The migrations of the Teutons and the Cimbri

The Cimbri were a Celtic tribe who together with the Teutones and the Ambrones threatened the Roman Republic in the late 2nd century BC. The ancient sources located their home of origin in the northern Jutland. Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... This entry is about the Teutonic people, not to be confused with the Teutonic Knights. ... Nordfriesland view (Buhne, Schobüll) The tribe of the Ambrones appears briefly in the Roman sources relating to the 2nd century BC. Their location at the beginning of their brief history was the coast of north Europe, north of the Rhinemouth, in the Frisian Islands, the region now occupied by... This article refers to the state which existed from the 6th century BC to the 1st century BC. For alternate meanings, see Roman Republic (18th century) and Roman Republic (19th century). ... (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) The 2nd century BC started on January 1, 200 BC and ended on December 31, 101 BC. // Coin of Antiochus IV. Reverse shows Apollo seated on an omphalos. ... Jutland Peninsula Jutland (Danish: Jylland; German: Jütland; Frisian Jutlân; Low German Jötlann) is the western, continental part of Denmark as well as one of the three historical Lands of Denmark, dividing the North Sea from the Kattegat and the Baltic Sea. ...

Homeland and name

According to Greek and Roman sources, the Cimbri originated in Jutland, which was called Chersonesus Cimbrica or Χερσόνησος Κιμβρική after them. According to the Res gestae of Augustus, the Cimbri were still found somewhere on the peninsula around the turn of our era (ch. 26): Jutland Peninsula Jutland (Danish: Jylland; German: Jütland; Frisian Jutlân; Low German Jötlann) is the western, continental part of Denmark as well as one of the three historical Lands of Denmark, dividing the North Sea from the Kattegat and the Baltic Sea. ... Res Gestae Divi Augusti, (Latin: The Deeds of the Divine Augustus) is the funerary inscription of the first Roman emperor, Augustus, giving a first-person record of his life and accomplishments. ...

The contemporary Greek geographer Strabo testifies that the Cimbri still existed as a Germanic tribe, probably in the "Cimbric peninsula" (Geogr. 7.2.1, trans. H.L. Jones): Charudes is the scholarly Latinization of an ethnic identity known in Ptolemy as the Charoudes. ... The Semnoni (German: ) or Semnones were a Germanic tribe which was settled between the Elbe and the Oder in the 1st century when they were described by Tacitus. ... The Greek geographer Strabo in a 16th century engraving. ...

On the map of Ptolemaeus, the "Kimbroi" are the placed on the northernmost part of the peninsula of Jutland,^[1], i.e. in the modern landscape of Himmerland (since Vendsyssel-Thy was at that time a group of islands). Himmerland (Old Danish Himbersysel) is generally thought to preserve their name,^[2] in an older form without Grimm's law (PIE k > Germ. h). Alternatively, Latin C- represents an attempt to render the unfamiliar Proto-Germanic [χ], perhaps due to Celtic-speaking interpreters (a Celtic intermediary would also explain why Germ. *Þeuðanōz became Latin Teutones). This article is about the geographer and astronomer Ptolemy. ... Himmerland is a flat province in north-eastern Jutland, Denmark. ... Flag of Vendsyssel. ... Grimms law (also known as the First Germanic Sound Shift) is a set of statements describing the inherited Proto-Indo-European (PIE) stops as they developed in Proto-Germanic (PGmc, the common ancestor of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European family) sometime in the 1st millennium BC. It... Proto-Indo-European (PIE) may refer to: Proto-Indo-European language the hypothetical common ancestor of the Indo-European languages Proto-Indo-Europeans, the hypothetical speakers of the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European language Proto-Indo-European roots, A list of reconstructed Proto-Indo-European roots Categories: | ... Germanic may refer to Germanic languages: A language family, the languages of which are spoken in northern and northwestern Europe, and in many places colonized since around 1500 Germanic tribes: Collective name of a number of tribes and peoples, originating from northern Europe, several of which invaded the Roman Empire...

