So called Bavarian Geographer - being a document of HRE's military intelligence - is a very useful 9th century source.
For 8th century an important source when it comes to Europe in generał is so called Fredegar's Chronicle.
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Edit:
As for English and Byzantine sources - I don't think that they can always accurately describe Central or Eastern European reality, even if they are contemporary. This is simply too great distance. Some of Arab and Jewish (from the Muslim world) merchants wrote more reliable accounts, since they actually visited this region. Then of course we have for example Thietmar, who is contemporary and generally reliable, except for his anti-Polish personal and family bias.
Agree with first part, not necessarily with your English / Byzantine comments. I would agree if we were talking about certain vulnerable types of information, but the info in these sources about the names of higher level political units stands on its own very well.
I'm not sure how realistic is this statue from Naumburg Cathedral, but this is Regelinda - daughter of Polish king Bolesław I Chrobry (who was son of Mieszko I and Czech Princess Doubravka) and his third wife Princess Emnilda, daughter of a certain Slavic (perhaps Lusatian or Moravian) Prince Dobromir.
This statue showing Regelinda Bolesławowna is known in Germany as "Die lächelinde Polin" ("The laughing Pole"):
Mieszko II (here sitting on the throne) was also son of the same couple - Bolesław I and Emnilda Dobromirowna:
Main groups of evidence which prove against any Scandinavian role or Scandinavian influence in the process of formation of Early Medieval Poland are:
1. Lack of dynastic legend tracing back the origin of Piasts to the Vikings (like in case of Nestor's legend about Rurik)
2. Lack of Scandinavian names in Piast dynasty
3. Lack of any significant number of "Viking" findings near main early Piast urban centres
4. Lack of traditional, typically Scandinavian strongholds and fortified constructions
5. Lack of typically Scandinavian constructions and buildings (= no any significant Scandinavian settlements)
6. Lack of Scandinavian pottery in this region
7. Lack of written sources which mention Scandinavians
On the other hand, some large Scandinavian cemeteries were discovered relatively close to the borders of Early Medieval Poland (which is just another proof that they did not penetrate further inland, if there are many Scandinavian findings near Poland but not in Poland) - Mohovoje (Kaup) in Sambia (now Kaliningrad Oblast) is a cemetery with several hundred Scandinavian graves. Typical Scandinavian-style buildings were discovered in Truso, one of urban centres of Old Prussians. "Viking" findings were also on Wolin (Baltic island near modern German-Polish border, in Pomerania). But neither Kaup, nor Truso, nor Wolin were centres of Scandinavian political power - Scandinavians were there as merchants / traders / mercenaries / "civilians". Despite hundreds of typically Scandinavian discoveries from those areas (Prussia and Pomerania) - Scandinavians who were present in that region did not create any states and did not conquer local populations.
To summ up:
As long as there are no any new, groundbreaking and large-scale "Scandinavian" archaeological findings, all such theories will remain speculations.
And in such case, the long established theory - which is still overwhelmingly prevalent also today - that Poland was founded and Christianized as a result of natural, internal development and growth - and maybe also partially in reaction to German eastward expansion -, remains valid.
Thus a new movie about Mieszko I is not so necessary, the old one - "Gniazdo" ("Nest") - is still OK:
cradle of the Polish state
7 July 2005 | by steven-222 (Berkeley, CA, USA) – See all my reviews
On the eve of the critical battle of Cedynia (972 AD), the Polish ruler Mieszko falls ill; when a witch is summoned to treat him, he feverishly reflects on the turning points of his reign, including his assumption of the throne (against the wishes of his dying father, who preferred Mieszko's brother), and the politics that led to his baptism as the first Christian Polish monarch (largely to enjoy the perks of an alliance with the Holy Roman Emperor Otto I).
A good script (Mieszko's guilt at disobeying his father provides psychological conflict), solid production (including a recreation of Mieszko's monumental ring-fort), and a personable performance by Wojciech Pszoniak as Mieszko make this a satisfying experience for the viewer with a serious interest in history.
These sources all describe the dominant tribal groups of eastern and northern Europe. The patterns are quite awkward to reconcile with the reconstructions you get from back-projected post-conversion accounts, but are much more likely to represent reality IMHO.
Wulfstan of Hedeby's account (included in Old English Orosius) mentions that entire southern Baltic Sea coast from the Danish border as far as to the Vistula River is controlled by West Slavs (Wends), but he does not mention any specific tribal groups. Wulfstan travelled from Hedeby to Truso:
Red dotted line is how Wulfstan travelled (for 7 days and nights) in year ca. 880 AD:
Here are major realms mentioned by Wulfstan (Danes, Burgundians, Sweons, Wends):
What is allegedly "awkward" in Wulfstan's account ??? Or maybe you mean some other excerpt from Old English Orosius?
The age and the original purpose of the mound remain a mystery. Excavations conducted in mid-1930s revealed that the mound consists of a solid wooden core covered with soil and turf. Some artifacts dating from between the 8th and 10th centuries were found inside, but no human remains were discovered. According to another hypothesis the mound is of Celtic origin and dates from the 2nd-1st century BCE.[2]
This will be "roasting of a 200 years old cutlet", but according to British historian T. Greenwood, "The history of the Germans", Book I, London 1836, the Hunnic invasion of East-Central Europe "erased" the names of many old tribes, decimated them, and those who survived, adopted new names and organized themselves into new societies & tribes. This is how according to him the Slavic "nation" appeared, and among their ancestors were for example Scytho-Sarmatians.
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