The Kingdom of the Gepids during late antiquity power, territory, and identity in a forgotten successor kingdom

Duncan, Heather

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129885 Copy

Description

Title

The Kingdom of the Gepids during late antiquity power, territory, and identity in a forgotten successor kingdom

Author(s)

Duncan, Heather

Issue Date

2025-07-17

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Mathisen, Ralph

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Mathisen, Ralph

Committee Member(s)

• Symes, Carol
• Bosak-Schroeder, Clara
• Kaufman, Brett

Department of Study

History

Discipline

History

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• Gepids
• Late Antiquity
• Barbarians
• Successor Kingdoms
• Barbarian Kingdoms
• Huns
• Late Roman Empire
• Numismatics
• Sirmium Group

Abstract

This dissertation argues that the Kingdom of the Gepids ranks among the significant successor kingdoms of Late Antiquity. It contends that the Gepids were not merely a disorganized warband but instead formed a structured kingdom that exerted major influence in the region of southeastern Europe. But it is a kingdom that has been overlooked by scholars, due to both a lack of textual sources as well as biases in modern historical discourse. This dissertation aims to be a corrective measure in regard to the Gepid kingdom and the historiography. It examines the discourse surrounding the term “king” and “kingdom” in both late antique texts as well as modern scholarship in order to affirm that the Gepid polity was a kingdom. The Kingdom of the Gepids qualifies in several ways which are expanded upon throughout the dissertation. The Gepids established a kingdom in a settled core territory and then participated in aggressive expansion. They exerted their influence throughout the Balkans, controlling the movement of numerous other groups. The kingdom maintained a structured hierarchy and royal house, established laws, engaged in diplomacy, and cultivated legitimacy through gifts and its choice of capital city, Sirmium. The Gepid kingdom minted its own coins, and this dissertation provides new insights into the Sirmium Group coins as well as a catalogue of recent examples from auction houses. The Gepid kingdom had a fixed identity –its leaders cultivated a sense of identity and cultural cohesion, and the word “Gepid” carried stereotypes and connotations throughout the Empire and barbaricum. For these reasons, the Kingdom of the Gepids was, and should be, recognized as one of the major players of the period. This dissertation serves as a case-study on how to rethink the study of barbarian groups and kingdoms, particularly those which are often overlooked. It provides new ways of looking at well-trodden texts but also highlights the importance of looking to other forms of evidence and then bringing these sources into conversation with one another, particularly numismatics, archaeology, and genetics. The Gepid kingdom was unique among the barbarian successor kingdoms, as it was the westernmost of the barbarians who looked to the east. The Gepids faced not a weak western Empire, but instead the far more robust eastern Empire. The kingdom was largely located within barbaricum, and in many ways may have had less imperial influence than the other barbarian kingdoms. The Kingdom of the Gepids is thus vital for understanding the world of Late Antiquity in the fifth and sixth centuries, both in comparison to other barbarian kingdoms and also the Empire.

Graduation Semester

2025-08

Type of Resource

Thesis

Handle URL

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129885

Copyright and License Information

© 2025 Heather Duncan

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