Exercises on the Barbarian Invasions

“They all have compact, firm limbs, thick necks, and are prodigiously misshapen and ugly that we might mistake them for bipedal animals or for the thinned logs they wear on the sides of bridges. [...] But having the appearance of men, though disagreeable, they are rude in their way of life, so that they need neither fire nor tasty food; they eat the roots of wild plants and the semi-raw meat of any kind of animal that they place between their thighs and the horses' backs to warm them up a little.”

Cited in EPINOSA, Fernanda. Anthology of medieval historical texts. Lisbon:Sá da Costa, 1972.

The above text demonstrates a bishop's impression of peoples whose social and cultural organization differed from his own. Analyzing the elements described in the text, one can say:

1. which is the speech of a Portuguese when coming into contact with indigenous people in present-day Brazil.
2. which is the speech of the English Puritans after the acquaintance with the Indians of North America.
3. which is the speech of the Aztecs, defining the characteristics of the Spanish invaders.
4. which is a Roman's speech about the barbarian peoples who invaded the Empire.
5. which is the speech of the Hebrews, defining the Egyptians.

(UFG – adapted) In the context of the passage from the ancient world to the medieval world, two migratory waves, each with their specificities, characterized the movement of populations that we call “Germanic invasions” or “barbarian invasions”. The first installed Visigoths in Spain, Ostrogoths in Italy, Vandals in Tunisia, Burgundians in northern Italy. The second wave is that of the conquest of Gaul (by the Franks) and England (by the Anglo-Saxons). About these population displacements, their characteristics and relevance, judge the items:

I – Some Germanic tribes were pressured by the advance of the Huns and a form of negotiation (the federation) allowed the peaceful installation of Ostrogoths and Visigoths inside the frontiers of the Empire.

II – The Germans were originally from the Scandinavian Peninsula, spoke an Indo-European language, practiced agriculture, livestock, looting and had a social organization based on the clan.

III – The strengthening of urban civilization, the progress of commercial relations and the growth of villages (self-sufficient and market-oriented agricultural production centers) are characteristics of the first migratory wave.

They are correct :

1. All alternatives.
2. Alternatives I and II.
3. Alternatives II and III.
4. Alternatives I and III.
5. None of the alternatives.

(UFPR) The Germanic invasions begin in the 4th century AD. and they promote important transformations in the Mediterranean panorama, which affect the structures of the classical world. Identify, among the transformations below, the one that corresponds to the root of the proto-feudalization of Western Europe:

a) Replacement of Christianity by Celtic and Goth cults in the Germanic kingdoms.
b) Ruralization and fragmentation of political power.

c) Disappearance of Latin as a written and spoken language, replaced by Germanic dialects.

d) Imposition of the way of life of the Germanic peoples and consequent destruction of the culture of the dominated peoples.

e) Replacement of Roman Law by the customs of the invading peoples.

Analyze the statements below about the barbarian invasions, indicating whether they are right or wrong.

I – ( ) C ( ) E - The Vandals conquered North Africa and, under the command of Geiseric, formed their kingdom with its capital in Carthage. In 455, they took advantage of its economic and military strength to sack the city of Rome;

II - ( ) C ( ) E - They blocked any possibility of cultural exchange, keeping unaltered the ethnic, political, economic, linguistic and religious formation of the western world;

III – ( ) C ( ) E - Some Germans were hired to carry out the personal guard of the emperors. On the frontier of the Empire, the peoples who inhabited it were recognized as federated, with the function of preventing other foreign peoples from entering the Roman domains;

IV – ( ) C ( ) E - During the fourth century, the Germanic peoples were gradually attracted by the availability of fertile lands and the mild climate of the Roman possessions. At the same time, they suffered from the military pressure exerted by the Huns, skilled Mongol warriors who forced the entry of the Germans into the Roman Empire.

The alternative that correctly indicates the evaluation of the statements is:

1. C-E-C-E
2. C-E-C-C
3. E-E-C-E
4. C-E-E-C
5. E-E-C-C

Letter D . Bishop Amiano Marcelino's text refers to the Huns, peoples of Mongolian origin who carried out numerous wars on European soil.

Letter B . Item III is incorrect due to the barbarian invasions, in none of their migratory waves, to strengthen urban civilization. On the contrary, what happened was the strengthening of the rural world, the reduction of commerce and the resurgence of the villages.

Letter B . The a alternative it is incorrect, for there was no replacement of Christianity; a c because the change in language was not the reason for feudalization; a d because there is no imposition on ways of living, but rather a process of assimilation of institutions, which also explains the incorrectness of e , with regard to the question of legal institutions.

Letter B . Contrary to what is written in II, the barbarian invasions provided an assimilation of various elements of barbarian and roman cultures, creating the elements of the western world of the Middle Ages.