The Story of the Goths from the Earliest Times to the End of the Gothic Dominion in Spain

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1889 Excerpt: ...in the hands of Amalaric, who was now grown up to manhood, and no longer needed a guardian. On the thirtieth of August Theoderic died. His remains, enclosed in a coffin of porphyry, were placed in a vast circular tomb of white marble at Ravenna, which afterwards became the church of Santa Maria della Rotonda, and still remains entire, though no longer used for worship. A century or two after Theoderic's death, when the Goths had been driven out of Italy and the Catholics were once more supreme, the tomb was robbed of its contents. The PORTION OF A GOTHIC DEED. (Italy, sixth century.) "I, Wilyarith the notary have signed with my own hand;and we have received 60 'shillings' i.e. solidi;the solidus was a gold coin then worth about 10 shillings; and previously, by way of loan, and jointly with our deacon Alamod and our colleagues, we received 120 shillings,' the price of these water-meadows." This is one of several subscriptions to a deed relating to a sale of a piece of land by the clergy of a Gothic church at Ravenna to a certain Peter;the price of the land was 180" shillings," and the church owed Peter 120" shillings" for" caution-money." The document is believed to be of the year 551, and was found at Naples. HIS To MB VIOLATED. porphyry coffin was found at the door of a neighbouring monastery. What became of the body was unknown, but a discovery made some thirty years ago may, it has been supposed, possibly throw some light upon the question. In the year 1854 some labourers who were excavating a dock, one or two hundred yards from the tomb of Theoderic, came upon a skeleton in golden armour, with large jewels in the helmet and the hilt of the sword. The place was an ancient cemetery, but the body had evidently not be...