Roman or Barbarian? Ethnicity in Ostrogothic Italy

Abstract

Published summary of BA-Thesis. After the fall of the Roman Empire, a ‘barbarian’ group called the Goths take control of Italy (489-554 A.D.). In order to gain insight into the relations between the Roman and the Gothic population groups within this new kingdom, this study uses theoretical frameworks and concepts from anthropology and sociology. The contemporary primary sources are analysed, specifically the Gothic War by the Byzantine historian Procopius, and the chancellery documents of Cassiodorus’ Variae. By acknowledging the fluidity, situationality and multiple-layered character of identity, it is possible to do justice to the ancient sources and find a middle-way in the modern debate.