Cimbri

The migrations of the Teutons and the Cimbri

The Cimbri were a Germanic or Celtic tribe who together with the Teutones and the Ambrones threatened the Roman Republic in the late 2nd century BC. The ancient sources located their home of origin in the northern Jutland.

Homeland and name

According to Greek and Roman sources, the Cimbri originated in Jutland, which was called Chersonesus Cimbrica or Χερσόνησος Κιμβρική after them. According to the Res gestae of Augustus, the Cimbri were still found somewhere on the peninsula around the turn of our era (ch. 26):

My fleet sailed from the mouth of the Rhine eastward as far as the lands of the Cimbri to which, up to that time, no Roman had ever penetrated either by land or by sea, and the Cimbri and Charydes and Semnones and other peoples of the Germans of that same region through their envoys sought my friendship and that of the Roman people.

The contemporary Greek geographer Strabo testifies that the Cimbri still existed as a Germanic tribe, probably in the "Cimbric peninsula" (Geogr. 7.2.1, trans. H.L. Jones):

As for the Cimbri, some things that are told about them are incorrect and others are extremely improbable. For instance, one could not accept such a reason for their having become a wandering and piratical folk as this that while they were dwelling on a Peninsula they were driven out of their habitations by a great flood-tide; for in fact they still hold the country which they held in earlier times; and they sent as a present to Augustus the most sacred kettle in their country, with a plea for his friendship and for an amnesty of their earlier offences, and when their petition was granted they set sail for home; and it is ridiculous to suppose that they departed from their homes because they were incensed on account of a phenomenon that is natural and eternal, occurring twice every day. And the assertion that an excessive flood-tide once occurred looks like a fabrication, for when the ocean is affected in this way it is subject to increases and diminutions, but these are regulated and periodical.

However, on the map of Ptolemaeus, the "Kimbroi" are the placed on the northermost part of the peninsula of Jutland,, i.e. in the modern landscape of Himmerland (since Vendsyssel-Thy was at that time a group of islands). Himmerland (Old Danish Himbersysel) is generally thought to preserve their name, in an older form without Grimm's law (PIE k > Germ. h). Alternatively, Latin C- represents an attempt to render the unfamiliar Proto-Germanic [χ], perhaps due to Celtic-speaking interpreters (a Celtic intermediary would also explain why Germ. *Þeuðanōz became Latin Teutones).

The origin of the name is unknown. A reasonable etymology is PIE *tḱim-ro- "inhabitant", from tḱoi-m- "home" (> Eng. home), itself a derivation from tḱei- "live" (> Greek κτίζω, Latin sinō); then, the Germanic *χimbra- finds an exact cognate in Slavic sębrъ "farmer" (> Croatian, Serbian sebar, Russ. sjabër). If this etymology is correct, the ethnonym would in fact be an common noun (like *Þeuðanōz, by the way) and therefore not restricted to one particular area. The Cimbri and the Teutones would be any "settlers" and "peoples" anywhere in northern Europe, not necessarily the inhabitants of the neighbouring landscapes Himmerland and Thy respectively.

Because of the similarity of the names, the Cimbri are often associated with Cymry, the Welsh name for themselves. However, this word is generally derived from an older *Kombroges, meaning The Compatriots, and it is hardly conceivable that the Romans would have recorded such a form as Cimbri (the form Cambri is Neo-Latin). The name has also been related to the word kimme meaning "rim", i.e. the people of the coast, but this is incompatible with the association of Cimbri to Himmerland since kimme does not exhibit the effects of Grimm's law. Finally, since antiquity, the name has been related to that of the Cimmerians.

Language of the Cimbri

A major problem is that at this time the Greeks and Romans tended to refer to all groups to the north of their sphere of influence as Gauls, Celts, or Germani rather indiscriminantly. Caesar seems to be one of the first authors to distinguish the two groups, and he has a political motive for doing that (it is an argument in favour of the Rhine border). Yet, one cannot always trust Caesar and Tacitus when they ascribe individuals and tribes to one or the other category.

If the Cimbri resided in the north of Jutland, it may be conjectured that their language was Proto-Germanic. However, there are indications that the Cimbri did in fact speak a Celtic language. Thus, Pliny the Elder (c. 77 AD) states, "Philemon [says] that [the Baltic] is called Morimarusa by the Cimbri" (Naturalis Historia, 4.95). The words for "sea" and "dead" are muir and marbh in Irish and mor and marw in Welsh.

