List of ancient Baltic peoples and tribes

The following is a list of ancient Baltic peoples and tribes.

Background

This is a list of the ancient Baltic peoples and tribes. They spoke the Baltic languages (members of the broader Balto-Slavic), a branch of the Indo-European language family, which was originally spoken by tribes living in area east of Jutland peninsula, southern Baltic Sea coast in the west and Moscow, Oka and Volga rivers basins in the east, to the northwest of the Eurasian steppe. Modern descendants are the Lithuanians and Latvians (they themselves assimilated other related Baltic tribes).

List of ancient Baltic peoples and tribes (table)

Groups	Peoples / Nations	Tribes	Languages	Land / Region / Localities
Eastern Balts†	Dniepr Balts	Neuri? (mentioned by Herodotus; possibly a Baltic or Slavic tribe)	Unknown	Dnieper basin (north of the Pontic Eurasian steppe)
	Oka Balts	Eastern Galindians	Unknown	Upper courses of the Dniepr and Oka rivers basins, including Moscow region
Eastern (Middle) Balts	Latvians (Latvieši)	Latgalians (Latgaļi)	Old Latgalian	Latvia, Latgalia (Latgola) - Adzele, Gersika or Jersika (Alene, Autine, Casvaine, Ērgļi, Gerdene, Jersika Proper, Lerene, Mārksne, Negeste, Osota, Preiļi), Kūknuojs and Eastern Vāina, Lotygola or Latgalia Proper (Īdeņa, Ludza, Rēzne, Varka), Pītuolova (Ābelene, Abrene, Bērzene, Purnava) and Tuolova or Tālava (Gulbene, Imera, Piebalga, Smiltene, Trikāta and Idumaa and Vendi)
	Lithuanians (Lietuviai)	Aukštaitians ("Highlanders")	Old Lithuanian (Old Aukštaitian)	Aukštaitija - Alšėnai, Deltuva, Lietuva (Lithuania Proper or Lietuvos Žemė), Nalšia and Nerija
		Samogitians ("Lowlanders")	Old Lithuanian (Old Samogitian)	Samogitia (Žemaitija) - Gaižuva, Karšuva, Knituva, Kulenė, Milžava, Šiauliai (Šiaulių Žemė), Medininkai and Upytė (Upytės Žemė)
		Prussian Lithuanians (Lietuvininkai)	Old Lithuanian	Lithuania Minor (Mažoji Lietuva)
Transitional Balts†	Curonians		Curonian	Curonia or Courland (Kurzeme, Kursa) - Bandava, Ceklis, Curonian Spit (Kuršu kāpas) and Vistula Spit, Duvzare, Megava, Piemare, Pīlsats, Vanema or Miera Kursa, Ventava
	Selonians		Selonian	Selonia (Sēlija) - Alektene, Kalvene, Maleisine, Medene, Pelone, Tovrakste
	Semigallians		Semigallian	Semigalia (Zemgale) - Dobele or Duobele, Dobene or Duobe, Guosta Galis, Mežotne, Nogailene, Plāne, Putelene, Sidabre, Silene, Šiurpe, Spārnene, Tērvete, Upmale, Žagare
Western Balts†	Yotvingians		Yotvingian	Yotvingia - Dainava or Dzukija, Jotva or Yotva, Paleksija or Palenke and Sudovia (Sūdava)
	Prussians (Prūsai)	Scalovians	Scalovian	Scalovia and Lamata
		Bartians	Prussian	Bartia
		Lubavians	Prussian	Lubavia
		Nadruvians	Prussian	Nadruvia
		Natangians	Prussian	Natangia
		Pogesanians	Prussian	Pogesania
		Pomesanians	Prussian	Pomesania and Kulmerland
		Sambians	Prussian	Sambia
		Sasnans	Prussian	Sasna
		Warmians or Varmians	Prussian	Warmia
		Western Galindians	Galindian	Galindia (Western)
	Pomeranian Balts	Unknown	Unknown	Pomerania

^†Extinct

Ancestors

Map 1: Indo-European migrations as described in The Horse, the Wheel, and Language by David W. Anthony

• Proto-Indo-Europeans (Proto-Indo-European speakers)
  • Proto-Balto-Slavs (common ancestors of Balts and Slavs) (Proto-Balto-Slavic speakers)
    • Proto-Balts (Proto-Baltic speakers)

List of Ancient Baltic peoples and tribes (kinship tree)

Map 2: Distribution area of Baltic hydronyms. This area is considered the urheimat of the Balts.

