A selection of historical conundrums answered by experts
Does the modern Goth subculture have any link to the Gothic people?
The Goth subculture first took root in the UK in the 1980s, when bands such as The Cure and Bauhaus became increasingly popular. It soon evolved to become more than a musical movement. Goths typically favoured black clothes and dark, often crimped hair; many sported long coats, corsets and chokers.
What connection do these Goths have to the people who helped forge medieval Europe? Though it’s not known exactly where they came from, those historical Goths were a Germanic people who migrated across the continent, building kingdoms and sometimes fighting against established powers such as the Romans. After the late fifth century they were divided into Visigoths (western tribes) and Ostrogoths (eastern).
Today, ancient Goths are seen as the archetype of anti-classicalism. When Visigothic leader Alaric I sacked Rome in AD 410, it was a hugely symbolic moment in the fall of the classical world. The word ‘Gothic’ has been a label for the non-classical ever since. For example, London’s Houses of Parliament were built in a non-classical architectural style called Gothic Revival.
The modern Goth subculture also leans on that symbolic frame of reference of the ‘other’. The word ‘vandal’ – the name of another Germanic tribe that spread across Europe from the fifth century – has also been co-opted, though ‘vandal’ has such specific connotations that no one wants to use that term to describe themselves. Goth counterculture is not inherently destructive – there’s no throwing around bins or breaking windows. Being a Goth is just a determined choice to be ‘other’. In that sense, modern Goth culture is almost an extension of the symbolic and metaphorical legacy of the ancient Goths.
Peter Heather, professor of medieval history, King’s College London
Why was 15 March, the date of Caesar’s murder, called the ‘Ides of March’?
“Beware the Ides of March!” We’ve all heard the warning that Julius Caesar didn’t heed, but why was it called the ‘Ides of March’ at all?
The later Roman calendar had 12 months, with the third, March, named for Mars, the god of war. To help people keep track of the date,
