Origins & Early Life

Ermanaric (died 376) was a Greuthungian king who before the Hunnic invasion evidently ruled a sizable portion of Oium, the part of Scythia inhabited by the Goths at the time. He is mentioned in two Roman sources: the contemporary writings of Ammianus Marcellinus, and in Getica by the sixth-century historian Jordanes. He also appears in a fictionalized form in later Germanic heroic legends. Modern historians disagree on the size of Ermanaric's realm.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Herwig Wolfram postulates that he at one point ruled a realm stretching from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea as far eastwards as the Ural Mountains. Peter Heather is skeptical of the claim that Ermanaric ruled all Goths except the Tervingi, and furthermore points to the fact that such an enormous empire would have been larger than any known Gothic political unit, that it would have left bigger traces in the sources and that the sources on which the claim is based are not nearly reliable enough to be taken at face value. The first element of the name Ermanaric appears to be based on the Proto-Germanic root *ermena-, meaning 'universal'. The second element is from the element *-rīks, Gothic reiks, meaning 'ruler'; this is found...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Cyril of Alexandria — Contemporary (Born in 376) (376): Major Christian theologian and Patriarch of Alexandria, pivotal in Christological controversies.
• Emperor Wu of Jin — Contemporary figure (Died in 290) (290): Founder of the Jin Dynasty, Sima Yan unified China after the collapse of Cao Wei.
• Pappus of Alexandria — Contemporary figure (Born in 290) (290): Pappus of Alexandria, a pivotal Greek mathematician of late antiquity.
• Liu Hui — Contemporary figure (Died in 295) (295): Influential Chinese mathematician known for his commentary on The Nine Chapters.
• Athanasius of Alexandria — Contemporary figure (Born in 296) (296): The Great Theologian and Patriarch of Alexandria, defender of Nicene orthodoxy.
• 291 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 291
• 376 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 376