Comune di Spilamberto

THE LANGOBARDS
Described by kids to kids

HISTORY

What sources were used to reconstruct the history of the Langobards?
Sources can be divided into written sources, like the Historia Langobardorum by Paul the Deacon, written near the end of the 8th century, legislative texts, like the famous Edict of Rothari, promulgated in 643, and archaeological sources.

Who were the Langobards?
The Langobards were a Germanic, semi-nomadic and warlike people.

Where did they come from?
They came from Scandinavia but then, at the beginning of the 6th century, they moved to Austria and into Pannonia (present-day Hungary) where they had prolonged contacts also with the Roman world and society.

What is the origin of their name?
Some believe that it comes from the Scandinavian word vinna, that means to fight, while others feel the name refers to their long beards or to the long spears that they used in battle.

When did they arrive in Italy?
In 568, led by King Alboin, they crossed the border of the Eastern Alps, occupied Friuli and invaded the Po Valley from the east to the west.

What areas were parts of the Langobard kingdom?
The Langobard kingdom extended into central-northern Italy, known as Langobardia Major, and into the central-southern part of the peninsula, called Langobardia Minor. The central Adriatic sector and some of the Tyrrhenian area remained under Byzantine rule like all the rest of southern Italy and Sardinia.

Who were their enemies?
Their enemies were the Byzantines of Constantinople, the Pope in Rome and the Franks.
  
How and when did Langobard rule in Italy end?
In 773 the Franks, whose assistance was requested by the Pope to help ward off the Langobards who were preparing to attack Rome, defeated them and in 774 Charlemagne became the king of both the Franks and the Langobards.

SOCIETY

What type of society did the Langobards have?
They had a pyramidal and patriarchal type of society.

Who was the leader?
The people were ruled by a warrior king chosen from among those who led different tribal groups.

What social class had the most power?
The one consisting of free men (Arimanni) who could bear arms.

Why were the warriors called Arimanni?
Because the word «arimannus» in the Langobard military culture means literally «man of the army».

Who was at the bottom of the society?
The base of the social pyramid was occupied by the servants, who lived in conditions of partial or total slavery.

Who was between the warriors and the slaves?
The intermediate level was occupied by the aldii or half-free men, who had limited freedom but were able to make a living independently. They did not carry weapons.

From what can we obtain information about the composition and changes in the society?
From the legislative text known as the Edict of Rothari promulgated in 643.

How did the idea of power and therefore of society change?
During the Slav-Pannonian period, warriors held power while after the conquest of Italy and the foundation of the Langobard kingdom the hierarchy of the social classes also depended on the extension and productivity of landholdings.

What did a Langobard do to become a strong warrior?
At the age of 12 males received a sword and began to train for the art of war.

ECONOMY

What were the main activities?
The main activities were waging war, raiding, hunting and animal husbandry.

What animals were raised as livestock?
They raised mainly pigs and cattle.

Were they familiar with farming?
Cultivated land decreased while forests expanded since they could be used to raise livestock in a semi-wild state. Of the rich Roman agriculture only low-maintenance crops survived, meaning millet, rye and barley.

Over time was there an evolution in the society and the economy?
In the 7th and 8th centuries the society was divided into social classes that included landholders, craftsmen, farmers and merchants. Coins began to be used for commercial transactions.

DAILY LIFE AND LANGUAGE

What did they look like?
They cut their hair in the front and shaved all around the head up to the nape of the neck, while their hair was divided into two sections that hung down the sides up to the mouth. They also took great care of their long beards.

What clothes did they wear?
Both the men and the women wore loose-fitting garments made out of linen with multicoloured flounces fastened at the waist with leather belts and bronze or iron buckles, and open footwear with leather lacings at the calf. To ride horses, the men wore heavy cloth pants.

What kind of homes did they have?
The king and his functionaries lived in Imperial-age buildings while there were also various other types of dwellings. Some had a base made of stone blocks of varying sizes that helped to insulate the bottom of the structure from the ground – therefore from the cold, water and humidity – while the top part (meaning the walls and roof) were made out of wood. Other dwellings had a stone base and the walls formed by a wooden frame covered with clay and a wooden roof.  

What did they eat?
Their meals included pork, a mushy mix of grains and broad beans, butter and milk. They drank beer, while wine was reserved for members of the wealthier classes.

What language did they speak?
They spoke a Germanic language, similar to modern English and German, of which there is no written evidence. Italian contains about 280 words of Langobard origin including brodo (broth), ricco (rich), guancia (cheek) and fazzoletto (handkerchief).

RELIGION

What was the religion of the Langobards?
Originally, they were a pagan people, but under King Alboin they converted to the Arian heresy and under queen Theodolinda Roman Catholicism began to spread, and was then imposed on the entire population.

What were the characteristics of the Langobard cemeteries?
They were located near a waterway and a road, a short distance from villages. The graves generally had a West-East orientation so that the deceased could see the rising sun.

What was placed in the graves?
The deceased were buried with their everyday garments that included various objects: in male graves there were weapons demonstrating the bravery of the warrior, while jewellery and coins were found in female graves.The graves could also contain bone artefacts, everyday tools and various types of ceramic or metallic containers.  

ART

What remains of Langobard art?
Still today the debate continues if there ever had been a real «Langobard art» or if the Langobards had acquired an artistic identity based on what they inherited from the earlier Roman-Byzantine culture. The Langobards certainly made or commissioned very high-quality works of art. There are still some small and even precious monuments, like the Langobard temple of Cividale and many works of art and craftsmanship.

What forms of art were they most skilled in?
The most noteworthy involve goldsmith works, including masterpieces such as the «Hen with chick», the «Cross of Agilulf» and the «Iron crown». The Langobard craftsmen knew how to shape precious gold foil, were quite skilled in embossing and set precious and semi-precious stones and gems into artefacts. Gold artefacts include earrings, worked gold foil sheath trimming, saddle trimming, plates, crosses and reliquaries.The seaxes (typical Langobard battle knives) and brooches were part of the simplest but just as important metallurgic activities.

Text prepared with the support of the Istituto Comprensivo “Severino Fabriani” in Spilamberto
School principal Prof. Carla Martinelli
Texts were written by:
Elementary school: students from classes 5A, 5B and 5D and their teachers Laura Montanari, Rosa Bianco, Marco Amadessi and Carmela Norscia in San Vito with teachers Irene Romeo and Dario D’Angelo
Middle school: students from class 1B and their teacher Caterina Pizzuti.
2009-2010 academic year