The origin of the name is unknown. A reasonable etymology^[3] is PIE *tḱim-ro- "inhabitant", from tḱoi-m- "home" (> Eng. home), itself a derivation from tḱei- "live" (> Greek κτίζω, Latin sinō); then, the Germanic *χimbra- finds an exact cognate in Slavic sębrъ "farmer" (> Croatian, Serbian sebar, Russ. sjabër).

Because of the similarity of the names, the Cimbri are often associated with Cymry, the Welsh name for themselves^[4]. However, this word is generally derived from Celtic *Kombroges, meaning The Compatriots,^[5] and it is hardly conceivable that the Romans would have recorded such a form as Cimbri (the form Cambri is Neo-Latin). The name has also been related to the word kimme meaning "rim", i.e. the people of the coast, ^[6] but this is incompatible with the association of Cimbri to Himmerland since kimme does not exhibit the effects of Grimm's law. Finally, since antiquity, the name has been related to that of the Cimmerians. ^[7] Motto: (Welsh for Wales for ever) Anthem: Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau Capital Cardiff Largest city Cardiff Official language(s) English, Welsh Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Rhodri Morgan AM Unification    - by Gruffudd ap Llywelyn 1056  Area    - Total 20,779 km² (3rd... The Cimmerians (Greek: , Kimmerioi) were ancient equestrian nomads who, according to Herodotus, originally inhabited the region north of the Caucasus and the Black Sea, in what is now Russia and Ukraine, in the 8th and 7th century BC. Assyrian records, however, first place them in the region of what is...

Language of the Cimbri

A major problem is that at this time the Greeks and Romans tended to refer to all groups to the north of their sphere of influence as Gauls, Celts, or Germani rather indiscriminantly. Caesar seems to be one of the first authors to distinguish the two groups, and he has a political motive for doing that (it is an argument in favour of the Rhine border).^[8] Yet, one cannot always trust Caesar and Tacitus when they ascribe individuals and tribes to one or the other category.

If the Cimbri resided in the north of Jutland, it may be conjectured that their language was Proto-Germanic. However, there are indications that the Cimbri did in fact speak a Celtic language. Thus, referring to the Northern Ocean (the Baltic or the North Sea), Pliny the Elder (c. 77 AD) states:^[9] This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. ... The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ... Pliny the Elder: an imaginative 19th Century portrait. ...

The words for "sea" and "dead" are muir and marbh in Irish and mor and marw in Welsh.^[10] The same word for "sea" is also known from Germanic, but with an a (*mari-), whereas the other word is unknown in all dialects of Germanic.^[11] Yet, given that Pliny has not got the word directly from a Cimbric informant, it cannot be ruled out that the word is in fact Gaulish instead,^[12] and it is at any rate more probably that the North Sea or the Baltic would be considered "dead" and "frozen" by Central Europeans than by Scandinavians living by and from the sea.

Markale (1976) wrote that the Cimbri, were associated with the Helvetii, and more especially with the indisputably Celtic Tiguri (p. 40). As will be seen later, these associations may link to an ancestry in common, recalled from two hundred years previous. Also, all the known Cimbri chiefs had Celtic names including, Boiorix (King of the Boii), Gaesorix (King of the Gaesatae who were Alpine Celtic mercinaries), and Lugius (after the Celtic god Lugh). Hubert (1934) states, All these names are Celtic, and they cannot be anything else (Ch. IV, I). He provides much more information on this and other relevant matters using a balanced and clearly unbiased approach. However some authors take a different perspective. For example, Wells (1995) states, without any reference, that the Cimbri, originally from Denmark, the Cimbric peninsula, are certainly not Celts, though their personal names too are transmitted through classical writers in a Celtic form (p. 606).The Gundestrup Cauldron, discovered in a peat bog in Cimbri territory, is a testament to Celtic life in every detail, including the bloodletting ceremony directly involving priestesses and performed over a huge cauldron. Posidonius, an early chronicler of the Cimbri, who was 22 years old when they appeared on the world’s stage in 113 BC, gives verbal descriptions identical to the visual details on the Cauldron. The Cimbri also venerated the cauldron (e.g., at the time of Augustus calling it their most “precious possession”), which, along with the above, clearly indicate Celtic not Gemanic cultural and behavioral characteristics.

