I read a very interesting book last night about the odyssey that these historically maligned Teutonic people took from the Oder valley round through the Roman province Gaul through Spain, then along northern Africa, and eventually to Italy, all in the space of a couple of generations. This, perhaps biased article held the belief that the use thereafter of 'vandal' to mean 'someone who wilfully destroys or defaces property' was a quite unfair term to cull from the group. They were only, after all, a group of people looking for a peaceful home, so the article. The fact that 'they have no other land' clearly entitled them to a lot of bloody unrest though. Seems to be a common excuse for justifying all sorts of occupations and wars I guess. After taking Italy the wars did not stop either - their 'empire' grew and quickly collapsed in on itself.
Oh well, thought it an interesting story behind quite a common word.

What's the title of the book, by?

Oh, I don't know now - s'not mine see. I didn't get to read it all, just about this long trip by the Vandals. The book's title was something about the Vandals and the Huns and the Fall of Rome and belongs to this Spanish bloke I know. He is quite interested in Europe's non-Greek and non-Romanic history and has all sorts of thick books on the subject. I just opened a page :-)

Huns, Vandals and the Fall of the Roman Empire
by Thomas Hodgkin

Could that be it?

Conceptual detection exquisitely subtle

Guess that's the one :-) It's quite famous, is it?
Looking at the thread now I realize what I originally wrote about where the Vandals come from is nonsense - they're Germanic - I just checked now and they originally came from Juetland then wandered down to the Oder valley. Sorry 'bout that. Only ca. 2,000km off hey. I got them mixed up with the first groups in Europe that the Huns displaced. I'll edit that. Apparently the Huns were just kind of hungry (not Hungery!) and they wanted something to eat. Look at the trouble they started, huh - the first mass displacement of people.

It's quite famous, is it?

Dunno how famous it is. I jus oney stuck "hun vandal rome" into amazon.com and that's what it came back with.

And I doubt if the Huns precipitated the *first mass displacement of people, just the first one we have decent documentation of.

Italy got invaded a half dozen times as result of mass displacement of people. The Vandals just didn't know how to put the right spin on the media.

Dear Max: not a chads.

No one to tampa with the evidence...

There's norway I'm going near that one.

No one to tampa with the evidence...

There's norway I'm going near that one.

Why not? How 'ard would it be?

Like going to Hel 'n' back.

No one to tampa with the evidence...
There's norway I'm going near that one.
Why not? How 'ard would it be?
Like going to Hel 'n' back.
Aw C'mon, it could B'easily done
You think you're struggling!!
Wait till the Ship leaves for your shores.

You almost had me.
No one to tampa with the evidence...
There's norway I'm going near that one.
Why not? How 'ard would it be?
Like going to Hel 'n' back.
Aw C'mon, it could B'easily done
Wait till the Ship leaves for your shores.
You win! I put my poor, lean hands on my heart and concede defeat.

Why must there be a winner? Can't we wait until it peters out?

No one to tampa with the evidence...
There's norway I'm going near that one.
Why not? How 'ard would it be?
Like going to Hel 'n' back.
Aw C'mon, it could B'easily done
Wait till the Ship leaves for your shores.
You win! I put my poor, lean hands on my heart and concede defeat.
Why must there be a winner? Can't we wait until it peters out?
But if we just keep on going, what about the cost? 'Ello, did you think about that?

Oh, the horror. My apologies. I'll be cullin' my participation from now on.