Thread by @GermaniaMagnaTW

(1/16) Today again a more theoretical thread about #Germanic #history. It is about a theory of the origin of the first Germanic major #tribes:
the #Iron and #Amber theory!

(Many used images are from external sources, which I will gladly share if needed.)

(2/16) But let's start from the beginning. What is a #Germanic "major #tribe" anyway?
Around the year 0, hundreds of small #tribes lived in #Germania. About 400 years later, however, they were seemingly replaced by a few large tribes, such as the #Goths, #Franks, or #Alemanni.

(3/16) #Researchers therefore asked themselves early on how this development had come about. It was usually assumed that #Germanic #tribes living near the #borders of the #Roman #Empire formed #raiding parties, in order to be able to undertake more successful #raids.

(4/16) According to this, for example, the #Franks or the #Alemanni had formed in this way.
Where, for example, the #Germanic Chamvi, Bructeri, Tencteri, #Chatti, #Cherusci, etc. lived in former times, only the Franks were mentioned from the 5th and 6th century.

(5/16) This #theory used to be quite plausible. After all, #Roman writings focused mainly on the tribes in the west of #Germania. Today, however, this idea of the origin of the first #Germanic major #tribes through #conflicts with the #Romans is increasingly doubted.

(6/16) One reason for this is that the first #Germanic major #tribes probably originated in the east of #Germania. Long before the #Alemanni were mentioned, the #Lugians and #Bastarnae were named as tribal #confederations. And the #Goths were the first to cross the #Danube.

(7/16) What, then, had given rise to these #Germanic major tribes in the East?
The answer could have been two very important materials at that time: #Amber and #iron!

(8/16) #Amber was a highly sought-after #trade material in the #ancient world. It was a more or less exclusive material for the #Baltic region and the #Romans paid a high price for it. As a result, the so-called amber roads were established in the #Germanic region.

(9/16) Due to the fact that many #Germanic #tribes could have tried to dominate these #amber roads, first #Germanic tribal confederations like the #Lugians, #Bastarnae or #Vandals could have arisen. Along these roads they spread.

(10/16) Later, the Amber Roads became relevant for the slave trade. Their economic appeal grew.
Thus, the conflicts between the tribal alliances could have grown stronger and stronger. When the Goths arrived from Scandinavia and dominated the Amber Coast, the pressure only grew.

(11/16) Then, under emperor #Trajan, the #Romans conquered #Dacia. There they mainly mined precious metals. In addition to #zinc, #gold and #silver, they also mined #iron.
The era of this time was still the Iron Age, so iron was the most important material for tools and weapons.

(12/16) However, since the #Romans were in #Dacia primarily for precious metals, they may have frequently used the #iron as a trade object for goods from the north. So they may have exchanged #iron for #amber very often!

(13/16) Germanic tribes, on the other hand, were not able to mine iron as well as Romans. But they needed it urgently. Due to their location on the province of Dacia, those tribes that had dominated the amber trade also controlled the iron supplies and had a material superiority.

(14/16) This further intensified #conflicts and encouraged the formation of major #tribes.
In the late 4th #century, this could have led to the fact that some alliances were wiped out (such as the #Lugians and later #Bastarnae) and only the #Goths, #Vandals and #Suebi were left.

(15/16) Accordingly, it was not the conflict with the Romans that gave rise to the first #Germanic major tribes, but the conflict among tribes over trade with the #Romans that led to this.
A important factor, for a spiral that had been started, would have been the #amber roads.

(16/16) Personally, I find such #theorys interesting. But I must also note that this one has its #weaknesses. It does not give my hundred percent opinion or the absolute #truth.
I have made this #thread mainly to give a space to another theory about the origin of major #tribes.