Appian of Alexandria who wrote his “History of Rome: The Gallic Wars” about 130 AD. Here he discusses “Gauls”, “Celts” and “Germans”. Of the Cimbri he said they were a most numerous and warlike horde of Celtic tribes (Epit.2), whereas Ceasar overcame the Germans under Ariovistus (Epit.3).

Other evidence to the language of the Cimbri is circumstantial: Thus, we are told that the Romans enlisted Gaulish Celts to act as spies in the Cimbri camp prior to the final showdown with the Roman army in 101 BC. This is evidence in support of "the Celtic rather than the German theory".^[13] Similarly, the kings of the Cimbri and Teutones carry what looks like Celtic names, viz. Boiorix and Teutobodus. On the other hand, the origin of a name need not say anything about the ethnicity or language of the individual carrying the name.

On the other hand, there is no positive evidence of Germanic words or names in connection with the Cimbri. The etymology given above (PIE *tḱim-ro-) would work just as well in a Celtic context (and the Latin form would be easier to explain). Yet, Roman sources are consistent in categorising the Cimbri as a Germanic tribe (e.g. Caesar, BG 1.33.3-4; Pliny, NH 4.100; Tacitus, Germ. 37, Hist. 4.73). Furthermore, since all classical sources unanimously locate the home of the Cimbri in Jutland, and there is no evidence of the presence of a Celtic-speaking population in Southern Scandinavia (linguists consider Jutland a Germanic coreland), there is some support of the Germanic theory after all.

At any rate, the evidence offers the following possibilities:

1. The Cimbri were Germanic-speaking, and the information given about names and words in the ancient authors is inaccurate.
2. The Cimbri were original Germanic-speaking, but having absorbed a large amount of Celtic-speaking individuals on their long journey down through Central and Western Europe, they adopted the Celtic language.
3. The Cimbri were Germanic-speaking, but due to the importance of the Celtic culture, the elite of the Germanic tribes were bilingual (cf. Celtic loanwords like *rīkaz "noble", *ambahtaz "servant")
4. The Cimbri spoke a Celtic language in their North Jutlandic homeland already
5. The Cimbri were a Celtic tribe originating in central Europe, and they had only the name in common with the Cimbri of Jutland.

The journey

Moving south-east

Some time before 100 BC many of the Cimbri, as well as the Teutones and Ambrones migrated south-east. After several battles with the Boii and other Celtic tribes, they appeared ca 113 BC in Noricum, where they invaded the lands of one of Rome's allies, the Taurisci. At this time, if not before, they had picked up substantial Celtic elements, as allies and the majority of the migrating Cimbri may have been Gauls. Similarly, there is no consensus on the ethnic composition of the Ambrones, while the Teutons are usually taken to have been a Germanic or Proto-Germanic tribe. Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC - 100s BC - 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC Years: 105 BC 104 BC 103 BC 102 BC 101 BC - 100 BC - 99 BC 98 BC 97 BC 96 BC 95... This entry is about the tribe of the Teutons. ... Nordfriesland view (Buhne, Schobüll) The tribe of the Ambrones appears briefly in the Roman sources relating to the 2nd century BC. Their location at the beginning of their brief history was the coast of north Europe, north of the Rhinemouth, in the Frisian Islands, the region now occupied by... Boii (Latin plural, singular Boius; Greek Βοιοι) is the Roman name of an ancient Celtic tribe, attested at various times in Transalpine Gaul (modern France) and Cisalpine Gaul (northern Italy), as well as most anciently found in Pannonia (today Western Hungary), Bohemia, Moravia and western Slovakia. ... This is a list of Celtic tribes with their geographical localization. ... Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 160s BC 150s BC 140s BC 130s BC 120s BC - 110s BC - 100s BC 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC Years: 118 BC 117 BC 116 BC 115 BC 114 BC - 113 BC - 112 BC 111 BC... Noricum in ancient geography was a celtic kingdom in Austria and later a province of the Roman Empire. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

On the request of the Roman consul Gnaeus Papirius Carbo, sent to defend the Taurisci, they retreated only to find themselves deceived and attacked at Noreia. In a bloody battle, they defeated the Romans. Only a storm, which separated the combatants, saved them from complete annihilation. This article is about the Roman rank. ... Gnaeus Papirius Carbo (c. ... Combatants Roman Republic Cimbri and Teutones Commanders Papirius Carbo  ? Strength  ?  ? Casualties  ?  ? The Battle of Noreia in 112 BC, was the opening action of the Cimbrian War fought between the Roman Republic and the migrating Proto-Germanic tribes the Cimbri and the Teutons (Teutones). ...

