Misplaced Pages

List of ancient Baltic peoples and tribes

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.

Part of a series on
Indo-European topics
Languages

Extant
Extinct

Reconstructed

Hypothetical

Grammar

Other
Philology
Origins
Mainstream

Alternative and fringe
Archaeology
Chalcolithic (Copper Age)

Pontic Steppe

Caucasus

East Asia

Eastern Europe

Northern Europe


Bronze Age

Pontic Steppe

Northern/Eastern Steppe

Europe

South Asia


Iron Age

Steppe

Europe

Caucasus

India

Peoples and societies
Bronze Age
Iron Age

Indo-Aryans

Iranians

East Asia

Europe

Middle Ages

East Asia

Europe

Indo-Aryan

Iranian

Religion and mythology
Reconstructed

Historical

Indo-Aryan

Iranian

Others

European

Practices
Indo-European studies
Scholars
Institutes
Publications

The following is a list of ancient Baltic peoples and tribes.

Background

This is a list of the ancient Baltic peoples and tribes. They spoke the Baltic languages (members of the broader Balto-Slavic), a branch of the Indo-European language family, which was originally spoken by tribes living in area east of Jutland peninsula, southern Baltic Sea coast in the west and Moscow, Oka and Volga rivers basins in the east, to the northwest of the Eurasian steppe. Modern descendants are the Lithuanians and Latvians (they themselves assimilated other related Baltic tribes).

List of ancient Baltic peoples and tribes (table)

Groups Peoples / Nations Tribes Languages Land / Region / Localities
Eastern Balts Dniepr Balts Neuri? (mentioned by Herodotus; possibly a Baltic or Slavic tribe) Unknown Dnieper basin (north of the Pontic Eurasian steppe)
Oka Balts Eastern Galindians Unknown Upper courses of the Dniepr and Oka rivers basins, including Moscow region
Eastern (Middle) Balts Latvians (Latvieši) Latgalians (Latgaļi) Old Latgalian Latvia, Latgalia (Latgola) - Adzele, Gersika or Jersika (Alene, Autine, Casvaine, Ērgļi, Gerdene, Jersika Proper, Lerene, Mārksne, Negeste, Osota, Preiļi), Kūknuojs and Eastern Vāina,

Lotygola or Latgalia Proper (Īdeņa, Ludza, Rēzne, Varka), Pītuolova (Ābelene, Abrene, Bērzene, Purnava) and Tuolova or Tālava (Gulbene, Imera, Piebalga, Smiltene, Trikāta and Idumaa and Vendi)

Lithuanians (Lietuviai) Aukštaitians ("Highlanders") Old Lithuanian (Old Aukštaitian) Aukštaitija - Alšėnai, Deltuva, Lietuva (Lithuania Proper or Lietuvos Žemė),

Nalšia and Nerija

Samogitians ("Lowlanders") Old Lithuanian (Old Samogitian) Samogitia (Žemaitija) - Gaižuva, Karšuva, Knituva, Kulenė, Milžava, Šiauliai (Šiaulių Žemė),

Medininkai and Upytė (Upytės Žemė)

Prussian Lithuanians (Lietuvininkai) Old Lithuanian Lithuania Minor (Mažoji Lietuva)
Transitional Balts Curonians Curonian Curonia or Courland (Kurzeme, Kursa) - Bandava, Ceklis, Curonian Spit (Kuršu kāpas) and Vistula Spit, Duvzare, Megava, Piemare, Pīlsats, Vanema or Miera Kursa, Ventava
Selonians Selonian Selonia (Sēlija) - Alektene, Kalvene, Maleisine, Medene, Pelone [lv], Tovrakste
Semigallians Semigallian Semigalia (Zemgale) - Dobele or Duobele, Dobene or Duobe, Guosta Galis, Mežotne, Nogailene, Plāne, Putelene, Sidabre, Silene, Šiurpe, Spārnene, Tērvete, Upmale, Žagare
Western Balts Yotvingians Yotvingian Yotvingia - Dainava or Dzukija, Jotva or Yotva, Paleksija or Palenke and Sudovia (Sūdava)
Prussians (Prūsai) Scalovians Scalovian Scalovia and Lamata
Bartians Prussian Bartia
Lubavians Prussian Lubavia
Nadruvians Prussian Nadruvia
Natangians Prussian Natangia
Pogesanians Prussian Pogesania
Pomesanians Prussian Pomesania and Kulmerland
Sambians Prussian Sambia
Sasnans Prussian Sasna
Warmians or Varmians Prussian Warmia
Western Galindians Galindian Galindia (Western)
Pomeranian Balts Unknown Unknown Pomerania

Extinct

Ancestors

Map 1: Indo-European migrations as described in The Horse, the Wheel, and Language by David W. Anthony

List of Ancient Baltic peoples and tribes (kinship tree)

Map 2: Distribution area of Baltic hydronyms. This area is considered the urheimat of the Balts.
Map 3: Baltic archaeological cultures in the Iron Age from 600 BC to 200 BC.   Sambian-Nothangian group   Western Masurian group (Galindians?)   Eastern Masurian group (Yotvingians)   Lower Neman and West-Latvian group (Curonians)   Brushed Pottery culture   Milograd culture   Plain-Pottery culture, AKA Dnepr-Dvina culture   Pomeranian culture   Bell-shaped burials group
Map 4: Eastern Europe in 3-4th century CE with archeological cultures identified as Baltic-speaking in purple. Their area extended from the Baltic Sea to modern Moscow region.
Map 5: During the Migration Period in 5-6th century CE, the area of archeological cultures identified as Baltic is becoming more fragmented.
Map 6: By the 7th–8th century CE, only Eastern Galindians remain in the east within the Slavic territory.
Map 7: Distribution of the Baltic tribes, circa 1200 CE. The Eastern Balts are shown in brown hues while the Western Balts are shown in green. The boundaries are approximate.

Hypothetical Ancient Baltic peoples and tribes

Possible Balts

Balts or Slavs

Balts, Slavs or Uralics

Notes

  1. Bojtár page 207.

External links

Balts
Ethnic groups
Countries
Languages
Tribes
Religion
Tribes mentioned in the Bavarian Geographer
The tribes are listed according to the original names and order
Latvia articles
History
Geography
Politics
Economy
Society
Culture
Lithuania articles
History
Early
Revival and
independence
WWII and
occupations
Restoration
Lithuania
Geography
Politics
Military
Economy
Society
Culture
Categories: