View source for Jordanes

{{Short description|6th-century Byzantine writer; historian of ancient Romans and Goths}}
{{For|the consul of 470|Flavius Iordanes}}
{{use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name          =
| image         = Murano San Pietro Martire - Jordanes von Sachsen.jpg
| alt           = 
| caption       = Fresco showing Jordanes of Saxony in the [[San Pietro Martire, Murano|San Pietro Martire church]], [[Murano]].
| birth_name    = 
| birth_date    = 
| birth_place   = 
| death_date    = 
| death_place   = 
| other_names   = 
| occupation    = Writer, historian
| years_active  = 
| known_for     = 
| notable_works = ''[[Romana (Jordanes)|Romana]], [[Getica]]''
}}
'''Jordanes''' ({{IPAc-en|dʒ|ɔr|ˈ|d|eɪ|n|iː|z}}; [[Greek language|Greek]]: Ιορδάνης), also written as '''Jordanis''' or '''Jornandes''',{{efn|According to Schanz-Hosius (''Geschichte der Römischen Literatur'', 4, vol. 2 (1920), pp. 115, 118) the best MSS of his work present his name as ''Jordanes'', as does the [[Ravenna Cosmography|'Geographus Ravennas']]. ''Jordanis'' is a 'vulgar' form that is also used, while ''Jornandes'' appears only in lesser MSS. The form ''Jornandes'', however, was often used in older publications.}} was a 6th-century [[Eastern Roman]] bureaucrat,{{efn|"If Jordanes was a bishop (as is frequently assumed) and if he lived in Italy (also frequently assumed), those elements of his background have left no trace in his two histories." {{harv|Croke|1987|p=119}}{{Editorializing|date=August 2025}}}} of [[Goths|Gothic descent]], who became a historian later in life.

He wrote two works, one on Roman history (''[[Romana (Jordanes)|Romana]]'') and the other on the Goths (''[[Getica]]''). The latter, along with [[Isidore of Seville]]'s ''[[Historia Gothorum]]'', is one of only two extant ancient works dealing with the [[Origin stories of the Goths|early history of the Goths]]. Other writers, such as [[Procopius]], wrote works on the later history of the Goths. ''Getica'' has been the object of much critical review. Jordanes wrote in [[Late Latin]] rather than the classical [[Ciceronian]] Latin. According to his own introduction, he had only three days to review what [[Cassiodorus]] had written and so he must also have relied on his own knowledge.

==Life==
[[Image:Byzantium550.png|thumb|left|The Mediterranean area {{c.}} 550 AD as Jordanes wrote his ''Getica''. The [[Eastern Roman Empire]], whose capital was [[Constantinople]], is shown in pink. Conquests of [[Justinian I]] shown in green.]]
Jordanes writes about himself:{{Blockquote|The [[Sciri]], moreover, and the Sadagarii and certain of the [[Alans|Alani]] with their leader, Candac by name, received [[Scythia Minor (Roman province)|Scythia Minor]] and [[Moesia|Lower Moesia]]. Paria, the father of my father Alanoviiamuth (that is to say, my grandfather), was secretary to this Candac as long as he lived. To his sister's son Gunthigis, also called Baza, the Master of the Soldiery, who was the son of Andag the son of Andela, who was descended from the stock of the [[Amal dynasty|Amali]], I also, Jordanes, although an unlearned man before my conversion, was secretary.{{sfn|''Getica''|loc=[https://people.ucalgary.ca/~vandersp/Courses/texts/jordgeti.html#L 266]}}{{sfn|''Getica'' (Latin) 266}} }}

Paria was Jordanes's paternal grandfather. Jordanes writes that he was secretary to Candac, {{lang|la|dux Alanorum}}, an otherwise unknown leader of the Alans.

Jordanes was asked by a friend to write ''Getica'' as a summary of a multi-volume history of the Goths by the statesman [[Cassiodorus]] that existed then but has since been lost. Jordanes was selected for his known interest in history and because of his own Gothic background. He had been a high-level {{lang|la|notarius}}, or secretary, of a small client state on the Roman frontier in [[Scythia Minor (Roman province)|Scythia Minor]], modern southeastern [[Romania]] and northeastern [[Bulgaria]].{{sfn|Croke|1987}}

Jordanes was {{lang|la|notarius}}, or secretary to Gunthigis Baza, a nephew of Candac and a [[magister militum]] of the leading [[Ostrogoth]] clan of the [[Amali]].

