--- On Sun, 7/25/10, Torsten <
tgpedersen@...> wrote:
>When Suebian pressure was at its height, in the immediate generations
> after Caesar, the best geographer of the times (Strabo) did not
> identify the area of Przeworsk with them but rather with the Lugii
> (cf. G. 7.1.3: the Lugii are not yet "Suebians" in Strabo as they
> are in Tacitus).
Strabo, Geography, 7.1.3
'Here, too, is the Hercynian Forest, and also the tribes of the Suevi, some of which dwell inside the forest, as, for instance, the tribes of the Coldui [Quadi], in whose territory is Boihaemum, the domain of Marabodus, the place whither he caused to migrate, not only several other peoples, but in particular the Marcomanni, his fellow-tribesmen; for after his return from Rome this man, who before had been only a private citizen, was placed in charge of the affairs of state, for, as a youth he had been at Rome and had enjoyed the favour of Augustus, and on his return he took the rulership and acquired, in addition to the peoples aforementioned, the Lugii (a large tribe), the Zumi, the Butones, the Mugilones, the Sibini, and also the Semnones, a large tribe of the Suevi themselves.
*****GK: The implication being that for Strabo, only the Semnones qualified as "Suebians" in 23 CE, not (yet) the Lugii, Zumi, Butones, Mugilones, Sibini.== He further says that in his time, the only other Suebian tribes east of the Elbe were the Langobardi and Hermondori.*****
However, while some of the tribes of the Suevi dwell inside the forest, as I was saying, others dwell outside of it, and have a common boundary with the Getae.'
Pompones Mela, De Chorographia, 3.38
'Sed praeter physicos Homerumque qui universum orbem mari circumfusum esse dixerunt, Cornelius Nepos ut recentior, auctoritate sic certior; testem autem rei Quintum Metellum Celerem adicit, eumque ita rettulisse commemorat: cum Galliae pro consule praeesset, Indos quosdam a rege Botorum dono sibi datos; unde in eas terras devenissent requirendo cognosse, vi tempestatium ex Indicis aequoribus abreptos, emensosque quae intererant, tandem in Germaniae litora exisse. Restat ergo pelagus, sed reliqua lateris eiusdem adsiduo gelu durantur et ideo deserta sunt.'
This rex Botorum is called 'rex suevorum" by Pliny relating same story, attributing it also to Nepos). Cf. Butones in the Strabo qoute.
*****GK: Since Cornelius Nepos was also a source for Strabo, the latter's Butones (=Gutones?) and Mela's "Boti" might be the same. Note however that Mela does not know any Suebians at all (though he might well be citing Nepos correctly). Pliny goes beyond Strabo as to the Butones/Boti/Gutones, and includes them among the "Suebians". Curiously however he lists the Hermunduri as a separate group of Hermiones. In any case, my point is that for Strabo the Przeworsk area was not yet "Suebian" (as it was for Tacitus).*****