Invading Gaul

Now the road to Italy was open, but they turned west towards Gaul. They came into frequent conflict with the Romans, who usually came out the losers. In 109 BC, they defeated a Roman army under the consul Marcus Junius Silanus, who was the commander of Gallia Narbonensis. The same year, they defeated another Roman army under the consul Gaius Cassius Longinus, who was killed at Burdigala (modern day Bordeaux). In 107 BC, the Romans once again lost against the Tigurines, who were allies of the Cimbri. Gaul (Latin: ) was the name given,in ancient times, to the region of Western Europe comprising present-day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... This article refers to the state which existed from the 6th century BC to the 1st century BC. For alternate meanings, see Roman Republic (18th century) and Roman Republic (19th century). ... Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 150s BC 140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC - 100s BC - 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC Years: 114 BC 113 BC 112 BC 111 BC 110 BC - 109 BC - 108 BC 107 BC... Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis, 120 AD Gallia Narbonensis was a Roman province located in what is now Languedoc and Provence, in southern France. ... City logo (traditional tri-crescent) City coat of arms Motto: The fleur-de-lis alone rules over the moon, the waves, the castle, and the lion Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country Region Aquitaine Department Gironde (33) Intercommunality Urban Community of Bordeaux Mayor Alain Juppé  (UMP) (since... Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 150s BC 140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC - 100s BC - 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC Years: 112 BC 111 BC 110 BC 109 BC 108 BC - 107 BC - 106 BC 105 BC...

The war against the Romans

Attacking the Roman Republic

It was not until 105 BC that they planned an attack on the Roman Republic itself. At the Rhône River, the Cimbri clashed with the Roman armies. The Roman commanders, the proconsul Quintus Servilius Caepio and the consul Gnaeus Mallius Maximus, hindered Roman coordination and so the Cimbri succeeded in first defeating the legate Marcus Aurelius Scaurus and later cause a devastating defeat on Caepio and Maximus at the Battle of Arausio. The Romans lost as many as 80,000 men, excluding auxiliary cavalry and non-combatants who brought the total loss closer to 112,000. Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 150s BC 140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC - 100s BC - 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC Years: 110 BC 109 BC 108 BC 107 BC 106 BC - 105 BC - 104 BC 103 BC... The Rhône River, or the Rhône (French Rhône, Arpitan Rôno, Occitan Ròse, standard German Rhone, Valais German Rotten), is one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France. ... Quintus Servilius Caepio the Elder Roman statesman and general, Consul in 106 BC, Proconsul of Cisalpine Gaul 105 BCE. Led one of the two forces against the Germanic tribes, the Teutones, the Cimbri, and Tigurni/Marcomanni/Cherusci in the Battle of Arausio in 105 BCE, along with then consul, Gnaeus... Gnaeus Manlius Maximus was the Roman Republic consul who was defeated and killed by Cimbri at the battle of Arausio (6 October 105 BC). ... Combatants Cimbri and Teutones Roman Republic Commanders Kings Boiorix and Teutobod Quintus Servilius Caepio and Gnaeus Mallius Maximus† Strength about 200,000 80,000 troops in 10-12 legions with up to 40,000 auxiliaries and camp followers Casualties Unknown, perhaps several thousand An estimated 112,000 The Battle of...

Rome was in panic, and the terror cimbricus became proverbial. Everyone expected to soon see the new Gauls outside of the gates of Rome. Desperate measures were taken: contrary to the Roman constitution, Gaius Marius, who had defeated Jugurtha, was elected consul and supreme commander for five years in a row (104 BC–100 BC). This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Jugurtha, (c. ... Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 150s BC 140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC - 100s BC - 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC Years: 109 BC 108 BC 107 BC 106 BC 105 BC - 104 BC - 103 BC 102 BC... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC - 100s BC - 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC Years: 105 BC 104 BC 103 BC 102 BC 101 BC - 100 BC - 99 BC 98 BC 97 BC 96 BC 95...

