The Origin and Deeds of the Goths
By Jordanes
551
First Published
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Iordanis, known in English as Jordanes (also Jordanis'), was a 6th century bureaucrat of the Eastern Roman Empire, who turned his hand to history late in life. Though he wrote a history of Rome (Romana), the book most of interest to us now are the manuscripts the source of De origine actibusque Getarum (The Origin and Deeds of the Goths), or Getica, written in Latin (probably Jordanes' third language) at Constantinople about 551 CE. He was asked by a friend to write this book by the church as a summary of a lost multi-volume history of the Goths by the statesman, Cassiodorus. The major factors in the selection of Jordanes for this task were his interest in history (he was working on a history of Rome), his ability to write succinctly and his own Gothic background. He had been a high-level notarius, or secretary, of a small client state on the Roman frontier in Moesia, modern northern Bulgaria.
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Author
Jordanes
Author · 2 books
Jordanes- also referred as Jordanis or Jornandes- was a 6th century Roman bureaucrat, notarius or secretary to Gunthigis Baza, a magister militum. Of Alan origins, his grandfather Paria is believed to have been secretary to Candac, a leader of the Alans.
