THE LANDSCAPE GENEALOGY OF GOTLAND
Landscape Genealogy is the study of what was happening on various pieces of land. One can study the landscape genealogy of the house and land ones owns. Here we study, through the ages, the place where the Carruthers Ancestors lived. From about 3500 BC to 1000 AD you can see the different era the ancestors lived and survived.
The Indo-Germanic immigration
There have been a few waves of immigration to Gotland which can be seen in the archaeological material. One wave arrived about 3500 BCE. It was a civilization that corresponded to the megalitic culture, but designed under different conditions and
with other practices. It was probably conict and upheaval, and finally a cultural fusion. One partic-
ular tribe, who were skilled astronomers, came evidently to Gotland. The Pitted Ware culture, which
flourished on Gotland from about 3500 to 2800 BCE had begun
Astronomical calendars
Already with Astronomical calendars 5000 years ago the Gotlanders showed that they were special. We can follow how they absorbed developments from all over the world.
Bronze Age about 1800 – 500 BCE
The extensive trade relations convey inuences from outside. From southern cultural centers – Egypt,Crete, Mycenae – spiritual impulses stretched their effects also to the Baltic Sea region and Gotland. Both the external design of the graves and the lavish burial gifts bear witness to a rich and self conscious upper class.
The large, higharched cairns from the Bronze Age group up with predilection along Gotland’s shores.Close to them lie stone ships rom the Late Bronze Ageand the oldest Iron Age. It is the most magnificenttomb orm rom prehistoric time that Gotland has tooffer. Te map prepared on the basis o the NationalHeritage Board antiquarian stocktaking on Gotland1938-40Source: Det forntida Gotland 2nd PicturePart of the depository find from Eskelhem’s rec-tory. top bit to bridle with cheek bars. In the middle pierced disc with rattle sheets, bottom right round reinornation. Photo Ivar Andersson
Late Bronze Age, 1000-500 BCE
Late Bronze Age culture occurs suddenly and is very similar to Phoenician culture as well as Mycenaean. During the Late Bronze Age, which occurred around 1000-500 BCE, the Gotlandic trade was intensified. Many of those of Gotlandic design inherent objects are reminiscent of a large number of foreign products imported in the Early Bronze Age.
This provides a perspective of far greater scope. Trade had become what we in modern
guage would call international. Not that the Gotlandic merchants always personally visited the areas where these objects have been produced. By their own and others activities and initiatives they had been members of the mercantile community, in a business eager with merchant wagon loads and crafts, that were busy to crisscross Europe. It was not only with its neighbors to the west, south and east and the nearest outside those located business circles the Gotlanders were connected. We also have in the Volga region from the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age the old Achmulova grave field,
Capuan bronze bowl from Sojvide, SjonhemThe coming of the Iron Age
There is a new culture that emerges with modest Iron Age graves. It had its roots in the south, but especially in the southwest, in northern Germany , where the iron at that time came into general use in the manufacture of small tools and jewelry. This culture was based heavily on influences from the Hallstatt culture in the heart of the continent, but was strongly locally colored. It is from this north German circuit the Gotlanders become familiar with the most important of all metal techniques, namely the way to process iron.
Probably they imported the metal first as pig iron.
Gotland’s oldest Iron Age culture should be considered to have been simultaneous with Bronze Age period VI.
Snakehead armring of gold, type B from a treasure nd at Burs in Källunge.
Gotlands Museum
Gotlandic trade expansion
As a monument from this Gotlandic trade expansion can be found in Estonia and Latvia as well asin the Västervik area in Sweden stone ships of Gotlandic type. The Gotlanders were, from what we can read from the archaeological material, present with their Merchant Emporiums there and further down towards the Vistula area when the Gothic federation was formed. Probably the Gotlanders played a signicant role in this formation, hence we have the
same name for Gotlanders and Goths, Gutar andGutans, Guthiuda.
Celtic Iron Age 300 BCE to zero
During the Celtic Iron Age 300 BCE to zero there seams to be close Gotlandic commercial relations with the Celtic empire. The equipment that the Gotlandic warrior wore was, however, virtually the same as the East Germanic tribes on the continent in the Vistula area had. It had little in common with Celtic weapons.