Defeat

The Defeat of the Cimbri, by Alexandre-Gabriel Décamps.

In 103 BC, the Cimbri and their Proto-Germanic allies, the Teutons, had turned to Spain where they pillaged far and wide. During this time C. Marius had the time to prepare and, in 102 BC, he was ready to meet the Teutons and the Ambrones at the Rhône River. These two tribes intended to pass into Italy through the western passes, while the Cimbri and the Tigurines were to take the northern route across the Rhine and later across the Tyrolian Alps. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1069x700, 132 KB) Summary The Defeat of the Cimbri, by DECAMPS, Alexandre Gabriel (1803-1860) Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1069x700, 132 KB) Summary The Defeat of the Cimbri, by DECAMPS, Alexandre Gabriel (1803-1860) Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Turkish Patrol (1831) Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps (March 3, 1803–August 22, 1860) was a French painter. ... Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 150s BC 140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC - 100s BC - 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC Years: 108 BC 107 BC 106 BC 105 BC 104 BC - 103 BC - 102 BC 101 BC... This entry is about the tribe of the Teutons. ... Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 150s BC 140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC - 100s BC - 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC Years: 107 BC 106 BC 105 BC 104 BC 103 BC - 102 BC - 101 BC 100 BC... This entry is about the tribe of the Teutons. ... Nordfriesland view (Buhne, Schobüll) The tribe of the Ambrones appears briefly in the Roman sources relating to the 2nd century BC. Their location at the beginning of their brief history was the coast of north Europe, north of the Rhinemouth, in the Frisian Islands, the region now occupied by... The Rhône River, or the Rhône (French Rhône, Arpitan Rôno, Occitan Ròse, standard German Rhone, Valais German Rotten), is one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France. ... It has been suggested that River Rhine Pollution: November 1986 be merged into this article or section. ... Coat of arms of the Counts of Tyrol Austria-Hungary in 1914, showing Tirol–Vorarlberg as the left-most province, coloured cream Capital Meran (Merano), until 1848 Government Principality Historical era Middle Ages  - Created County 1140  - Bequeathed to Habsburgs 1363 or 1369  - Joined Council of Princes 1582  - Trent, Tyrol and... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

At the estuary of the Isère River, the Teutons and the Ambrones met Marius, whose well-defended camp they did not manage to overrun. Instead, they pursued their route, and Marius followed them. At Aquae Sextiae, the Romans won two battles and took the Teuton king Teutobod prisoner. The Isère is a 290 km long river in southeastern France, in the Rhône-Alpes région. ... Combatants Teutones Roman Republic Commanders King Teutobod Gaius Marius Strength over 110,000 about 40,000 (6 legions with cavalry and auxillaries) Casualties 90,000 killed 20,000 captured Insignificant, probably under 1,000 The Battle of Aquae Sextiae (Aix-en-Provence) took place in 102 BC. After a string... The migrations of the Teutons and the Cimbri Teutobod was King of the Teutons. ...

The Cimbri had penetrated through the Alps into northern Italy, The consul Quintus Lutatius Catulus had not dared to fortify the passes, but instead he had retreated behind the Po River, and so the land was open to the invaders. The Cimbri did not hurry, and the victors of Aquae Sextiae had the time to arrive with reinforcements. At the Battle of Vercellae, at the confluence of the Sesia River with the Po River, in 101 BC, the long voyage of the Cimbri also came to an end. Quintus Lutatius Catulus Caesar was a Roman general and was consul with Marius in 102 BC. He was originally Sextus Julius Caesar, son of Sextus Julius Caesar (brother of Gaius Julius Caesar, who was father of Gaius Julius Caesar, who was in turn father of Julius Caesar) and brother of... The Po (Latin: Padus, Italian: Po) is a river that flows 652 kilometers (405 miles) eastward across northern Italy, from Monviso (in the Cottian Alps) to the Adriatic Sea near Venice. ... Combatants Cimbri Roman Republic Commanders King Boiorix † Marius Lutatius Catulus Sulla Strength 160,000 - over 200,000 50,000 (8 legions with cavalry and auxillaries) Casualties 100,000 - 140,000 killed 60,000 captured Insignificant, probably under 1,000 The Battle of Vercellae, also called The Battle of the Raudine... Sesia is a river in north-western Italy, tributary to the Po River. ... The Po (Latin: Padus, Italian: Po) is a river that flows 652 kilometers (405 miles) eastward across northern Italy, from Monviso (in the Cottian Alps) to the Adriatic Sea near Venice. ... Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 150s BC 140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC - 100s BC - 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC Years: 106 BC 105 BC 104 BC 103 BC 102 BC - 101 BC - 100 BC 99 BC...

