JutesThe Jutes were a Germanic tribe from modern day northern and middle Denmark. Even though they a

JutesThe Jutes were a Germanic tribe from modern day northern and middle Denmark. Even though they are from the land where the Germanic culture was born, the tribe itself is not as ancient as you would think. It is believed that the Jutes settled themselves in territory that once belonged to the Cimbri. The Jutes were neighboured by the Angles to the south. The meaning of their name is uncertain as there are several theories about the origin. One theory suggests that the word Jutes is an Anglified version of its ancient name described by Tacitus in 98AD ‘Eudoses’. If this theory is correct, the meaning of their name is 'giants’. Eote, the old English word for the Eudoses tribe, is etymologically related to 'eoten’, the old English word for the species of giants. Barely anything at all is known about this tribe except for the fact that large parts migrated towards Britannia during the 5th century. The earliest written mention comes from Tacitus’ work Germania which was published in 98AD, if the theory of the Eudoses is correct. This tribe had settled much later in its territory than the Frisii, Chatti, Batavi or Cherusci per example. A possible theory is that the Cimbri, who lived in the same territory earlier, decided to migrate southwards after the Cimbrian flood, this flood has been described by Strabo, a Greek geographer, but Strabo however has his doubts about the flood:“As for the Cimbri, some things that are told about them are incorrect and others are extremely improbable. For instance, one could not accept such a reason for their having become a wandering and piratical folk as this that while they were dwelling on a peninsula they were driven out of their habitations by a great flood-tide, for in fact they still hold the country which they held in earlier times and they sent as a present to Augustus the most sacred kettle in their country, with a plea for his friendship and for an amnesty of their earlier offences,and when their petition was granted they set sail for home; and it is ridiculous to suppose that they departed from their homes because they were incensed on account of a phenomenon that is natural and eternal, occurring twice every day. And the assertion that an excessive flood-tide once occurred looks like a fabrication, for when the ocean is affected in this way it is subject to increases and diminutions, but these are regulated and periodical” - StraboWhatever caused the Cimbri to migrate, it provided an opportunity for the Jutes to settle in their former areas around 0AD. Their new territory, now known as Jutland, was an important part of ancient trade routes dating back to the bronze age. They traded amber, skins and iron with other settlements all around western Europe. After the Roman empire set up permanent borders along the Rhine, the trading activity of the Jutes grew enormously. Now the Jutes also started trading in slaves and leather to both the Roman empire and other Germanic tribes. The Romans especially required a lot of slaves to support their agriculture. Because of the distance between the Jutes and the Roman empire, they never came into contact with the concept of money. Even if they did, they decided not to adopt this custom and continued using a barter system. There was also less social stratification due to the lack of contact with the Roman empire and their isolated location. This means that there were less differences between social classes, there might have been more equality amongst the Jutes or the boundaries between rich/poor were smaller. Somewhere during the 5th century AD, the Jutes together with the Angles, Saxons and Frisians, invaded Britannia. The Jutes fought against the Picts and drove the Britons west towards Wales. They settled in Britain together with the other three tribes I mentioned and so the Anglo-Saxons were formed. The few Jutes back in Jutland who did not migrate, were later absorbed into the Danish kingdom.Here is an image of:A map showing the location of the Jutes and their invasion of Britannia, -- source link

More pics about