Drinking Horn Fittings of bronze. These seizures
sat on the horn end of the clip. The use of horns as drinkingvessels were a Germanic custom. In the Roman workshopsthey made even drinking horns of glass for sale to the Ger-
manics. The Roman prole rings on the rod ends alter the
course of the Roman Iron Age, and one can therefore use these
in chronological typology. Many of these seizures are in the
ground from the Roman Empire, but some may also have
been made on Gotland, where seizures are widely distributed
Celtic La Tène artefacts
The Gotlandic artefact population is at this time Celtic La Tène characterized and exhibit almost excessively rich ornamentation, especially characterized by hemispherical rivet heads differently grooved and cross ornated with pearl lines and grooved surfaces of plates and other items. Everything is made with superior technology, both in bronze as in iron. It is particularly the belt garniture ( group C about 50 BCE – zero), which changed design.
It may be due to late inuence from Schleswig-Holstein in parallel with the previous group B (
c. 100-50 BCE), where ring types dominate. Now are the artificial combinations of iron cast in bronze gone, and in many cases the rough technical procedure. It should be recognized, however, that there are good works also from time Group B, but these can not be matched with subsequent group.
Roman contacts, First century
The Gotlanders seem to have controlled the amber trade with trading Emporiums in the Vistula area. Roman contacts with the Gotlanders during the first century is also evident in the picture stones.
Roots of the oldest picture stones are dated by archaeologists to this particular time.
Provincial Roman wine ladle with strainer, pottery
and bronze ttings for two drinking horns from woman’s grave
from the early Roman Iron Age at Skällhorns, Källunge parish.
The Stavgard area
with its old harbour at Bandelunda in Burs was for a long time the center for this part of Gotland and with continuity can be dated back to the Stone AGe. The Stavgard district includes the largest known building foundations from the Roman Iron Age ‘Stavar’s house’ (
67×11 metres), an ancient harbour which at least goes back to the beginning of our era and the in 1984 excavated burial mound ‘Gods-backen’ ( see ‘Cairns’ above ), which from the Neolithic period has functioned as a grave mausoleum.
The Baltic Sea Region
In the history of Gotland are some of the key threads in the development of the entire Baltic Sea region gathered. This is a meeting place for Gotlanders, Curonians, Kievan Rus’, Danes, Slavs, Svear and later Germans. Gotland has through its position as a continental outpost in the north or Nordic outpost to the south, on the border between Eastand West, a cultural key position. Gotland plays a similar role for the Baltic Sea region as Cyprus and Sicily have played as intersections for the Mediterranean countries’ trade relations and cultures.
Markomannic influence
During the first two centuries CE the Marcomannis
developed into a leading Germanic cultural area in Central Europe, who in good agreement with the Romans maintained vibrant mercantile relations with the Roman provinces in the south and became cultural mediators between the Roman Empire and the rest of the Germanic world including Gotland.
There was an important trade route along the Elbe which brought lots of Roman industrial products, especially precious vessels of silver and bronze, up to the North.
Gotlandic Early picture stones
The earlier Gotlandic picture stones are mostly connected with the Iberian peninsula and southern France. The Ibero-Celts are the most likely bearers of the pictorial agenda that is introduced on Got-land for the earlier picture stones. In the Iberian peninsula, the Vadenienses, an old Ibero-Celtic people have left very special grave-stones, decorated with blades of ivy, corn ears and specially designed horses. It was a people of fighters and horsemen, who to every horse had two warriors, one to ride and the other to fight on foot to help protect the horse and knight. Their most common form of grave decoration during the pre-Christian Roman period is exactly of the same character as the early stones on Gotland. They contain a lot of signs that could be understood as sun and moon.
The moon is often made as bulls horns. This whole style is unique for the Iberian peninsula
and depends probably on Celtic inuence among the Romans.
Picture stones showing travel
During the 700s and 800s the picture stone art had its heyday. The mighty monuments, some over three metres high, now depict in horizontal sequences an epic content. It might be an episode from the deceased’s life or a passage from a Nordic hero poem, Helge Hundings banes saga or Brage the Olds Ragnars drapa or something else. There are many suggested interpretations. The pictures appear in very poor relief, which was initially enhanced by painting in vivid colors. The style is rigorously ornamental-ly decorative but lives together with a fascinating expressionism. For the Gotlandic art history these picture stones have an outstanding importanceas fragments from the ancient art we have had in wood and fabric, but that time has claimed.