Furthermore, we are told that the Romans enlisted Gaulish Celts to act as spies in the Cimbri camp prior to the final showdown with the Roman army in 101 BC. This is evidence in support of, "the Celtic rather than the German theory". Finally, the kings of the Cimbri and Teutones carry what looks like Celtic names, viz. Boiorix and Teutobodus.

On the other hand, there is no positive evidence of Germanic words or names in connection with the Cimbri. The etymology given above (PIE *tḱim-ro-) would work just as well in a Celtic context (and the Latin form would be easier to explain). Yet, Roman sources are consistent in categorising the Cimbri as a Germanic tribe (e.g. Caesar, BG 1.33.3-4; Pliny, NH 4.100; Tacitus, Germ. 37, Hist. 4.73). Furthermore, since all classical sources unanimously locate the home of the Cimbri in Jutland, the circumstantial evidence gives some support o the Germanic theory after all.

At any rate, the evidence offers the following possibilities:

1. The Cimbri were Germanic-speaking, and the information given about names and words in the ancient authors is inaccurate.
2. The Cimbri were original Germanic-speaking, but having absorbed a large amount of Celtic-speaking individuals on their long jurney down through Central and Western Europe, they adopted the Celtic language.
3. The Cimbri were Germanic-speaking, but due to the importance of the Celtic culture, the elite of the Germanic tribes were bilingual (cf. Celtic loanwords like *rīkaz "noble", *ambahtaz "servant")
4. The Cimbri spoke a Celtic language in their North Jutlandic homeland already; most linguists would be rather uncomfortable with this solution, since Jutland is considered a Germanic coreland.
5. The Cimbri were a Celtic tribe originating in central Europe, and they had only the name in common with the Cimbri of Jutland.

The journey

Moving south-east

Some time before 100 BC many of the Cimbri, as well as the Teutones and Ambrones migrated south-east. After several battles with the Boii and other Celtic tribes, they appeared ca 113 BC in Noricum, where they invaded the lands of one of Rome's allies, the Taurisci. At this time, if not before, they had picked up substantial Celtic elements, as allies and the majority of the migrating Cimbri may have been Gauls. Similarly, there is no consensus on the ethnic composition of the Ambrones, while the Teutons are usually taken to have been a Germanic or Proto-Germanic tribe.

On the request of the Roman consul Gnaeus Papirius Carbo, sent to defend the Taurisci, they retreated only to find themselves deceived and attacked at Noreia. In a bloody battle, they defeated the Romans. Only a storm, which separated the combatants, saved them from complete annihilation.

Invading Gaul

Now the road to Italy was open, but they turned west towards Gaul. They came into frequent conflict with the Romans, who usually came out the losers. In 109 BC, they defeated a Roman army under the consul Marcus Junius Silanus, who was the commander of Gallia Narbonensis. The same year, they defeated another Roman army under the consul Gaius Cassius Longinus, who was killed at Burdigala (modern day Bordeaux). In 107 BC, the Romans once again lost against the Tigurines, who were allies of the Cimbri.

The war against the Romans

Attacking the Roman Republic

It was not until 105 BC that they planned an attack on the Roman Republic itself. At the Rhône River, the Cimbri clashed with the Roman armies. The Roman commanders, the proconsul Quintus Servilius Caepio and the consul Gnaeus Mallius Maximus, hindered Roman coordination and so the Cimbri succeeded in first defeating the legate Marcus Aurelius Scaurus and later cause a devastating defeat on Caepio and Maximus at the Battle of Arausio. The Romans lost as many as 80,000 men, excluding auxiliary cavalry and non-combatants who brought the total loss closer to 112,000.

Rome was in panic, and the terror cimbricus became proverbial. Everyone expected to soon see the new Gauls outside of the gates of Rome. Desperate measures were taken: contrary to the Roman constitution, Marius, who had defeated Jugurtha, was elected consul and supreme commander for five years in a row (104 BC–100 BC).

Defeat

The Defeat of the Cimbri, by Alexandre-Gabriel Décamps.

In 103 BC, the Cimbri and their Proto-Germanic allies, the Teutons, had turned to Spain where they pillaged far and wide. During this time C. Marius had the time to prepare and, in 102 BC, he was ready to meet the Teutons and the Ambrones at the Rhône River. These two tribes intended to pass into Italy through the western passes, while the Cimbri and the Tigurines were to take the northern route across the Rhine and later across the Tyrolian Alps.

At the estuary of the Isère River, the Teutons and the Ambrones met Marius, whose well-defended camp they did not manage to overrun. Instead, they pursued their route, and Marius followed them. At Aquae Sextiae, the Romans won two battles and took the Teuton king Teutobod prisoner.

