Pliny the Elder gave a classification of Germanic tribes in his great work-Natural History- which has been basically excepted by modern historians .Accordingly to Pliny Germanic tripes in the 1 century A.D. consisted of the following groups:
1)Vindili(among them were the Gothes and the Burgundians) They inhabited the eastern part of Germanic territory /
2)Ingvaeones(or Ingeovones)thas inhabited the NorthiWestern part of Germanic territory.
3)Iscaevones(or Istaevones)These inhabitedthe western part of Germanic territory.Among them were the Franks.
4)Herminones(or Herminones)These inhabited the southwen part of Germanic territory
5)Helleiviones who inhabited Scandinevia.
By the 1st century A.D., the writings of Caesar, Tacitus and other Roman era writers indicate a division of Germanic-speaking peoples into tribal groupings centred on:
--the rivers Oder and Vistula (Poland) (East Germanic tribes),
---the lower Rhine river (Istvaeones),
---the river Elbe (Irminones),
---Jutland and the Danish islands (Ingvaeones).
The Istvaeones, Irminones, and Ingvaeones are collectively called West Germanic tribes. In addition to this those Germanic people who remained in Scandinavia are referred to as North Germanic. These groups all developed separate dialects, the basis for the differences among Germanic languages down to the present day.