That was {{lang|la|ante conversionem meam}} ("before my conversion"). The nature and the details of the conversion remain obscure. The Goths had been converted with the assistance of [[Ulfilas]] (a Goth), made bishop on that account. However, the Goths had adopted [[Arianism]]. Jordanes's conversion may have been a conversion to the [[trinitarianism|trinitarian]] [[Nicene Creed]], which may be expressed in anti-Arianism in certain passages in ''Getica''.<ref>''Getica'' 132, 133, 138, noted by {{harvcolnb|Croke|1987|p=125}}</ref> In the letter to Vigilius he mentions that he was awakened {{lang|la|vestris interrogationibus}} – "by your questioning".

Alternatively, Jordanes's {{lang|la|conversio}} may mean that he had become a [[monk]], a {{lang|la|religiosus}} or a member of the clergy. Some manuscripts say that he was a bishop, and some even say [[bishop of Ravenna]], but the name Jordanes is not known in the lists of bishops of Ravenna.

==Works==
[[File:106 Conrad Cichorius, Die Reliefs der Traianssäule, Tafel CVI.jpg|thumb|The deeds of Dacians and Getae (here from [[Trajan's Column]]) were wrongly attributed to Goths by Jordanes]]
Jordanes wrote ''[[Romana (Jordanes)|Romana]]'', about the history of [[Ancient Rome|Rome]], but his best-known work is his ''[[Getica]]'', which was written in [[Constantinople]]{{efn|"Constantinople is 'our city'" (''Getica'' 38).}} about 551&nbsp;AD.{{efn|He mentions the great [[Plague of Justinian|plague]] of 542 as having occurred "nine years ago" (''Getica'' 104). Still, there are some modern scholars who opt for a later date, see Peter Heather, Goths and Romans 332-489, Oxford 1991, pp. 47-49 (year 552), Walter Goffart, The Narrators of Barbarian History, Princeton 1988, p. 98 (year 554).}}
Jordanes wrote his ''[[Romana (Jordanes)|Romana]]'' at the behest of a certain Vigilius. Although some scholars have identified this person with [[Pope Vigilius]], there is nothing else to support the identification besides the name. The form of address that Jordanes uses and his admonition that Vigilius "turn to [[God]]" would seem to rule out this identification.{{sfn|Christensen|2002}}{{sfn|O'Donnell|1982}}

In the preface to his ''[[Getica]]'', Jordanes writes that he is interrupting his work on the ''Romana'' at the behest of a brother Castalius, who apparently knew that Jordanes possessed the twelve volumes of the History of the Goths by [[Cassiodorus]]. Castalius wanted a short book about the subject, and Jordanes obliged with an excerpt based on memory, possibly supplemented with other material to which he had access. The ''Getica'' sets off with a geography/ethnography of the North, especially of [[Scandza]] (16–24).{{sfn|Thunberg|2012|pp=44–46}}

He lets the history of the Goths commence with the emigration of [[Berig]] with three ships from Scandza to [[Gothiscandza]] (25, 94), in a distant past. In the pen of Jordanes, Herodotus's Getian demigod [[Zalmoxis]] becomes a king of the Goths (39). Jordanes tells how the Goths sacked "[[Troy]] and Ilium" just after they had recovered somewhat from the war with [[Agamemnon]] (108). They are also said to have encountered the Egyptian [[pharaoh]] [[Vesosis]] (47). The less fictional part of Jordanes's work begins when the Goths encounter Roman military forces in the third century AD. The work concludes with the defeat of the Goths by the Byzantine general [[Belisarius]]. Jordanes concludes the work by stating that he writes to honour those who were victorious over the Goths after a history spanning 2,030 years.

