ITALY TRIP - What on earth is an Ostrogoth?

I would be lying if I said I had never heard the term 'Ostrogoth' before.

After all, I'm a Classics teacher.

Dinner beside the baptistry of the Ostrogoths

However, I kind of imagined them rather like one of the alien foes who crop up in Star Trek on a semi-regular basis. Their role in the plot is to threaten the Starship Enterprise/the Universe/the Roman Empire.

They are the kind of people that the most devoted Trekkies would have a file on. 

And maybe have invented a complete language for. 

And had plastic surgery in order to resemble. 

But then we visited Ravenna.  

In ancient times, as the city of Rome fell prey to invasions, the capital of the Western Roman Empire moved to Ravenna. 

There it remained until the whole of Italy was taken over by the Ostrogoths under king Theoderic in around 493 AD.

It turns out that Theoderic (although a barbarian, and therefore snubbed by snobbish Romans) was wise and did some good ruling.  He retained many of the institutions of the Roman Empire and promoted culture and prosperity. 

 
So what exactly is an Ostrogoth?
Just means an eastern Goth.

And I'm pretty sure they spoke Klingon.

Tomb of Theoderic

Magnificent porphyry sarcophagus of Theoderic