Germanisation of Gaul

Germanisation is the spread of the German people, customs and institutions.[1] The penetration of Germanic elements in the Gaul region began from the twilight of the Iron Age through migration of Germanic peoples like the Suebi and the Batavi across the Rhine into Julius Caesar's Roman Gaul.[2] Further, one of the earliest permanent settlements of a group of Germans namely the Visigoths on Roman soil was in the post-classical period, which opened the door for various other Germanic peoples to enter Rome's Gallic provinces through the Great Rhine Crossing during the Middle Ages and spread Germanic elements further.[3] The prevalence of various records of archeological and written evidence regarding the spread of different Germanic elements such as German burials, pottery, costumes, houses mainly between the 3rd and the 5th centuries AD in Gaul depicts the full force of the Germanisation process that took place in Gaul.[4]

  1. ^ "'Germanize' Definition and Meaning". Collins English Dictionary. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  2. ^ Fernandez-Gotz, Manuel. "Identity and Power:The Transformation of Iron Age Societies in Northeast Gaul" (PDF). Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  3. ^ J.Arnold, Jonathan. "Theoderic, the Goths, and the Restoration of the Roman Empire." Ph.D. diss., The University of Michigan, 2008.
  4. ^ Esmonde Cleary, Simon (January 2011). "The Roman West, AD 200–500: An archaeological study".