Macedonian Renaissance
The most authoritative source on the first ofcial Christianization of the Rhos is an encyclical letter from the Patriarch Photius, datable to early 867.Refering to the Rhos-Byzantine War of 860-861Photius informs the Oriental patriarchs and bishops that, after the Bulgars turned to Christ in 864,the Rhos followed suit so zealously that he found it prudent to send to their land a bishop. Photius remembers the invasion upon the Empire by the race which in cruelty and blood thirstiness left all other peoples far behind, the so-called Rhos, and adds that now indeed, even they have changed their Hellenic and godless religion for the pure and unadultered faith of the Christians, and have placed themselves under the protection of the Empire, becoming good friends instead of continuing their recent robbery and daring adventures.
Photius’ letter allows us to fix more exactly the time of the appeal by the Rhos to Byzantium. He mentions Rhos’ affairs just after stating that the Bulgarians adopted Christianity. The baptism of the Bulgarian King Boris took place in 864, but his envoys had already been baptized in Constantinople at the end of the year 863.
It is interesting to note that at that time the Gotlandic Varangian Ingr’s daughter Indrina becomes the mistress of Emperor Michael III and married to future Emperor Basil I. On 19 September 866 Michael and Indrina had ason Leo, the later Leo VI.
According to Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos, grandson to Indrina, (905-959), who wrote a
biography of his grandfather, Basil I the Macedonian(867-886), it was his ancestor who persuaded the Rhos to abandon their pagan ways. He narrates how the Byzantines galvanized the Rhos into conversion by their persuasive words and rich presents, including gold, silver, and precious tissues. He also repeats a traditional story that the pagans were particularly impressed by a miracle. A gospel book was thrown by the archbishop into an oven and was not damaged. The Gotlanders are accordingly present in Miklagarðr from the beginning of the Macedonian Renaissance, that resulted in the Macedonian art, a period in Byzantine developement of art which began following the death of Emperor Theophilus in 842 and the lifting of the ban on icons, iconoclasm.
The Gotlanders are the first to make crucixes in wood from crucifixes made in ivory in Miklagar∂r (Constantinople). And the first Baptismal fonts in stone are also made in Gotland. The Gotlandic Merchant Republic was an independant republic ruled by Gutna althingi, and not part of Scandinavia.
To sum up the Byzantine influence
In the sense of its cultural development Gotland is in the 800s-1100s very closely linked to the Byzan-tine Macedonian Renaissance art ( 867- 1056 ).
The Gotlandic merchants in Miklagar∂r have in 866 so eagerly conversed to Christianity that the patriarch Photios found it necessary to send a bishop to Gotland. In 911 the Gotlandic Varangians obtained a very favourable document that confirmed their living quarters in Miklagar∂r. This was confirmation of an earlier trade agreement from the 860s. It was signed by Emperor Leo VI, who was the grandson to the Gotlandic Varangian Ingr, and 15 named
Gotlandic merchants. In 912 the Arabic author al-Marwazi writes that now had the Gotlandic merchants fully embraced the Christian faith and abandoned their wild pagan ways and raids.
The Gotlander’s stay in Miklagar∂r coincides with the Macedonian Renaissance. It sets its mark on the early Gotlandic churches in the 900s and 1000s. We know from the Patriarch Photios, in his cir-cular letter in 867 to the eastern bishops, that the Gotlanders had, after the Bulgarians, accepted the Christian faith.
Jordanes writes
:“The same mighty sea has also in its arctic region, that is in the north, a great island named Scandza, from which my tale ( by God’s grace ) shall take its beginning. For the race whose origin you ask to know burst forth like a swarm of bees from the midst of this island and came into the land of Europe. But how or in what wise we shall explain hereafter, if it be the Lord’s will.“ “And at the farthest bound of its western expanseit has another island named THULE, of which the Mantuan bard makes mention: And Farthest THULE shall serve thee.” It was not just in the sense of national pride that he could say “Scandza insula quasi ofcina gentium aut certe velut vagina nationum” (
Scandza, as from a hive of races or a womb of nations ).It is as much a telling characteristic of a world history that says that the Goths came from the island Gothi scandza or just Scandza which is straight ou tof the Vistula mouth and looks like a lemon leave. In addition, he says that ‘Gothiscandza’ was located at the side of THULE.
Preserving the Past, Recording the Present, Informing the Future
Ancient and Honorable Carruthers Clan Int Society
carruthersclan1@gmail.com carrothersclan@gmail.com
Tore Gannholm
Reviewed by Tammy Wise CHS- Indiana USA
Landscape Genealogy Chairman – Susan Beattie – Ontario Canada
CLAN SEANACHAIDHI
CLAN CARRUTHERS INT SOCIETY CCIS HISTORIAN AND GENEALOGIST
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