Juthungi
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The Juthungi (Ancient Greek: Ιούθουγγοι, Latin: Iuthungi) were a Germanic tribe in the region north of the rivers Danube and Altmühl in what is now the modern German state of Bavaria.
The tribe was mentioned by a few Roman historians, including Publius Herennius Dexippus and Ammianus Marcellinus, stretching from the 3rd to the 5th century CE.[1]: 4 [2]: 64–65
Tribal name
[edit]The Juthungi only appear in Roman records for a few centuries. They are only known to have been referred by the Juthungi name twice before the Laterculus Veronensis, an Imperial record of provinces and peoples of the Empire written around 314 CE, and the last listing of the tribal name occurred around 430 CE.[2]: 64–65 There are conflicting accounts as to whether the Juthungi were a tribe of their own, a subtribe of the Alemanni, or a separate tribe that merged into the Alemanni.[2]: 64–65 [3]: 296 [4]: 41
Their name appears together with that of the Semnoni, leading some people to believe that they might have been one and the same. This, however, there is no etymological or historical proofs to prove or even indicate, they most likely just raided together a few times since the Semnoni is said to have become a part of the Alemanni by the 3rd century whom the Juthungi were almost constantly associated with. Their name is likely related to that of the "Jutes", with the classical Germanic "-Ungi" suffix added. Meaning "Jute-Ungi/Juthungi", the Jutings. Like the danish "Scyldings", which in Danish is pronounced "Skjoldunger" ("Skjold" meaning = Shield, and "-Unger" meaning = "-Ings"). [citation needed]
Juthungi relations with Rome
[edit]The Juthungi invaded Italy in 259–260, but on their way back they were defeated near Augsburg on 24–25 April 260 by Marcus Simplicinius Genialis (this is recorded on a Roman victory altar found in 1992). At this time the Roman Empire lost control of this part of the limes.
The Juthungi invaded Italy again in 271, defeating the Romans at the Battle of Placentia, but they were repulsed by Aurelian after the Battle of Fano and Battle of Pavia.[citation needed] Around this time, during the reign of Aurelian (270-75), Dexippus reports that Aurelian prepared a show of Roman force as part of diplomatic negotiations with the tribe.[1]: 4
Between 356 and 358 the Juthungi and the Alamanni invaded the province of Raetia, and destroyed Castra Regina (Regensburg), which was the Roman capital of the province, and one of the biggest Roman military camps in south Germany, with massive stone walls and a village.
A second invasion of Raetia in 383 was repelled by an army of Alans and Huns. Between 429 and 431 the Roman general Aëtius also fought against the Juthungi in Raetia. He was unsuccessful, however, and so the Romans never tried or got the chance to fight them again.
Fate of the Juthungi
[edit]The Roman historians often generalized multiple Germanic tribes with terms like Alamanni, Franks or Bavarians, so it is difficult to determine the precise fate of the Juthungi after their defeats and into the 4th and 5th centuries CE. It is likely that the Juthungi integrated into one of the Germanic tribal federations—perhaps the Alemanni, since they were mentioned together in multiple histories.[4]: 41
No leader of the tribe was ever recorded, but it is likely that they were ruled under one king in the beginning, whereas they later might have split off into several groups all being led by different leaders set in different places.
Historical mentions of the Juthungi
[edit]- Augsburg Victory Altar (around 260)
- Dexippus, FGrHist 100 (around 270/271)
- Panegyrici Latini VIII 10.4 (around 297)
- Ammianus Marcellinus 17,6 (around 375)
- Sidonius Apollinaris, c. 7, 233 (around 429/430)
References
[edit]- ^ a b Lee, A. D. (March 2009). "Abduction and Assassination: The Clandestine Face of Roman Diplomacy in Late Antiquity". The International History Review. 31 (1): 1–23. doi:10.1080/07075332.2009.9641146.
- ^ a b c Liccardo, Salvatore (2024). Old names, new peoples: listing ethnonyms in late antiquity. Leiden Boston: Brill. ISBN 9789004685895. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
- ^ Bunson, Matthew (14 May 2014). Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire. Infobase Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4381-1027-1. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
- ^ a b Wolfram, Herwig (18 March 2005). The Roman Empire and Its Germanic Peoples. Univ of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-24490-0. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
