void, maybe some swedish member know more?
 
Hm, reading the BUR version of the Agricola there aren't not many suggestions towards that people, and excluding the narration of Pliny the old there aren't other descriptions at least from Roman side. The notes suggested only they were a semianarchical people, and for the rest they followed the Wikipedia news. The only note from the Agricola is probably they coexisted in Sweden with another people, the Sitones, ruled by a queen and so considerated worse by Tacitus.
 

Arrix85

Donor
the only thing that I found was the reference in Germania of Tacitus:

"And now begin the states of the Suiones, situated on the Ocean itself, and these, besides men and arms, are powerful in ships. The form of their vessels is peculiar in this respect, that a prow at either extremity acts as a forepart, always ready for running into shore. They are not worked by sails, nor have they a row of oars attached to their sides; but, as on some rivers, the apparatus of rowing is unfixed, and shifted from side to side as circumstances require. And they likewise honour wealth, and so a single ruler holds sway with no restrictions, and with no uncertain claim to obedience. Arms are not with them, as with the other Germans, at the general disposal, but are in the charge of a keeper, who is actually a slave; for the ocean forbids the sudden inroad of enemies, and, besides, an idle multitude of armed men is easily demoralized. And indeed it is by no means the policy of a monarch to place either a nobleman, a freeborn citizen, or even a freedman, at the head of an armed force".

this seems to suggest a very organized tribe, especially in the military side. Obviously this is to be taken with a grain of salt, since I suspect the further you go the more the roman sources becomes hearsays, myths and outright fiction.
 

Arrix85

Donor
About the Sitones I read that there could've been confusion about the name of the town of Sigtuna (rendered in latin as Situne) inside the Suiones realm and a hyphotesis suggests that the Sitones were in fact the Suiones while being ruled by a queen.

in the Germania the reference is:

"Closely bordering on the Suiones are the tribes of the Sitones, which, resembling them in all else, differ only in being ruled by a woman. So low have they fallen, not merely from freedom, but even from slavery itself. Here Suevia ends."
 
Well, from the little I know, I believe that Sweden was occupied by many tribes, the most prominent at the time being the Svear (Swedes) and the Gotar (Goths)
 

Arrix85

Donor
On wikipedia it says that the kingdom of Sweden had three peoples: the Svear, the Geats and the Gotlanders (the last two carry similarities in the name with the Goths). So in the end not all the Goths left during the first century AD.
 
On wikipedia it says that the kingdom of Sweden had three peoples: the Svear, the Geats and the Gotlanders (the last two carry similarities in the name with the Goths). So in the end not all the Goths left during the first century AD.

actually, the goths remained in sweden until the 15th century, when they simply became swedes. there were of course gothic migrations which led to the more famous ostrogoths and visigoths.

in fact, though, Beowulf was described as being a Goth from Geatland
 

Prefrence

Banned
I found some maps if this helps they seemed to expand at the expense of the Fenni sometime in the 3rd Century, then expanded more after that. On the map they are replaced by Gotaland so it might be helpful to search the internet for Gotaland as well.
1AD


100AD
200 AD

300 AD

400 AD

500 AD

600 AD
 
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