Baltic Sea: People, Geography, and Prehistory

    The People, The Land, and the Sea

 Toward an Exploration of Baltic pre-History

 A bit of geography. 

                    The Baltic Sea has been a tremendously important feature on the face of the Earth and on the course of our history. It has been called a brackish  inland sea the geological history of which is unclear. The surrounding territory has been said to have been populated Scythian and Slave and an indefinite people called Celts. Their cultures are said to have been influenced by their geography a lot of human migration, and by Amber. I am about to write just a bit about the geography of the area. I haven't chosen a map, but you may find any map of the Sea which includes some of the surroundings land could be useful and even interesting to you as we begin to explore the area.

                    This inland sea is marginal to the Atlantic Ocean at its northeast margin. It might be said to face west. This Baltic Sea drains into the Atlantic  through the Danish Straights by way of the Kattegat, Great belt and the Little Belt. The Sea includes geographic features such as the Gulf of Bothnia, the Bay of Bothnia, the Gulf of Finland, the gulf of Riga and the Bay of Gdansk.

                    Kattegat is a area of shallow sea bounded by the the Jutlandic peninsula in the west, the Danish straights and the Baltic sea to the south, and the shore of Sweden to the east. Bothnia seems to have begun as an adjective referring to lowland shores. Even so, the Gulf of Bothnia is not shallow, but the land beneath it is rising from the release of its Ice Age burden of ice. It can still freeze over in the winter.

                    If you are dizzy from all the geographic references, take a look at the maps above. No need to worry as we go on our geographic orientation will improve. Take a breath there are more such references to come, but now with admixture of history and pre-history.

                    I still have more to learn geography to learn of the Bothnia Gulf, the gulf of Finland. If you know anything relating to the gulf of Bothnia, please tell us about it. I am fairly sure that it is important in the stories and histories of both Finland and Sweden.  A 15th century navigator may have referred to it as he Mare Gotticus. Ottar, a Viking age adventurer, in the 9th century may have referred to it as the Kven Sea.

 

                    Bothnia Bay may be though of as a northern extension of the gulf of Bothnia. Both Bay and Gulf still freeze over in the winter. 

Finland

                    The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost branch of the the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland on the north, Estonia on the south, and to Saint Petersburg, Russia in the east where the river Neva drains into it. Other major cities on the present day gulf are Helsinki and Tallinn.

                    I am checking facts in Wikipedia here, but you can be fairly sure that errors are mine. Please note and/or correct them in the "comments" app below. You can make comments about content there too. 

                    In the post Ice Age of Finland the Gulf was preceded by the Littorina Sea. the level, of that sea was about 30 feet above present sea level. By some 4,000 years ago the Littorina sea had receded. 

Prehistory People                    

                    Archaeologist have found the lands along the Gulf of Finland began to be settled by about 9,000 BC, just after the last Ice Age. Coming back toward our days, as early as 1905, eleven Neolithic settlements had been found along the this gulf. Those settler have been referred to as survivors. Early culture on the lands around this gulf include: Finnic, Eesti, Votes/Chud, Izorians, and Korela.

                    We have begun to consider people! prehistoric people!

                    We have a lot to learn about people and little time to do it. There is considerable evidence that between about 700 AD to about 900 AD, East Slavs, Ilman Slavs, and Krivichs lived along the Neva river and the Gulf of Finland. The people of these cultures practiced agriculture and animal husbandry. Between about 700 Ad and 1,200 AD the river Neva and the Gulf of Finland were an import part of the inland water way between Scandinavia and the Byzantine empire. From early times Norsemen practiced viking on these waterways.

                    From 850 AD when the Gulf was held by Russians and to 1229 when the Danes took control we begin to have much historic information available. during this period the city of Reval was established on what has become the area of Tallinn. There is a lot to find about this Baltic area.  Historic finds of the times after about 750 become more abundant. 

                    Tell me of your interests in the area and I will try to publish about them. Search History With RCS and it is possible you will find that I have already published something of interest.

Gulf of Riga

                    The gulf of Riga lies between Latvia and Estonia. We can learn more of this Gulf through a study of the histories and pre-histories of these two countries. A look at the histories of the cities of Riga, Parnu, Jumala, and Kuressaare could help too. If you would like me to publish a work of yours on these cities or counties tell me so and maybe we can work something out. I could live long enough to learn enough about their earliest days to write something, but probably won't.

            

Bay of Gdansk

                    Just now the Bay of Gdansk is taking my interest. It's history may include some of the histories of my Prussian , Polish and German ancestors. The  Vistula river flows into it. Some consider the Bay as widening to include Russia Kaliningrad and the coast of Lithuania. 

                    There be Kursenieki on this bay. They have been there long.. They call their language Curonian. Some see the language as related to Latvian. They have been called Prussian Latvians. They are a mystery to which their language may be a clue. They are certainly not a geographically isolated people. They are on a well visited sea coast and near the mouth of a long navigated river and so have seen much trade and commerce.