The Cimbri had penetrated through the Alps into northern Italy, The consul Quintus Lutatius Catulus had not dared to fortify the passes, but instead he had retreated behind the Po River, and so the land was open to the invaders. The Cimbri did not hurry, and the victors of Aquae Sextiae had the time to arrive with reinforcements. At the Battle of Vercellae, at the confluence of the Sesia River with the Po River, in 101 BC, the long voyage of the Cimbri also came to an end.

It was a devastating defeat and both the chieftains Lugius and Boiorix died. The women killed both themselves and their children in order to avoid slavery. The Cimbri were annihilated, although some may have survived to return to the homeland where a population with this name was residing in northern Jutland in the 1st century AD, according to the sources quoted above.

Culture

Gundestrup cauldron, Plate E

Strabo gives this vivid description of the Cimbric folklore (Geogr. 7.2.3, trans. H.L. Jones):

Their wives, who would accompany them on their expeditions, were attended by priestesses who were seers; these were grey-haired, clad in white, with flaxen cloaks fastened on with clasps, girt with girdles of bronze, and bare-footed; now sword in hand these priestesses would meet with the prisoners of war throughout the camp, and having first crowned them with wreaths would lead them to a brazen vessel of about twenty amphorae; and they had a raised platform which the priestess would mount, and then, bending over the kettle, would cut the throat of each prisoner after he had been lifted up; and from the blood that poured forth into the vessel some of the priestesses would draw a prophecy, while still others would split open the body and from an inspection of the entrails would utter a prophecy of victory for their own people; and during the battles they would beat on the hides that were stretched over the wicker-bodies of the wagons and in this way produce an unearthly noise.

The Cimbri are depicted as ferocious warriors who did not fear death. The host was followed by women and children on carts. Aged women dressed in white (cf. the Old Norse völva) sacrificed the prisoners of war and sprinkled their blood (cf. the Old Norse blót), the nature of which allowed them to see what was to come.

If the Cimbri did in fact come from Jutland, evidence that the they practised ritualistic sacrifice may be found in the Haraldskær Woman discovered in Jutland in the year 1835. Noosemarks and skin piercing were evident and she had been thrown into a bog rather than buried or cremated. Furthermore, the Gundestrup cauldron, found in Himmerland, may be a sacrificial vessel like the one described in Strabo's text. The work itself was, however, of Celtic or Thracian origin.

Descendants

The population of modern-day Himmerland claims to be the heirs of the ancient Cimbri. The adventures of the Cimbri are described by the Danish nobel-prize-winning author, Johannes V. Jensen, himself born in Himmerland, in the novel Cimbrernes Tog (1922), included in the cycle Den lange Rejse (Eng. The Long Journey, 1923). The so-called Cimbrian bull ("Cimbrertyren"), a sculpture made by the artist Anders Bundgaard, was erected 14 April 1937 on a central town square in Aalborg, the capital of the province.

In Northern Italy, a Germanic language traditionally called Cimbrian is spoken in some villages near the cities of Verona and Vicenza. Since the 14th century, it was believed that the speakers were the direct descendants of the Cimbrians defeated at Vercelli (some hundred kilometers to the west). However, this is most certainly not true. The language is in fact related to the Austro-Bavarian dialects of German like many other Upper German dialects in Northern Italy, it is only more isolated and therefore less recognizable as German. The name was either indigenous (from Zimmer = "timber"?) or given to them by Italian humanists who wanted to find this "living fossil" of antiquity.

The Danish Vikings (and possibly some Jutes who arrived in Kent, Hampshire, and the Isle of Wight circa 449 AD) who settled in the English Danelaw doubtless included Cimbri descendants from the Limfjord in Himmerland. In addition to providing detailed archaeological, historical and linguistic data to provide a chronological perspective relating to the Cimbri and their associates the Teutones, a recent study [2] focuses on genetic data. The Y-chromosome "signatures" of some from the Danish speaking area of the Danelaw (but not elsewhere in England or in Ireland at all), as well as regions believed to be settled by the Cimbri in Iron Age times (e.g., southeastern Norway), possess the single nucleotide polymorphism marker S28. This marker, which defines the phylogenetic category R1b1c10 is found at highest concentration in the Alpine areas of Germany, Switzerland and Italy and fans out across the area of Central Europe, as far east as Greece, known to have been inhabited by the La Tene Celts.

See also

• Cimmerians
• Sugambri
• Zimmern Chronicle
• Haraldskær Woman