==Controversy==
Jordanes wrongly equated the [[Getae]] with the Goths. Many historical records which originally related to [[Dacians]] and Getae were thus wrongly attributed to Goths.<ref>Walter Goffart, The Narrators of Barbarian History, Princeton 1988, p. 70.</ref><ref>Pârvan, Vasile (1928). Dacia: An Outline of the Early Civilization of the Carpatho-Danubian Countries. The University Press</ref><ref>Oțetea, Andrei (1970). The History of the Romanian people. Scientific Pub. Hoose.</ref><ref>Ioan Bolovan, Florin Constantiniu, Paul E. Michelson, Ioan Aurel Pop, Christian Popa, Marcel Popa, Kurt Treptow, A History of Romania, Intl Specialized Book Service Inc. 1997</ref>

[[Arne Søby Christensen]]{{sfn|Christensen|2002}} and [[Michael Kulikowski]]{{sfn|Kulikowski|2007|p=130}} argue that in his ''Getica'' Jordanes also supplemented his Gothic history with many fictional events such as a Gothic war against Egypt.{{sfn|Christensen|2002}}

[[Caracalla]] in 213 received the titles "Geticus Maximus" and "Quasi Gothicus" after battles with Getae and Goths.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}

==See also==
* [[History of the Roman Empire]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==Citations==
{{Reflist|25em}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin|35em}}
*{{Cite journal | title = "In Altum Laxare Vela Compulsus": The 'Getica' of Jordanes
 | last = Bradley | first = Dennis R.
 | journal = Hermes
 | year = 1993 | volume = 121 | issue = 2 | pages = 211–236
 | jstor = 4476955
}}
*{{cite journal | title = Könige im Karpatenbogen
 | trans-title = Kings in the Carpathian Mountains
 | last = Brodersen | first = Kai
 | author-link = Kai Brodersen
 | journal = Zeitschrift für Siebenbürgische Landeskunde
 | location = Heidelberg
 | year = 2013 | issue = 36 | pages = 129–146
 | language = de
 | issn = 0344-3418
}}
*{{Cite book| title = Cassiodorus, Jordanes and the History of the Goths: Studies in a Migration Myth
 | last = Christensen | first = Arne Søby | year = 2002
 | author-link = Arne Søby Christensen
 | publisher = [[University of Chicago Press]]
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=AcLDHOqOt4cC&dq=The+basic+contention+of+this+book+is+that+nothing+in+the+first+third+of+Jordanes%E2%80%99+Getica+has+anything+whatsoever+to+do+with+a+history+of+the+Goths&pg=PA318
 | isbn = 978-8-772-89710-3
}}
*{{cite journal | title = Cassiodorus and the ''Getica'' of Jordanes
 | last = Croke | first = Brian
 | journal = [[Classical Philology (journal)|Classical Philology]]
 | year = 1987 | volume = 82 | issue = 2 | pages = 117–134
 | doi = 10.1086/367034
| s2cid = 162232630 }}
*{{Cite journal | title = Jordanes and the Immediate Past
 | last = Croke | first = Brian
 | journal = [[Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte|Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte]]
 | year = 2005 | volume = 54 | issue = 4 | pages = 473–494
 | jstor = 4436790
}}
*{{Cite journal | title = Who was Jordanes?
 | last = Doležal | first = Stanislav
 | journal = [[Byzantion]]
 | year = 2014 | volume = 84 | pages = 145–164
 | jstor = 44173397
}}
*{{Cite journal | title = Jordanes's "Getica" and the Disputed Authenticity of Gothic Origins from Scandinavia
 | last = Goffart | first = Walter
 | author-link = Walter Goffart
 | journal = [[Speculum (journal)|Speculum]]
 | date = April 2005 | volume = 80 | issue = 2 | pages = 379–398
 | doi = 10.1017/S0038713400000038 | jstor = 20463271
| s2cid = 163064058 }}
*{{Cite journal | title = Altri apporti della terza famiglia ai "Getica" di Giordanes
 | last = Grillone | first = Antonino
 | journal = {{Interlanguage link|Museum Helveticum|de}}
 | date = December 2004 | volume = 61 | issue = 4 | pages = 208–221
 | language = it
 | jstor = 24825243
}}
*{{Cite journal | title = Cassiodorus and the Rise of the Amals: Genealogy and the Goths under Hun Domination
 | last = Heather | first = Peter
 | author-link = Peter Heather