Map 3: Baltic archaeological cultures in the Iron Age from 600 BC to 200 BC.

  Sambian-Nothangian group

  Western Masurian group (Galindians?)

  Eastern Masurian group (Yotvingians)

  Lower Neman and West-Latvian group (Curonians)

  Brushed Pottery culture

  Milograd culture

  Plain-Pottery culture, AKA Dnepr-Dvina culture

  Pomeranian culture

  Bell-shaped burials group

Map 4: Eastern Europe in 3-4th century CE with archeological cultures identified as Baltic-speaking in purple. Their area extended from the Baltic Sea to modern Moscow region.

Map 5: During the Migration Period in 5-6th century CE, the area of archeological cultures identified as Baltic is becoming more fragmented.

Map 6: By the 7th–8th century CE, only Eastern Galindians remain in the east within the Slavic territory.

Map 7: Distribution of the Baltic tribes, circa 1200 CE. The Eastern Balts are shown in brown hues while the Western Balts are shown in green. The boundaries are approximate.

• Balts
  • Eastern Balts
    • Eastern Galindians
    • Eastern (Middle) Balts
      • Latgalians (Latgaļi / Letgaļi / Leti) (they lived in Latgalia - Latgola)
        • Latvians (they were formed by the merger of Latgalians, as the main component, with the Selonians, Semigallians, Curonians and Livonians, the last ones are a Finnic people and not an Indo-European one) (they live in Latvia)
      • Transitional Balts (between Latgalians and Lithuanians)
        • Selonians (they lived in Selonia - Sēlija)
        • Semigallians (they lived in Semigallia - Zemgale)
        • Curonians (they lived in Curonia or Courland)
          • Curonian Kings (Kuršu Koniņi) (a distinct Latvian cultural group of Curonian ancestry) (they live in seven villages between Kuldīga and Aizpute in Courland)
          • Kursenieki (although they adopted a Latvian dialect, with Curonian substrate, they keep a distinct Curonian ethnic identity and name) (they lived in the Curonian and Vistula Spits)
      • Lithuanians (Lietuviai) (they were formed by the merger of Aukštaitians and Samogitians along with their smaller tribes) (they live in Lithuania)
        • Aukštaitians ("Highlanders")
        • Samogitians ("Lowlanders") (Žemaitē)
        • Prussian Lithuanians or Small Lithuanians - Lietuvininkai (they lived in Lithuania Minor, northeastern Prussia)
  • Western Balts
    • Scalovians (Skallawai) (they lived in Scalovia - Skallawa)
    • Prussians (Old Prussians, Baltic Prussians) (Prūsai) (they lived in Prussia, Old Prussia or Baltic Prussia)
      • Bartians (Bartai) (they lived in Bartia - Barta)
      • Lubavians (Lubawai) (they lived in Lubavia - Lūbawa)
      • Nadruvians (Nadrāuwai) (they lived in Nadruvia - Nadrāuwa)
      • Natangians (Natangai or Notangiai) (they lived in Natangia - Nātanga or Notangi)
      • Pogesanians (Paguddiai) (they lived in Pogesania - Paguddi)
      • Pomesanians (Pameddiai) (they lived in Pomesania - Pameddi)
      • Sambians (Sembai) (they lived in Sambia - Semba)
      • Sasnans (Sasnai) (they lived in Sasna)
      • Warmians (Wārmiai) (they lived in Warmia - Wārmi)
    • Western Galindians (Galindai) (they lived in Western Galindia - Galinda)
    • Yotvingians (they lived in Yotvingia)

Hypothetical Ancient Baltic peoples and tribes

• Eastern Balts
  • Dniepr-Oka Balts
    • Dniepr Balts
    • Oka Balts
• Western Balts
  • Pomeranian Balts

Possible Balts

Balts or Slavs

• Neuri / Navari (a people mentioned by Herodotus)

Balts, Slavs or Uralics

• Budini

External links

• Gimbutas, Marija (1963). The Balts. London, New York: Thames & Hudson, Gabriella. Archived from the original on 20 August 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-06. E-book of the original.
• Baranauskas, Tomas (2003). "Forum of Lithuanian History". Historija.net. Archived from the original on 6 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
• Sabaliauskas, Algirdas (1998). "We, the Balts". Postilla 400. Samogitian Cultural Association. Archived from the original on 2008-04-02. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
• Straižys, Vytautas; Libertas Klimka (1997). "The Cosmology of ancient Balts". www.astro.lt. Retrieved 2008-09-05.