Geography

                    I am including a lot of geography in this little essay. As geography does affect culture, I am introducing the Baltic Sea ant its surroundings as a backdrop and the grounding for the people who have lived there. I also want you to know a local for the people and places I speak of.

Denmark and Jutes

                    Let me take you back to where Baltic waters meet the Atlantic waters near Denmark. Kattegat, the name of the little sea area near the Baltic entrance to the Atlantic, may be of Swedish origin, so we are near Sweden too. I seem to remember a queen Kattegat, This sea is certainly a place to be Scandinavian. The Jutlandic Peninsula juts out here. It is part of Jutland. Long ago this same peninsula was called the Cimbric or Cimbrian peninsula. Now it is part of Denmark; Jutes a and Cimbri used to live there.

                    Jutes have been named among powerful Germanic invaders of England. I might call them Scandinavians, or something else, but I have a lot to learn. It does seem that others have some confusion about the area, but there is a reason the peninsula is called Jute. There was much trade and commerce in the area before and after the Roman Empire. Anyway there that peninsula is, at the Kattegat Sea not very far from Denmark.

Cimbrian, Cimbri

                    Wait a minute, the Cimbri, an ancient people were also said to have lived on this peninsula. We humans do get around and it has been said that which  gets around goes around. What we have called the Jute peninsula has been called the Cimbrian peninsula. The Cimbri have been thought to be Gaulish or Celtic. Celtic to me has come to be much like German was to the Romans. Romans called everyone to the far west of them German. I of have yet to see good archaeological evidence or historical documentation of who the earlier inhabitants of the peninsula were.

                    It does seem that there is evidence of there being a long period of annual migrations from the Baltic area and England and Ireland to the Iberian peninsula and back with the seasons. That stirs the pot. It sounds right and amazing at the same time. There was even a  Cimbrian military expedition against 1st century Rome. Who were those Cimbrians? Could they have been some early Norsemen doing some large scale viking?

                    Some say that there were Belgians of Cimbrian origin, but I see no evidence for them being called Germans other than the Romans calling almost every one in the area German.

                    Did Cimbrians reach Ireland? How can we recognize or identify Cimbrians? I am not certain  what Celts were, but people whom seem a bit like Cimbrians, but were called Irish Celts, Joined Phoenicians to resist Rome.

                    Scythian has been called Cimerian. Are Cimerians, Cimbrians? I believe that Cimbrian were trading people and Scythians were great traders from before their Hellenization. Who can help me to get any of this straightened out?

                   The End. The end of this essay. I hope to learn more and to write more on these topics before I die. Please use the "comments'' section below to participate in the learning or writing. Blogs are useful for their interactivity.

                    On this same blog site check these posts:

                               

           

                   Thank you for reading.

                                                                                 rcs

                                                  

               

 

                 

Balt History: an exploration

History With RCS: Toward an exploration of Baltic Sea Cultures. 

                Before getting into the cultures active in the area I would like to introduce some of its geological and geographic features. But as a taste of doings and happenings to come I'll mention a few. Amber has long been collected and traded there. River and sea commerce has long been very active. Even now Russian and Dane meet there, Finn and Swede too, and a good many more. Ancient cultures there were Scythian, Celt, and Slav to name a few. Norsemen learn viking their and reach Byzantium.

                Th Baltic Sea is an important feature on the face of Earth and on the course of world history. It has been called a brackish inland sea the geological history of which is unclear. You can check it out a Google Maps and elsewhere.

                If you look at the Atlantic Ocean and looked to its northeast margin and there looked landward you would see a large body of water with outlet to the Atlantic. It drains into the Atlantic through the Danish straights by of the little, somewhat shallow, Kattagat sea If you were a seaman you might note passing through the Great Belt and the Little Belt. Once well within the Sea you could find some prominent gulfs and bays. There is the Gulf of Bothnia and the Bay of Bothnia, The Gulf of Finland, the Gulf of Riga, and the bay of Gdansk.

                That shallow little sea called Kattagat is bounded by the Jutlandic Peninsula in the west, the Danish Straights and the Baltic Sea to the south and the shores of Sweden to the east. It's okay if you feel more disoriented then oriented. You will begin to remember the names and that is a good start.

                The word bothnia seems to have referred to lowlands or to lowland shores. The Gulf of Bothnia is fairly deep, but geologically the land beneath it is still rising from its release from its Ice Age burden of ice. It can still freeze over in winter.

               Take a breath, there are more geographic references to come, but finally with some admixture of history. 

                You could help us with info about the Gulf of Bothnia. I am sure that it is important in the stories of both Finland and Sweden. A 15th century navigator may have referred to it as the Mare Gotticus. Ottar, a viking age adventurer in the 9the century may have referred to it as the Kven Sea.

                Bothnia Bay may be thought of as a northern landward extension of the Gulf of Bothnia. Both Bay and Gulf may freeze over in winter.

                The Gulf of Finland is the eastern most branch of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland on the north, and Estonia on the south, to Saint Petersburg, Russia in the east where the river Neva flows into it. Other major cities on that gulf are Helsinki and Tallinn.