 | journal = [[The Journal of Roman Studies]]
 | year = 1989 | volume = 79 | pages = 103–128
 | doi = 10.2307/301183 | jstor = 301183
| s2cid = 162977685 }}
*{{cite book| title = Getica: The Origin and Deeds of the Goths
 | last = Jordanes
 | editor-last = Vanderspoel | editor-first = J
 | others = Translated by Charles C. Mierow
 | at = [https://people.ucalgary.ca/~vandersp/Courses/texts/jordgeti.html#L 266]
 | url = https://www.ucalgary.ca/~vandersp/Courses/texts/jordgeti.html
 | ref = {{harvid|''Getica''}}
}}
*{{cite book| title = De origine actibusque Getarum L
 | last = Jordanes
 | language = la
 | url = http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/iordanes1.html | url-status = dead
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080213070528/http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/iordanes1.html
 | archive-date = 13 February 2008
 | ref = {{harvid|''Getica'' (Latin) 266}}
}}
*{{Cite book| title = Rome's Gothic Wars: From the Third Century to Alaric | edition = 1st
 | last = Kulikowski | first = Michael | year = 2007
 | author-link = Michael Kulikowski
 | publisher = Cambridge University Press
 | series = Key Conflicts of Classical Antiquity
 | page = 130
 | isbn = 978-052184633-2
}}
*{{Cite book| title = The Gothic History of Jordanes: In English with an Introduction and a Commentary
 | last = Mierow | first = Charles Christopher | year = 1966
 | author-link = Charles Christopher Mierow
 | publisher = Speculum Historiale
 | url = https://people.ucalgary.ca/~vandersp/Courses/texts/jordgeti.html
}}
*{{cite journal | title = The Aims of Jordanes
 | last = O'Donnell | first = James J.
 | journal = Historia
 | year = 1982 | volume = 31 | pages = 223–240
 | url = http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/newjod/html/texts/jordanes.html | url-status = dead
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071109165220/http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/newjod/html/texts/jordanes.html
 | archive-date = 9 November 2007
}}
*{{cite book| title = Att tolka Svitjod
 | trans-title = To interpret Svitjod
 | last = Thunberg | first = Carl L. | year = 2012
 | author-link = Carl L. Thunberg
 | publisher = University of Gothenburg/CLTS
 | pages = 44–46
 | isbn = 978-91-981859-4-2
}}
*{{Cite journal | title = The Historiography of Crisis
 | last1 = Van Hoof | first1 = Lieve
 | last2 = Van Nuffelen | first2 = Peter
 | journal = [[The Journal of Roman Studies]]
 | year = 2017 | volume = 107 | pages = 275–300
 | doi = 10.1017/S0075435817000284 | jstor = 26576052
| s2cid = 232343702 }}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Jordanes|volume=15|pages=510–512|first1=Thomas|last1=Hodgkin|author-link1=Thomas Hodgkin (historian)|first2=Ernest|last2=Barker|author-link2=Ernest Barker}}

==External links==
* {{Gutenberg author|id=5699}}
* {{Internet Archive author}}
* Jordanes, [http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~vandersp/Courses/texts/jordgeti.html ''The Origins and Deeds of the Goths''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060424044148/http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~vandersp/Courses/texts/jordgeti.html |date=24 April 2006 }}, translated by Charles C. Mierow. [https://web.archive.org/web/20051104010636/http://www.northvegr.org/lore/jgoth/index.php alternative].
* [http://www.romansonline.com/Indx_src.asp?Doccode=Gth_01 The Origins and Deeds of the Goths] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924091930/http://www.romansonline.com/Indx_src.asp?Doccode=Gth_01 |date=24 September 2015 }}
* {{Catholic|wstitle=Jordanis (Jornandes)}}

{{Byzantine historians}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Byzantine people of Gothic descent]]
[[Category:6th-century Byzantine historians]]
[[Category:6th-century writers in Latin]]
[[Category:Gothic writing]]
[[Category:Latin historians]]
[[Category:Historians of ancient Rome]]