552 REPORT OF NATIONAT. MUSEUM, 1891. 



Elbe. Probably it was the same ])eople whose chief rowed across the 

 river in a small dug-out ^ to x)ay his respects to the Eomau conqueror.^ 

 Oue of the finest productions of prehistoric naval architecture of a few 

 centuries later is to be ascribed to tlieir skill. Neither its shape nor 

 workmanship suggest the Ciuhe ' mentioned by all the early writers 

 in connection with the Saxon maritime power; its form is rather sug- 

 gestive of the ships of the Suioiies,* which will be fully described in a 

 later chapter, and it will, I think, be safe to accept the opinion of the 

 renowned archaeologist Engelhardt,^ and ascribe the structure to our 

 Scandinavian neighbors rather than to the (rermans*' although the lat- 

 ter now occupy the territory upon which this interesting liud has been 

 made. 



THE FRANKS. 



The first mention in history of the name of Franks is made in a song, 

 whicli the sokliers of Aurelian, in A. d. iil4, just returned from the 

 Northern Germsin frontier, sang when leaving Rome for the Persian 

 war." 



Neither Oiiesar, Tacitus, nor Ptolemy mention the Franks, althongh 

 they often speak of the peo]>le that occupied the very districts in which 

 we afterwards find the Franks. It is, therefore, probable that Frank 

 is the newest Old German name ami represents somewhat vaguely a 

 group of tribes bearing other naiiu^s, although not much value is placed 

 by some'* upon this theory. 



During the reign of Aurelian they make their first appearance upon 

 the sea, discovering the entrance to the Mediterranean and ransacking 

 Taragone.^ 



In earlier days they dwelt on the right banks of the Rhine, and, as once 

 the Romans pressed on them, ere long they began to i)ress on the Romans 

 in return. The oldest Frankish band was then on the Rhine ; southeast 

 was a second group, including the Bructers and others, and beyond 

 these the Chatti and Suevi, to which group'" th<^ name Franks was first 

 given. 



' "Caveatum ut illis mos est ex materia." 



- VeUejm Paterculiis il, c. 107. 



3 jS. Earth, Teutschlands Urgescbichte ii, 288. Isidor origines Ixix, 1. Dr. G. 

 Klemm, Handb. d. (lerui. Alteitb. Kuude, p. 148. Nenuil Histor. Briton., ed. San 

 Marte, § 31, 37. Gildus.; dc Excidio Britan., ibid., § 23. 



■* Tacitus, De Gerniauiie, e. xliv. 



"• Engelhardt, C, Deiimarli iu tlie Early Iron Age, Loudou, 1866. 



'^Werner, Admiral, Das Seewesen der Germanischen Vorzeit. Handel inan», II. Das 

 iilteste Germauisclie Seeschitt". 1S71. 



''VoplscKs in Aureliaiio, c. 7: 



" Mille Sarmatas, Mille Fraucos, semel et semel occidiiims, 

 Mille, mille, mille, mille, mille Persas qiiiBrimus." 

 ^ Jacob (irimm : Geschichte der Deutschen Sprache, p. 518. 



'^Anrelius Victor iiiCies., c. 33; Eutropim, ix, 6; Claudius iv, Cons. Honor, i 31,32; 

 Orosius VII, c. 2; Nazar Panegyr., Constant. Ang. diet., c. 17. 

 ^^'JVatlerich : Die (Jermanen des Rheins, p. 166. 



