The Germanic People: Their Origin, Expansion, and Culture

by Francis Owen

1990 Dorset Press hardcover,originally published 1960. Francis Owen. Traces the history of the Germanic peoples( Austrians, Danes, Dutch, English, Flemish, Frisians, Germans, Icelanders, Norwegians, Swedes) from the Paleolithic age through the Bronze age and how they conquered and combined w/ other peoples.

Genres: History

Hardcover

First published May 1, 1991

Reviews

[H · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anybody interested in acquiring knowledge about the ancient Germanic peoples, Francis Owen's 'The Germanic People' is a good place to start. The book traces their origins back to the Old European hunter-gatherers up until the Bronze Age when a distinct Germanic culture can be identified.
Owen presents his own theory about the origin of the proto-Indo-Europeans. He rejects the Kurgan hypothesis in favour of what might be referred to as the 'Corded Ware theory.' This places the PIE homeland in central Europe as opposed to the Eurasian Steppe. The Kurgan hypothesis is still the most widely accepted and Owen was aware that it had almost become dogma even at the time of his own research. His alternative hypothesis might lead to a dismal of the book. I would, however, remind readers that the conclusions of contemporary researchers are by no means unanimous with the Corded Ware theory still being reinforced.
Owen maintains that the fusion of the Old European Mesolithic cultures with the conquering Corded Ware people resulted in the Germanic enthnogenesis. This theory of cultural assimilation is by no means unique with the same argument being used to describe the origins of almost all Europeans excluding the Basques, Finns and other non-Indo-European-speaking groups.
After providing a brief history of the Germanic peoples, Owen examines their cultural habits ranging from the material culture to social and religious attitudes.
The book is very well-written and it is clear that the author is passionate about the subject. It is important to keep in mind that a lot more research has been made available since its publication, especially DNA studies. The book is still very useful, however, and hopefully it will encourage the reader to continue further research. I was unable to find similar books by Francis Owen. It appears he only wrote two more books, which happen to fiction.

[Chris Wolff · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is badly dated having been written long before the revelations of DNA. Interesting nonetheless if a little dense and boring at times.

[Rock · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure why I picked this book off my dad's shelf and read it over the last couple days. It is pretty well organized and exposited, but much of the info is out-of-date. It would have helped to read this prior to the Niebelungenlied though.