North Sea Germanic

earliest historical form of English

West Germanic language spoken mainly in northern Germany and the eastern part of the Netherlands

thumb|Germania in the late 1st century AD; the Cimbri in northern Jutland. The Cimbri (, ; ) were an ancient tribe in Europe. Ancient authors described them variously as a Celtic-Gaulish, Germanic, or even Cimmerian people. Several ancient sources indicate that they lived in Jutland, which in some classical texts was called the Cimbrian peninsula. There is no direct evidence for the language they spoke, though some scholars argue that it was a Germanic language, while others argue that it was Celtic.

group of West Germanic languages

Germanic language spoken 8C – 12C

group of North West Germanic languages

West Germanic language spoken between the 13th and 16th centuries

frameless|240px|right The Chauci were an ancient Germanic tribe living in the low-lying region between the Rivers Ems and Elbe, on both sides of the Weser and ranging as far inland as the upper Weser. Along the coast they lived on artificial mounds called terpen, built high enough to remain dry during the highest tide. A dense population of Chauci lived further inland, and they are presumed to have lived in a manner similar to the lives of the other Germanic peoples of the region.

The Ingaevones () or Ingvaeones () were a Germanic cultural group living in the Northern Germania along the North Sea coast in the areas of Jutland, Holstein, and Lower Saxony in classical antiquity. Tribes in this area included the Angles, Chauci, Saxons, and Jutes.