Painter, architect, and historian Giorgio Vasari popularized the term Gothic as a pejorative term to describe a grotesque or barbaric aesthetic, reminiscent of the destruction of Roman buildings during the Gothic sacking of Rome. The term Gothic was first used to describe a “barbaric” aesthetic in the 1500s. Studying this period of time provides us with a glimpse into an important point in history as pagans fought and lost their right to religious and cultural freedom. The Goths waged war because they refused to be submissive to Rome’s control. The Holy Roman Empire and Christianity threatened their way of life. Although these tribes were frequently demonized for their barbaric nature, they were acting out of fear. This attack greatly weakened the western Roman Empire and contributed to its eventual collapse, and the conquering of Italy by Odoacer, a Germanic king, in 476 CE. They were most famous for the invasions of Rome that began in 238 CE, and the Visigoth sacking of Rome in 410 CE. This ancient culture originally worshipped Norse gods and was known for piracy. The Goths were not commonly known by what they called themselves, like Thervingi (forest people) and Greuthungi (steppe or rock people), but were called Goth because of their barbaric nature. Some historians believe that the modern world would not be the same without them. EditorĪlthough the history of the ancient Germanic tribes called the Goths, Visigoths and Ostrogoths occupied a very small portion of world history texts, their culture has influenced Western civilization more than people may understand. Rachel Fischer has ably put together an excellent resource for anyone wanting to build a collection from the ground-up, or add some new and interesting resources. She can be reached at concerning this column should be addressed to Mark Shores e-mail: How did we get from warlike Germanic tribes sacking Rome, to an aesthetic or subculture imbued with “the dark and melancholy, a hint of horror tinged with romance.” 1 This column will show you how widely this aesthetic is represented in art, architecture, film, literature and more, and along the way you will undoubtedly find some great resources to add to your collections, from music CD, to academic journals, reference works and the usual popular and academic books. She has a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from Dominican University, a Master of Science in Management degree from Minot State University, and a BFA in Fine Arts from Columbia College Chicago. Fischer is a Metadata Librarian at the University of Alabama. The Gothic Aesthetic: From the Ancient Germanic Tribes to the Contemporary Goth Subculture
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