                I am checking many facts with Wikipedia but errors here are surely mine. Please feel free to correct errors and to make useful additions by way of "comments" at the end of this post.

                In the Post Ice Age of the Gulf of Finland that gulf was preceded by the Littorina Sea. The level of that sea was about 30 feet above present sea level. By some 4,000 years ago, the Littorina Sea had receded to about present level.

                Archaeologists have found that the lands along the Gulf of Finland began to be settled in about 9,000 BC, not long after the last Ice Age. Returning to our own Age, as early as 1905 AD, eleven neolithic settlements had been found along the Gulf. Among the early cultures were Finnic, Eesti, Votes/Chud, Izorians, and Korela. 

                We have begun to talk pre-historic. So, now we are considering  people!

                There is evidence that between about 700 AD and 900 AD East Slavs, Ilman Slavs, and Krivichs were along the Neva river and the Gulf of Finland. These cultures practiced agriculture and animal husbandry. Between 700 AD and 1,200 AD the river Neva and the gulf were part of the inland waterway from Scandinavia to the Byzantine Empire. Norsemen were practicing viking along these waterways.

                Now we have entered historic times and there are documents to prove it! 

                Historic information becomes more abundant from 850 AD when the Gulf of Finland was held by Russians and after 1229 when Danes took control. During this period the city of Reval was established on what was to become the area of Tallinn. There is a lot to find out about this Baltic area and the finds are becoming more abundant.

                The Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea lies between modern Latvia and Estonia. We can learn more of this gulf through a study of the histories of these two lands. A look at the cities of Riga, Parnu, Jumala, and Kuressare could help too. I bet we can learn more about their earliest days.

                The Bay of Gdansk is taking my interest already. It's history may may touch on the lives of some of my Prussian, Polish, and even German ancestors. The Vistula River flows into it. Some consider the Bay widening to include Russian Kaliningrad and the coast of Lithuania.

                There be Kursenieki on this bay. They have been there long. They call their language Curonian. There are those who the language as related to Latvian. They have been called Prussian Latvians. They are a mystery to which their language may be a clue. They are certainly not a geographically isolated people. They are on a well visited sea coast and near the mouth of a long navigated river and so have witnessed much trade and commerce.

                Before 1,200 AD a Curonian people held a privileged position on the Baltic Sea. The Coruland Peninsula was theirs. However, by the mid 1600s they are not mentioned. The Curonian Peninsula is now western Latvia so one supposes that those of Curonian blood are now mostly of Latvian culture, but bet Latvian culture is now a bit Curonian. There is some discussion as to whether they originally came from the east or the west. I believe that they may have been the first to arrive on the Sea of all who are now there. 

                We are still looking at a lot of geography. Geography does effect culture and the story of culture is history. As we progress we may see the people more clearly in their backdrop of Baltic Sea and surrounding lands. We begin to see how people can be grounded in their geography. We have already learned the names of some of the people who have found their home here around this sea.

                Let's get back to where the Baltic waters meet the Atlantic ocean. Kattagat, the name of the little sea area near the Baltic entrance to the Atlantic is probably Swedish origin. I seem to remember a queen Kattagat who may have been a Swede. This sea is certainly placed so as to be Scandinavian. The Jutland peninsula juts here. It is part of Jutland. Long ago this same peninsula was called the Cimbric or Cimbrian peninsula. Now it is part of Denmark; Jutes and Cimbri used to live there.

                Waite a minute, the Cimbri are a people new to me. They are the first people, we know about, to live on this peninsula not far from the Baltic entrance to the Atlantic. I find that they have been thought to be Gaulish or Celtic and the Jutland peninsula was once Cimbrian peninsula. The meaning of Celt is a bit broad, but they are generally accepted to be early Indo-Eurpoean arrivals. Gaulish often refers to and early Celtic language. It may prove interesting to learn more of these guys, and gals. Is there any archaeological evidence of them on the peninsula? I'll try to be alert to historical documentation of them. There name is a big hint.

                It does seem that there is evidence of there being a long period of of annual migrations from the Baltic area and perhaps England and Ireland to the Iberian peninsula and back with the seasons from pre- Roman times. It sounds right and amazing at the same time. There was a whole lot of motion going on. There was even a Cimbria military expedition against 1st century Rome! Who are these Cambrians? Were they some of the Celts who joined Carthaginians to resist Rome. Some of those Celts where from Ireland.

                It has been said that there were Belgians of Cimbrian origin. I see no evidence of Cimbrians being German, other than the Romans calling everyone in the area German. 

                Scythian has been called Cimerian. Could Cimerian be Cimbrian? Cimbrians seem to have been a trading people and Scythians were great traders even before their Hellenization. I may be reaching to far.

            This brings us to the end of these preliminary words here. I intend there to be more. When you are interested please tell me so. Also if you know or find info on the Cimbri, PLEASE tell us about it here. Use the "comments" section just below. If you are one who has not yet explored this blog, get busy. 

                Thank you for reading.

 

                                                                       rcs