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| | Gothic: Non-Codex Materials |
 | | By far the best-preserved and most useful Gothic text is the translation of most of the New Testament by Wulfila, contained in the Codex Argenteus manuscript in Uppsala. |
 | | In addition, the Skeireins, since it attempts to interpret the Biblical passages that may have been confusing to the Goths, is often a good source of cultural information: explaining the Roman practice of lying down for a meal, for instance, shows that the Goths most likely did not share this custom. |
 | | Runic inscriptions, dating from much earlier, are extremely problematic: not only are most of them badly damaged, broken, or eroded, but they are nearly all heavily disputed, since it is difficult to even determine their age or dialect, much less an actual meaning for the inscription. |
| www.nthuleen.com /papers/755gothfinal.html (745 words) |
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