It was a devastating defeat and both the chieftains Lugius and Boiorix died. The women killed both themselves and their children in order to avoid slavery. The Cimbri were annihilated, although some may have survived to return to the homeland where a population with this name was residing in northern Jutland in the 1st century AD, according to the sources quoted above. Lugus was a deity attested to by inscriptions in Gaul, Germany and Switzerland and worshipped in Britain, in Ireland (compare Lugh), and in other ancient Celtic regions. ... Boiorix was a king of the Cimbri tribe. ... Jutland Peninsula Jutland (Danish: Jylland; German: Jütland; Frisian Jutlân; Low German Jötlann) is the western, continental part of Denmark as well as one of the three historical Lands of Denmark, dividing the North Sea from the Kattegat and the Baltic Sea. ... The 1st century was that century that lasted from 1 to 100 according the Gregorian calendar. ...

Culture

Gundestrup cauldron, Plate E

Strabo gives this vivid description of the Cimbric folklore (Geogr. 7.2.3, trans. H.L. Jones): Plate E of the Gundestrup cauldron (see also Media:Gundestrup A.png) taken from taken from http://en. ... Plate E of the Gundestrup cauldron (see also Media:Gundestrup A.png) taken from taken from http://en. ...

The Cimbri are depicted as ferocious warriors who did not fear death. The host was followed by women and children on carts. Aged women dressed in white (cf. the Old Norse völva) sacrificed the prisoners of war and sprinkled their blood (cf. the Old Norse blót), the nature of which allowed them to see what was to come. The völva, vala, wala (Old High German), seiðkona, or wicce was a female shaman in Norse mythology, and among the Germanic tribes. ... The Blót was the pagan Germanic sacrifice to Norse gods and Elves. ...

If the Cimbri did in fact come from Jutland, evidence that the they practised ritualistic sacrifice may be found in the Haraldskær Woman discovered in Jutland in the year 1835. Noosemarks and skin piercing were evident and she had been thrown into a bog rather than buried or cremated. Furthermore, the Gundestrup cauldron, found in Himmerland, may be a sacrificial vessel like the one described in Strabo's text. The work itself was, however, of Celtic or Thracian origin. Haraldskær Woman in glass covered coffin, Velje, Denmark The Haraldskær Woman (or Haraldskaer Woman) is a well-preserved Iron Age bog body naturally preserved in a bog in Jutland, Denmark. ... A photo of the Gundestrup cauldron. ...

Descendants

The population of modern-day Himmerland claims to be the heirs of the ancient Cimbri. The adventures of the Cimbri are described by the Danish nobel-prize-winning author, Johannes V. Jensen, himself born in Himmerland, in the novel Cimbrernes Tog (1922), included in the cycle Den lange Rejse (Eng. The Long Journey, 1923). The so-called Cimbrian bull ("Cimbrertyren"), a sculpture made by the artist Anders Bundgaard, was erected 14 April 1937 on a central town square in Aalborg, the capital of the province. Johannes Vilhelm Jensen (in Denmark always called Johannes V. Jensen) (January 20, 1873 – November 25, 1950) was a Danish author, often considered the first great Danish writer of the 20th century. ... The Long Journey (Den Lange Rejse) is a series of six novels by Danish author and poet Johannes V. Jensen, written between 1908 and 1922. ... View of Aalborg railroad station from J.F. Kennedys Square, 2004 Aalborg (help· info) is a municipality (Danish, kommune) in North Jutland County on the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. ...

In Northern Italy, a Germanic language traditionally called Cimbrian is spoken in some villages near the cities of Verona and Vicenza. Since the 14th century, it was believed that the speakers were the direct descendants of the Cimbrians defeated at Vercelli (some hundred kilometers to the west). However, this is most certainly not true.^[14] The language is in fact related to the Austro-Bavarian dialects of German like many other Upper German dialects in Northern Italy, it is only more isolated and therefore less recognizable as German. The name was either indigenous (from Zimmer = "timber"?) or given to them by Italian humanists who wanted to find this "living fossil" of antiquity. Cimbrian refers to any of several local Upper German dialects spoken in northeastern Italy. ... This article is about the city in Italy. ... Vicenza is a city in northern Italy, is the capital of the eponymous province in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, straddling the Bacchiglione. ... Vercelli (Varséj in Piedmontese; Vercellae in Latin) is a commune and city of about 46,000 inhabitants in the Province of Vercelli, Italy. ... Austro-Bavarian or Bavarian is a major group of Upper German varieties. ... Some basics of Germanic linguistics : in linguistics, German and Germanic do not have the same meaning: see Germanic. ...

The Danish Vikings (and possibly some Jutes who arrived in Kent, Hampshire, and the Isle of Wight circa 449 AD) who settled in the English Danelaw doubtless included Cimbri descendants from the Limfjord in Himmerland. In addition to providing detailed archaeological, historical and linguistic data to provide a chronological perspective relating to the Cimbri and their associates the Teutones, a recent study [2] focuses on genetic data. The Y-chromosome "signatures" of some from the Danish speaking area of the Danelaw (but not elsewhere in England or in Ireland at all), as well as regions believed to be settled by the Cimbri in Iron Age times (e.g., southeastern Norway), possess the single nucleotide polymorphism marker S28. This marker, which defines the phylogenetic category R1b1c10 is found at highest concentration in the Alpine areas of Germany, Switzerland and Italy and fans out across the area of Central Europe, as far east as Greece, known to have been inhabited by the La Tene Celts.

Notes

1. ^ Ptol. 2.11.7 πάντων δ᾽ ἀρκτικώτεροι Κίμβροι "the Cimbri are more northern than all (of these tribes)"
2. ^ Jan Katlev, Politikens etymologisk ordbog, København 2000, p. 294; Kenneth W. Harl, Rome and the Barbarians, The Teaching Company, 2004
3. ^ Vasmer, Russisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 1958, vol. 3, p. 62.
4. ^ C. Rawlinson, "On the Ethnography of the Cimbri", Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland 6 (1877) 150-158.
5. ^ Onions, C. T., & Burchfield, R. W. eds. The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, 1966, s.v. Cymry; Gove, Philip Babcock, ed. Webster's Third New International Dictionary. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 2002: 321
6. ^ http://runeberg.org/nfbe/0183.html Nordisk familjebok], Projekt Runeborg
7. ^ Posidonius in Strabo, Geogr. 7.2.2.
8. ^ A.A. Lund, Die ersten Germanen: Ethnizität und Ethnogenese, Heidelberg 1998.
9. ^ Naturalis Historia, 4.95: Philemon Morimarusam a Cimbris vocari, hoc est mortuum mare, inde usque ad promunturium Rusbeas, ultra deinde Cronium.
10. ^ F. M. Ahl, "Amber, Avallon, and Apollo's Singing Swan", American Journal of Philology 103 (1982) 399.
11. ^ Germanic has *murþ(r)a "murder" (with the verb *murþ(r) jan), but uses *daujan and *dauða- for "die" and "dead".
12. ^ Thus, Pokorny, Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 1959, p. 735, describes the word as Gaulish (with a question mark).
13. ^ Rawlinson, Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland 6 (1877) 156.
14. ^ Børglum, Vernesi, Jensen, Madsen, Haagerup & Barbujani: "No Signature of Y Chromosomal Resemblance Between Possible Descendants of the Cimbri in Denmark and Northern Italy", American Journal Of Physical Anthropology 132:278–284 (2007)[1]

The bust of Posidonius as an older man depicts his character as a Stoic philosopher. ...

See also

• Cimmerians
• Sugambri
• Zimmern Chronicle
• Haraldskær Woman